Date of visit: 28th October 2022

Huffman Prairie Flying Field forms part of Dayton, Ohio's Aviation Heritage National Historical Park. The 84-acre patch of rough pasture, northeast of the Wright brothers' hometown of Dayton, is where Orville and Wilbur created a dependable, fully controllable aircraft and in the process learnt to fly and become pilots. Numerous early aviation records were set by the Wrights here.

1904: with the permission of the field's owner, Dayton banker Torrence Huffman, the Wright brothers started tests of their Wright Flyer II. 105 flights, totaling 49 minutes were made culminating in the first turn and the first circle in the air with Wilbur setting a new distance record. 

1905: the brothers return to Huffman Prairie for the new flying season bringing along their improved 1905 Wright Flyer III. Evolving throughout 1905, the plane would eventually bank, turn circles, and make figure-eights. On 5th October 1905, Wilbur flew the plane for over 24 miles in 39 minutes, a new world record. Approximately two weeks later, the brothers ceased their experiments satisfied they now had a practical airplane that they could market. Throughout 1905, the brothers stayed airborne for 262 minutes in just 50 flights. The 1905 Wright Flyer III has since been restored, and is now on display at the Wright Brothers National Museum located in the Carillon Historical Park in Dayton. 

1910: the Wright Company placed its testing operations at Huffman Prairie Flying Field. They also operated the Wright Flying School from the site training more than a hundred pilots, including aviators for their Wright Exhibition Team and early military pilots. 

1916: the Wright Company ceased use of the flying field.

1917: the US Army Signal Corps purchased the field and renamed it, along with 2,000 adjacent acres, Wilbur Wright Field. 

1948: the area was merged with nearby Patterson Field to become Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

1990: Huffman Prairie Flying Field was designated as a National Historic Landmark.

Today the historic site is managed by the National Park Service where visitors can see a replica of the 1905 hangar and launching catapult, plus markers for the flight paths taken within the field boundaries .

Located about 2 miles from Huffman Prairie Flying Field is the Huffman Prairie Flying Field Interpretive Center and Wright Memorial. This National Park Service facility is on a hilltop overlooking Huffman Prairie and other parts of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The centre exhibits the specific problems encountered by Orville and Wilbur Wright whilst perfecting their flying machines, their first demonstration flights in the USA and in Europe, their exhibition team and their manufacturing facility in Dayton, Ohio.