Huffman Prairie

Huffman Prairie is an 84-acre site near Wright-Patterson Air Force Base with a replica hangar and historical flight equipment on display. Visitors can see the open grassland where the earliest powered flight experiments took place.

Between 1904 and 1905, two brothers conducted over 150 test flights and developed their second and third aircraft models on this field. This period was critical in transforming their initial invention into a practical machine.

The visitor center displays exhibits and films about the origins of powered flight in America. You can learn here how two brothers from a small town invented aviation.

The site is reached by State Route 444 and Kauffman Road, with guided tours available during the warmer months from spring through fall. A visit here is straightforward and requires no special skills or preparation.

The field preserves the original launch rail system that the brothers used to propel their aircraft before they developed powered takeoffs. This device shows how experimental and resourceful their approach was.

Location: Fairborn

Inception: 1990

GPS coordinates: 39.80333,-84.06583

Latest update: December 8, 2025 13:43