A sculpture of the 1905 Wright Flyer III that was located in downtown Dayton for many years and then in storage, has now landed in the Wright Dunbar Historic District, where the Wright Brothers designed the world’s first powered airplane.
The Wright Flyer III was the third powered aircraft by the Wright Brothers, built during the winter of 1904.
The sculpture, built 20 years ago by Alamaba-based artist Larry Godwin, depicts the aircraft’s historic first flight. It shows life- size replicas of Wilbur Wright flying the plane and Orville Wright on the ground running and talking to his brother.
Steve Brown, a lead architect of the project, explained the new location’s significance.
“It recognizes Dayton's history with the Wright brothers in it, and it helps to preserve that history,” said Brown. “It points out to visitors here, you're entering the Wright Brothers neighborhood where this is where they grew up. This is where they invented the airplane.”
Montgomery County says the relocation project cost over $500,000.
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