Huffman Prairie facts for kids
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Huffman Prairie Flying Field
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Orville Wright in flight over Huffman Prairie, approximately 1,760 feet in 40 1/5 seconds, Nov. 16, 1904
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 Location in Ohio
Location in the United States
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| Nearest city | Fairborn, Ohio |
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| Area | 84.4 acres (34.2 ha) |
| Built | 1904 |
| Website | http://www.nps.gov/daav/learn/historyculture/huffman-prairie-flying-field.htm |
| NRHP reference No. | 71000640 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | May 6, 1971 |
| Designated NHL | June 21, 1990 |
Huffman Prairie, also known as Huffman Prairie Flying Field, is a really important historical place in Ohio. It's part of the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park. This 84-acre field near Fairborn was where the famous Wright brothers (Wilbur and Orville) worked hard. They invented a dependable and controllable airplane here. They also taught themselves how to be amazing pilots! Many early flight records were set by the Wrights at Huffman Prairie.
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The Wright Brothers' Flying Lab
The Wright brothers started using Huffman Prairie in 1904. They got permission from the field's owner, a banker named Torrence Huffman. The field was easy to reach because it was near a train line from their hometown of Dayton.
The Wrights made about 150 flights at this field between 1904 and 1905. This led to them creating the 1905 Wright Flyer III. They believed this was the first truly practical airplane. Today, this amazing aircraft has been restored. You can see it at the Carillon Historical Park in Dayton.
Flying School and Air Force Base
In 1910, the Wright Company used Huffman Prairie Flying Field for testing their planes. They also ran the Wright Flying School here. The Flying School trained over a hundred pilots! This included pilots for the Wright Exhibition Team. Early military pilots, like Henry H. "Hap" Arnold and Thomas DeWitt Milling, also learned to fly here.
The United States Army Signal Corps bought the field in 1917. They renamed it Wilbur Wright Field. In 1948, this area joined with nearby Patterson Field. Together, they became Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
Visiting Huffman Prairie Today
The National Park Service now manages this historic site. Visitors can see the exact place where the Wrights perfected their airplane. You can also see copies of their 1905 hangar and the launching catapult.
The historic flying field is kept mowed short. This makes it look like the pasture the Wrights used. Sometimes, they even have re-enactment flights here! Next to it, there's an area of tall-grass prairie. This part is kept natural with controlled burns. A nature trail winds through the tall grasses. You can see many different wildflowers and shrubs.
The Huffman Prairie area is inside the Air Force Base. But it has its own entrance and fence. This separates it from the modern base facilities.
The Interpretive Center
The Huffman Prairie Flying Field Interpretive Center is about 2 miles (3.2 km) from the flying field. It's on a hilltop that looks over Huffman Prairie. This National Park Service center explains the challenges the Wright brothers faced. It also covers their first flights in the U.S. and Europe. You can learn about their exhibition team and their manufacturing factory in Dayton.
The center even has a Wright Flyer flight simulator you can try! It shows how the Wright brothers' work led to the development of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. It also highlights the ongoing airplane research at the base.
A National Treasure
Huffman Prairie Flying Field was named a National Historic Landmark in 1990. It's a key part of the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park. In 2008, it was added to the U.S. World Heritage Tentative List. This means it might become a World Heritage Site one day!
In 1986, 109 acres of the natural part of Huffman Prairie became an Ohio Natural Area. It is also a part of the National Aviation Heritage Area.
Gallery
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National Park Service marker at the Huffman Prairie Flying Field
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National Park Service marker for Huffman Prairie Flying Field
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Reproduction of the Wright brothers' 1905 hangar and catapult at the Huffman Prairie
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Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardi), a characteristic grass of tall-grass prairie
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Wright Memorial, on a hilltop overlooking the Huffman Prairie
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Sign at the National Park Service visitor center near Huffman Prairie
Images for kids
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A view of Huffman Prairie.
