The Rebirth of the World’s First Heavier-Than-Air Aircraft

After 8 years of planning, fundraising, and construction, the Langley Flight Foundation will unveil an exact reproduction of Samuel Pierpont Langley’s Aerodrome No. 5 at the Stafford Regional Airport in Stafford, Virginia on May 11th, 2024. The project was made possible through a public/private partnership between Stafford County, the Langley Flight Foundation, the Stafford County Historical Society, the Stafford Regional Airport and private donors. The aircraft will be on permanent display at the airport along with interactive kiosks with educational programming on the science and history of the human achievement of flight.

The Foundation is hosting a community open house on May 11th from 11:00 am - 4:00 pm at the Stafford Regional Airport with aviation activities for kids and aerodrome demonstrations every half hour.

Aerodrome No. 5 was one of several experimental aircraft developed by Samuel Pierpont Langley, the Secretary of the Smithsonian, in the mid-1890's to demonstrate heavier-than-air mechanical flight. Powered by a 1.5 hp steam-powered engine, the unmanned aerodrome weighed just over 24 pounds and flew 3,330 feet over 1 minute and thirty seconds on May 6, 1896 in Stafford County, Virginia. The successful test shocked the scientific community and changed attitudes towards the possibility of manned flight around the world.

The aerodrome reproduction has been constructed in its original May, 1896 configuration by KipAero of Dallas, Texas over the past 16 months following detailed measurements of the original Aerodrome No. 5 at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. The Langley Flight Foundation and KipAero hope to flight test a second reproduction in the future.

The Langley Flight Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit dedicated to commemorating this seminal achievement in aeronautics, inspiring the pursuit of aviation-related STEM education opportunities, and promoting the growth of the aviation and aerospace industry in the region. For more information, visit www.langfound.org/langleyinitiative.