Wright Airplane and Launching Track at Huffman Prairie, Dayton, Ohio, 1904

01

Artifact Overview

The Wright brothers' early airplanes had no wheels, just simple landing skids. To achieve takeoff, the Wrights mounted their planes on long wooden monorails like the one seen here at Huffman Prairie in 1904. The system worked well with the Kill Devil Hills' steady winds, but not in relatively calm Dayton. The brothers devised a catapult device, for added momentum, later that year.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Photographic print

Subject Date

1904

Location

Not on exhibit to the public.

Object ID

EI.1929.1364

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

Material

Paper (Fiber product)

Technique

Gelatin silver process

Color

Black-and-white (Colors)

Dimensions

Height: 8.125 in
Width: 10.000 in