While most people know the Wright brothers invented the airplane, few may know they were involved in the birth of the air cargo industry.
In 1910, using one of their airplanes assigned to the Wright Exhibition team, and with one of their newly trained pilots, they accepted an order from an Ohio businessman and successfully transported the world’s cargo by air. Those 200 pounds of silk cloth, traveling less than 100 miles, launched an industry that spans the globe moving billions of pounds of air freight per year.
The National Aviation Heritage Alliance, in partnership with the Wright B Flyer, Inc. will celebrate the 100th anniversary of air cargo on Saturday, Oct. 2, with a commemorative flight that retraces the original route in a lookalike of the original airplane, a Wright Model B.
Photo caption: Philip McKeachie of St. Johns, Mich., grand nephew of Phil Parmelee, took an orientation flight Tuesday, Sept. 21, on Wright B Flyer Inc.'s lookalike of the airplane in which Parmelee made the world's first cargo flight in 1910. "It brought tears to my eyes," McKeachie said. Wright B Flyer Inc. is a nonprofit heritage organization in Dayton, Ohio. (Photo by Timothy R. Gaffney)
The commemorative flight will begin at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, which encompasses the Wright brothers’ Huffman Prairie Flying Field where the original flight began, and end at Rickenbacker Airport near Columbus, a modern air freight hub that provides Ohio businesses with national and international service. Wright B Flyer Inc.’s modern lookalike airplane will make the 68 mile flight, departing promptly at 10 a.m. from Wright Patterson, heading east to Columbus.
Mitch Cary, President of Wright B Flyer Inc and the expected pilot of the upcoming flight, noted the event is intended to celebrate the significant accomplishments of Phil Parmelee in addition the start of the air cargo business.
“Phil Parmelee flew this historic flight with little experience and training, having flown for the first time just two months prior to making the flight. He was responsible for a number of firsts and endurance flights in those early days of aviation. And unlike our planned flight, where we will have two pilots to share flying duties, Phil flew his flight alone,” Cary said.
Parmelee was working for the Wright brothers when he was assigned the 1910 flight. A Columbus merchant, Max Morehouse, recognized the public interest in “flying machines” and struck a deal with the Wrights to transport 200pounds of silk from Dayton to his dry goods store.
The Wrights, recognizing the value of their invention, charged Morehouse $5,000 to deliver the cloth. Today’s equivalent value of the freight charge would exceed $120,000. In the final agreement between the brothers and Morehouse, Parmelee was to put on a demonstration of the airplane at his arrival. As it turned out, Morehouse more than recovered his money for the flight by selling small pieces of the silk attached to a postcard that celebrated what was the world’s first cargo delivered by airplane.
Descendents of the Wright and Parmelee families will witness the commemorative flight. Amanda Wright Lane and her brother Stephen Wright, along with Lecia Lamphere and her brother Philip McKeachie are expected to be at the start of the flight and to offer remarks upon completion in Columbus.
Amanda Wright Lane said, “The flight was just one part of Uncles Orv and Wilbur’s effort to promote aviation. While they recognized their airplane might not be able to carry heavy loads, they knew the speed of flying was important in delivering certain types of cargo.”
Philip McKeatchie of St. Johns, Mich. and his sister Lecia Lamphere of Scotts, MIch., have preserved the story of their great uncle’s famous flight. “Uncle Phil was told by Orville Wright as he tacked a map to the wing strut just prior to take-off, ‘watch the map and do your best’. In spite of cold temperatures and flying alone, he did his best, and made history with what was not just the first air cargo flight but what was the first commercial flight in the world of aviation. It is very exciting to witness this 100th anniversary of such an historic flight,” McKeatchie said.
Another unique aspect of the commemorative flight will be the cargo being transported by the Wright B Flyer. Plans call for piece of ceramic composite cloth and a micro Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV) to be delivered to Columbus serving as a symbol of the Dayton region’s connection to aviation and aerospace innovations. Just as the Wright brothers were responsible for the technology that made flying possible, Daytonians working in places like the Air Force Research Laboratory are developing the technology associated with 21st century aviation and aerospace activities. “I believe that in another hundred years, we will see a headline that speaks to the Unmanned Air Vehicle industry and its roots in Dayton just as we see today with the air cargo industry,” said Tony Perfilio, the incoming chair of the National Aviation Heritage Alliance.
The public can watch the start of the flight at Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park’s Huffman Prairie Flying Field. Plans call for the pilot to circle Huffman Prairie as this was where the 1910 flight originated. The Wright B will make a short stop at the Madison County Airport in London Ohio sometime between 10:30 and 10:45 am. The airport is another location where the public can get a close up view of the Wright look-alike as it lands and takes off again to complete the last leg into Columbus Ohio. Upon landing, the Flyer will take its place on display with the modern jetliners that haul air cargo from around the world to Rickenbacker Airport. A private reception will follow, welcoming the pilots and ground crew of the Wright B Flyer Inc.
To help the public track the flight, the National Aviation Heritage Alliance has set up a Twitter account and will be sending “tweets” as the Flyer makes its way to Columbus. The plane will be traveling within the Interstate 70/ US 40 corridor and by giving out its location against known landmarks, it is hoped this will help the public spot the plane in the sky.
Principal sponsor of the centennial flight is the Columbus Regional Airport Authority which oversees the operations of Port Columbus, Rickenbacker and Bolton Field airports delivering high-quality, cost-effective and coordinated aviation and logistics services for Central Ohio. Lane Aviation, also a sponsor, provides charter services, fueling, hangaring, sales, and maintenance for general aviation aircraft at both Rickenbacker and Port Columbus.
The National Aviation Heritage Alliance (NAHA) is a private, not for profit corporation operating as the management entity of the Congressionally designated National Aviation Heritage Area, one of 49 national heritage areas in the United States. NAHA’s vision is for Dayton to become the recognized global center of aviation heritage and premier destination for aviation heritage tourism, sustaining the legacy of the Wright brothers. The National Aviation Heritage Area encompasses an eight county area (Montgomery, Greene, Miami, Clark, Warren, Champaign, Shelby, and Auglaize counties.)
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