On Thursday, March 2, the Chamber celebrated the 107th anniversary of the First Flight of Signal Corps Aircraft No. 1 flown by Lt. Benjamin D. Foulois, the first United States Military Aviator.
Benjamin Delahauf Foulois is considered the “father of U.S. military aviation,” since he was the first United States officer assigned to pilot a military airplane. In 1909, Lieutenant Foulois relocated to Fort Sam Houston, with instructions to “take plenty of parts and teach yourself to fly.” He would accomplish this daunting task by communicating directly with the Wright brothers, the inventors of the world’s first successful airplane.
Guided by Orville Wright himself, Foulois flew the Army Aeroplane Model 1, a Wright Model A, in March 1910. He experienced his first take-off, solo flight, landing and crash in one day. A year later, Foulois and Philip Parmalee, a civilian pilot trained by the Wrights, made the first military reconnaissance flight during maneuvers along the Rio Grande. In 1931 Foulois served as the Chief of the Army Air Service until his retirement in 1935.
Foulois' achievements in aviation paved the way for the early pioneers of military flight in San Antonio and helped to grow America’s airpower through two World Wars. San Antonio’s strong presence in the aerospace industry and the military can be traced back to Foulois’ innovations during the early 20th century.
In 2010, the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce played a pivotal role in bringing together all the teams with an interest in celebrating the 100th anniversary of this achievement.
Since the 1970s the annual observances of this flight have been led and managed by the Daedalians (Stinson Flight #2) and the Army Aviation Association of America (Jack H. Dibrell/Alamo Chapter) in conjunction with the Fort Sam public affairs office.
This year, Brig Gen Pringle, 502nd ABW and Joint Base San Antonio Commander, hosted the group, and Col (Ret) Jim Humphries, Stinson Flight, Order of the Daedalians, provided an insightful and witty commentary on the day's events. Floresville High School's AFJROTC Color Guard and Chorale supported the festivities, and the event closed with a placing of a wreath to honor the special anniversary.
