Century-Old Air Cargo Industry Has Roots In Dayton
In 1910, using one of their airplanes assigned to the Wright
Exhibition team, and with one of their newly trained pilots, the
Wright brothers 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.
Wright Flyer Look-Alike To Be Used In Cargo Flight
Reenactment
The National Aviation Heritage Alliance, in partnership with the
Wright B Flyer, Inc. will celebrate the 100th anniversary of air
cargo on Saturday, October 2, with a commemorative flight that
retraces the original route in a lookalike of the original
airplane, a Wright Model B. 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 replica airplane will make
the 68 mile flight, departing promptly at 1000 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, MI, 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.
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 where the
1910 flight originated. The Wright B will make a short stop at the
Madison County Airport in London Ohio sometime between 1030 and
1045. The airport is another location where the public can get a
close up view of the Wright replica as it lands and takes off again
to complete the last leg into Columbus Ohio. After landing, the
Flyer will take its place on display with the modern jetliners that
haul air cargo from around the world to Rickenbacker Airport.