Image of the Air Force wings with the museum name underneath

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First Automatic Airplane Landing

The first automatic airplane landing occurred on Aug. 23, 1937. A Fokker C-14B took off from Wright Field and after its automatic equipment was switched on, it turned toward Patterson Field several miles away, gradually descended and landed using a ground radio system consisting of five transmitting beacons. This was a low-budget project and succeeded only because of the persistence of the few pioneers involved in adapting old equipment no longer needed for other projects, and in some instances, even buying materials with their own money.

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