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Wright Brothers, 1908

Orville Wright took the 1908 Flyer to Fort Myer, Va., in August 1908, and made flights almost daily. (U.S. Air Force photo)

Orville Wright took the 1908 Flyer to Fort Myer, Va., in August 1908, and made flights almost daily. (U.S. Air Force photo)

Wing ribs from the Wright 1908 Military Flyer on display in Early Years Gallery at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo)

Wing ribs from the Wright 1908 Military Flyer on display in Early Years Gallery at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo)

Orville Wright brought the 1908 Flyer to Fort Myer, Va., on Aug. 20, 1908. Beginning on Sept. 3, he made public flights almost daily, and as the word spread, people flocked to Fort Myer in droves. On Sept. 9, he stayed aloft more than an hour, establishing a record, and later the same day he took Lt. Frank P. Lahm aloft. Lahm thus became the first Army officer to fly as a passenger.

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