Into the Flight Restricted Zone | Part 3, Field of Firsts

Historical Happenings

A historical marker standing near airplane parking at the College Park Airport extolls the historical virtues of the field. It reads:

College Park Airport

"Oldest Continually Operated in the World"

-- First Military Airfield in the United States --

The following notable events occurred on this airfield:

• 1907 - Early aeronautical experiments by Rex Smith and others
• 1908 - Oct 8, Wilbur Wright instructed first flying officers of the Signal Corps, U.S. Army
• 1909 - Oct 29, Mrs. Ralph H. Van Deman first woman passenger in America
• 1911 - July 3, First army flying school established
• 1912 - First flight surgeon, Lt. John P. Kelly
• 1912 - First group cross country flight originated here, first long distance flight - 42 miles, destination, Chevy Chase, MD
• First bombs dropped from an aircraft utilizing a bombsight
• First machine guns fired from an aircraft
• Early experimentation with radio signals sent from an aircraft
• Altitude record set by Lt. "Hap" Arnold, 6450 feet
• 1918 - Aug 12, Washington terminus, first regular airmail service
• 1920 - Early helicopter experiments by Emile Berliner
• 1922 - First successful flight of a helicopter by Henry Berliner
• 1933 - First "blind flying" cross country flight by James Kinney and Harry Diamond

The original 1909 Wright Military Flyer as displayed in the National Air & Space Museum

On August 2, 1909, the US government purchased their first military airplane from the Wright Brothers and designated it Signal Corps Number One. It was a modified Wright Model A also known as the 1909 Military Flyer (pictured above as displayed at the NASM). That first airplane cost the government $30,000, which included a bonus payment of $5,000 because the airplane was 2.5 miles per hour faster than required by contract. 

Lieutenants Frank Lahm and Frederick Humphries were selected for instruction conducted personally by Wilbur Wright. Their training began at College Park Airport on October 8, 1909. Humphries soloed after just over three hours of instruction, making him the first military pilot to fly a government owned aircraft. 

College Park Airport is steeped in fascinating history. That there is an onsite museum makes perfect sense. It is a small museum, but wonderfully focused on local aviation history. It is also a Smithsonian Affiliate and displays some interesting and unique artifacts of that caliber.

Scenes from the College Park Aviation Museum

College Park Aviation Museum.

A replica 1910 Wright Model B aircraft. More refined than its 1909 Military Flyer predecessor, it was the first Wright design to feature an elevator on the tail rather than a canard, it added wheels to eliminate the need to launch from a rail, and it had a more powerful engine. The US government bought two of these aircraft and brought them to College Park where they were designated as Signal Corps #3 and #4.

The main display gallery at the College Park Aviation Museum.

A Curtiss JN ("Jenny"), one of the most prolific trainers of American WWI pilots.

Top down view of the Jenny.

This is a reproduction 1912 Bleriot XI, the aircraft type best known as the first to fly across the English Channel. For a time, the design was quite popular worldwide and manufactured under license by multiple companies, including two manufacturers on Long Island. Long Island's Moisant School sent Bernetta Miller, the fifth woman in the United States to earn a pilot's license, to College Park to convince the US Army of the monoplane's virtues. At the time, the government was deeply skeptical of monoplane robustness and still considered them unsafe on principle.

"Of course," she said later, "I had no illusions as to why I was sent to College Park to demonstrate the monoplane to the US government officials who were exclusively devoted to the biplane... [It was] on the basis of the idea that if a mere woman could learn to fly one, so surely could a man."

First Helicopter

Igor Sikorsky is often attributed as the father of early rotary wing flight and his 1939 VS-300 is heralded as the first commercially viable helicopter. However, his efforts were preceded by the work of Emile and Henry Berliner working at College Park in the early 1920s.

To my mind, this 1924 Berliner Helicopter on loan from the Smithsonian was the most intriguing artifact on display in College Park. Adapted from a surplus Nieuport 23 fighter fuselage and configured as a triplane, the helicopter featured two main rotors primarily responsible for lift.

On February 24, 1924, this very Berliner helicopter flew at an altitude of 15 feet with a forward airspeed of 40 mph in front of an audience of Navy officials and the media. It is considered the first controlled helicopter flight. The museum has a video of the flight and, while deemed "successful" and "controlled", the flight is not elegant and the Berliners were never quite able to master a graceful landing.

A 220 horsepower radial engine provided power.

Louvers placed below the main rotors provided a means to control roll.

A rotor on the tail controlled pitch. Forward flight was stabilized by a conventional rudder and elevator arrangement. 

Frankly, I would have loved to see the control arrangement for this ungainly beast. It seems like it would have been a literal handful. While it was not successful in its own right, it did inspire further interest in vertical flight.

Stone Cold Stearman

College Park's Stearman was once owned by Gustavus "Gus" McLeod, who departed Gaithersburg, MD in this aircraft on April 5, 2000 and became the first pilot to reach the North Pole in an open cockpit airplane. On the return flight, McLeod's engine failed and he made a forced landing on an ice floe. He was rescued by the National Geographic team that was following his progress. McLeod went in search of his Stearman weeks later, finding that the ice sheet had drifted 80 miles from its previous position. The Stearman's final flight was to College Park for its enshrinement in the museum.

A 1936 Taylor J-2, the immediate forerunner to the beloved Piper J-3 Cub.

Wearied of the aviator's helmet and goggles, Don Luscombe designed the Monocoupe as an antidote to flying open cockpit aircraft. This particular example is a 1932 Monocoupe 110. They were commonly found at College Park in the 1930s as evidenced by a displayed photo from 1933. Interestingly, this and several of the photos in the museum are from the collection of L. Ron Hubbard, a local aviation buff who frequented the field before creating Scientology.

Hey, I Know Them!

The final thing to catch my eye in the College Park Aviation Museum was part of an exhibit about flying animals. Much to my surprise, I found myself staring at the face of a familiar pup!

I met Victoria many years ago through aviation blogging. We discovered that we shared the same home town and she ultimately became my aviation insurance agent. Turbo is quite possibly the most photogenic dog I've ever had the pleasure to meet. The Bear even got control of the famous flying pooch's leash when we visited Victoria and Turbo in Frederick, MD a decade ago.

The Flying Bear with Turbo the Flying Dog in Frederick, MD in 2013.

Take-Aways

Honestly, my expectations for the College Park Aviation Museum were low. I did not expect to be impressed in comparison to the National Air & Space Museum in Washington DC that I toured an hour earlier. But I was impressed. The museum documents the august history of the College Park Airport and displays some unique artifacts with strong local relevance, particularly the Berliner.

Get your PIN, fly to College Park, check out the museum and bask in all the history, and visit Washington DC while you're at it!