After three years of experimentation, the Wright Brothers, Orville (1871-1948) and Wilbur (1867-1912), made history at Kitty Hawk on North Carolina’s Outer Banks when they successfully flew the first power-driven, heavier-than-air plane, earning credit for inventing and flying the world’s first successful airplane. The Wright Brothers’ revolutionary breakthrough began the Aerial Age.

Successfully obtaining a patent, the Wright Brothers began manufacturing their Model B planes. The world embraced the airplane, and aviation quickly became entertainment for the wealthy. Of course, to sell the Model B, the Wright Brothers also had to train owners on how to operate their brand-new plane.

The Wright Brothers initially sold and trained new Model B owners at Huffman Prairie Flying Field near their hometown of Dayton, Ohio. The airplane, however, was in such demand, the Wright Brothers had to expand their operations. In 1910, the Wright Brothers began looking for a site to locate a new aviation and training school. They quickly found a site in Montgomery, AL, but they needed one on the East Coast. 

Frank Coffyn (1878-1960), a native of Charleston, SC, and a member of the Wright Brothers’ Exhibition Team, was tasked with finding a suitable site. In late December 1910, after visiting several potential sites, Coffyn arrived in Augusta to evaluate its location for the aviation school. Coffyn was heartily greeted by Augusta’s mayor, Thomas Barrett (1861-1929), and the newly formed “1920 Club.”

A month earlier, Mayor Barrett, known as the “Father of Modern Augusta,” had proclaimed his vision of advancing Augusta and its progressive growth as a renowned winter tourist destination through the formation of a civic group known as the “1920 Club.” Inviting all Augustans to participate, the club was quickly incorporated. Its membership included a virtual “who’s who” list of prominent Augustans.  

Mayor Barrett and the 1920 Club acted swiftly to secure the Wright Brothers Aviation School in Augusta. Coffyn was led to a plateau above the terminus of the Monte Sano streetcar line and Monte Sano Park. Declaring it an ideal spot, Coffyn was sold on the location. 

After Col. Daniel B. Dyer (1852-1912) agreed to donate the necessary land, an agreement was secured between the 1920 Club and the Wright Brothers to locate their new aviation facility in Augusta. According to The Augusta Chronicle, the agreement was reached on Dec. 31, 1910. The aviation field would later develop into today’s Daniel Field Airport.

The Wright Brothers' aviation facility opened in January 1911, with two aircraft and several instructors. Led by Frank Coffyn, the facility quickly began training new owners on how to fly their Model B airplanes. People came from around the country to purchase and learn how to fly. Instructors at the facility also staged flying exhibitions during the winter months for the amusement of Augustans and its winter tourists.

Due largely to the success of the new aviation facility and recommendation of Wilbur Wright, Augusta additionally secured a winter flight school for the U.S. Army Aeronautic Reserves, located near Sand Bar Ferry Road. 

Although neither facility would operate very long, the impact on Augusta was tremendous. The progressive city became known as an innovative pioneering city for aviation, and its reputation as a winter tourist colony continued to flourish. 

As a fascinating footnote, my third great uncle, Micajah Clark Dyer (1822-1891), invented a spring-loaded, propeller-driven flying machine that pre-dated the Wright Brothers by over 15 years. Using a rail-like ramp he built on a mountainside in Choestoe, GA, he flew his plane with foot controls and a steering device. After his death, Dyer’s "aeroplane" machine was sold to the Redwine brothers of Atlanta. Legend suggests that the Redwine brothers subsequently sold the design to the Wright Brothers.