U.S. Army's First Airplane - Wright Type B, Fort Sam Houston, Texas, 1910

01

Artifact Overview

In 1908, the Wright brothers secured a $25,000 contract with the U.S. Army Signal Corps to deliver an airplane capable of carrying a pilot and a passenger, and able to travel at speeds up to 40 miles per hour. The Wright Model B met those specifications, and it was accepted for service by the U.S. Army in 1910.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Photographic print

Subject Date

1910

Location

Not on exhibit to the public.

Object ID

38.850.6

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

Material

Paper (Fiber product)

Technique

Gelatin silver process

Color

Black-and-white (Colors)

Dimensions

Height: 17 in (mat)
Width: 20 in (mat)

Inscriptions

on front: U.S. ARMY'S FIRST AIRPLANE = WRIGHT TYPE -B- / FORT SAM HOUSTON - TEXAS - 1910 / LIEUTENANT B.D. FOULOIS - PILOT (SECOND FROM RIGHT)