National Science Center celebrates flight celebration - Of Interest

Army Communicator, Spring, 2003

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Dec. 23, 1907. BG James Allen, the Army's Chief Signal Officer, issued Signal Corps Specification No. 486, "Advertisement and Specification for a Heavier-Than-Air Flying Machine." The contract was awarded to the Wright brothers and the military's journey into the era of flight began.

As we prepare to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers' accomplishment (flight of the first aircraft), the National Science Center kicked off its yearlong "celebration of flight--100 years and soaring!" Dec. 17, 2002, with the "Firsts in Flight" exhibit's unveiling.

NSC is a partnership between the National Science Center Inc. and the Army's Signal Regiment at Fort Gordon, Ga.

The "Firsts in Flight" exhibit features photographs, videos, posters, articles and models that celebrate the Army's early efforts to make the heavier-than-air flying machine an important part of the nation's military arsenal. NSC's exhibit showcases firsts such as:

* The first aviation office in the military--the Aeronautical Division in the office of the Army's Chief Signal Officer;

* The first specifications for "a heavier-than-air flying machine"--Signal Corps Specification No. 486;

* The first military test flight at Fort Myer, Va., in September 1908;

* The first airplane passenger, LT Frank Lahm, Sept. 9, 1908;

* The first air tragedy--the death of LT Thomas Selfridge, first person to die as a result of an airplane accident;

* The delivery of the first military aircraft--Signal Corps Airplane No. 1, Aug. 2, 1909;

* The Signal Corps Winter Flight School here in Augusta 1911-1913, including the Wright brothers' visit to the school in Augusta; and

* The first radiotelephones in airplanes.

This celebration and exhibit development will be accomplished through a partnership with the Signal Museum at Fort Gordon. "The 'Firsts in Flight' exhibit is a perfect example of the relationship between the Signal Museum and the National Science Center's Fort Discovery," said Susan Wood, chief of Regimental Division, Office Chief of Signal, to which the Signal Museum belongs. "Museum staff regularly provide consultation, design and development services to NSC staff. The relationship between the two agencies is one of cooperation and shared resources, benefiting both agencies."