Blue Skies & Tailwinds commentator Dan Patterson, a pilot and aviation photographer, invites you to learn more about the Dayton region's aviation accomplishments from a century ago the first Friday of each month.
When the USA entered World War I in 1917, the U.S. Army’s Aviation Engineering Headquarters was located in Dayton at McCook Field. Edward Deeds from NCR was made a Colonel and made sure that Dayton was the new location. His task was to create this headquarters almost from thin air. There was no such thing.
After the Wrights invented the aerial age and sold airplanes to the U.S. government - as well as France, Italy, Germany and the UK - the Europeans flew right through the door they had opened.
In this country, Glenn Curtiss was also making headlines and, according to the Wrights, tromping all over their flying machine patents. The ensuing years tied up up a lot of their energy with lawsuits.
The years leading up to WWI saw the imperial nations of Europe putting a lot of resources towards aviation. Once Louis Bleriot flew across the English Channel in 1909, the first international body of water crossed by air, the English could see what was coming. Land borders had become just lines on a map.
WWI began in 1914 and the three-dimensional aspect of a war was created. The hot breath of combat spurs rapid technical developments. Europe was ablaze with the first modern war. In addition to the aeroplane, the warring nations now had machine guns, tanks, deadly gasses and more.
Meanwhile, aviation in the U.S. was foundering. There was a decided lack of progress until 1917 and Col. Deeds had his new orders.
The pent up aviation energy was unleashed here in Dayton. Through the war that lasted through the end of the war in 1918 and bursting into the next decade, the accomplishments here were making history.
Many of those led to . . . faster . . . further . . . higher. The aircraft were larger, with bigger engines and longer range. And McCook Field had limited capacity. Runways too short. The city was growing around the air base.
The Army made it known that it was seeking a new and much larger place to fly. There was political pressure to move it all to Langley Field in Virginia. The leadership in Dayton could already see the positive economic impact here and took action.
President Calvin Coolidge let it be known that if Dayton bought enough land for a large airbase and presented that to the U.S. government, he would make sure that the Engineering HQ would stay in Dayton. The leadership went to work.
Over a weekend in 1922, more than $400,000 was raised and more than 5,000 acres of land was purchased. The deed was gifted to the U.S. government in 1924 and, when it opened, Wright Field was the largest military air base on the planet.
What was happening a century ago was the construction of what became known as “the field.” Through the Depression and looking towards the next, inevitable war, Wright Field burgeoned and became an irreplaceable national asset.
We will follow these accomplishments from a century ago on the first Friday of each month.
For WYSO, this is Dan Patterson wishing you Blue Skies and Tailwinds.
