We began our sightseeing at the Wright Brothers Memorial, a 17-foot granite obelisk, dedicated on Orville Wright’s 69th birthday, August 19, 1940. The hilltop site of the monument is significant as it overlooks the Huffman Prairie Flying Field. On what was then a rough pasture, the Wright Brothers perfected their airplane design, learning how to fly for long distances and in circles. They developed and tested on that field the Wright Flyer III, the world’s first practical aircraft. On October 5, 1905, this plane flew 24 miles in 40 minutes --- longer than all previous flights of 1903 and 1904 combined! (The flying field today is unremarkable from this overlook, as it is covered with vegetation.)
