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 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-1890s 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. T
When word of the test flight got out, it shocked the scientific community and changed attitudes toward the possibility of manned flight around the world. Over the past 16 months, KipAero of Dallas, Texas, has constructed the aerodrome reproduction in its original May 1896 configuration 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 langfound.org/langleyinitiative.
Updated — The Stafford County Board of Supervisors could use coronavirus money to help tell the story of Aerodrome No. 5, now believed to be the first case of unmanned flight.
The Langley Foundation has sought American Rescue Plan Act funding to create a new exhibit at the Stafford Regional Airport, a replica of Aerodrome No. 5, flown by Samuel Pierpont Langley on May 6, 1896, in Stafford County.
dThe foundation’s president Chris Hornung hopes to raise $300,000 to build the exhibit. The funds from the county would be a one-to-one match with the foundation responsible for raising the other $150,000.
Some members of the Board expressed disapproval over the potential funding. Hartwood District Supervisor Darrell English said there would be little return on the investment. The regional airport is located in the Hartwood District. English later stated that the funds would be better suited to establish a museum in the county.
“I don’t think this is a good use of funding,” said English. “I think we have other needs that we need to take care of and I can’t support it.”
Aquia District Supervisor Monica Gary responded with her support of the project, believing it could bring tourism to the county.
“I see this as an investment,” said Gary. “A small investment compared to the return we could see, such as education opportunities and what this would do for our tourism.”
According to county documents, Director of Economic Development and Tourism John Holden said ARPA funding could be used to aid planned expansion or upgrade of tourism, travel, and hospitality facilities delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The county’s consultants are still reviewing the project to meet compliance for eligibility.
The Aerodrome No. 5 project has been in the works since 2019 and was hampered by the pandemic. The foundation has contracted with the Warrenton-based Wright Experience to construct the exhibit.
The goals of the Aerodrome Initiative include bringing national attention to the Aerodrome No.5 event as the first heavier-than-air mechanical flight in history, the first successful aircraft carrier launch, and the first unmanned aerial vehicle. Other goals include the development of an aviation STEAM-related curriculum for county students, attracting the aviation industry to the area, and promoting employment opportunities in the aviation field.
The Board of Supervisors has yet to approve the funding and could do so soon.
The Langley Foundation is obligated to raise funds to build the exhibit by December 31, 2024, and have it completed by December 31, 2026.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported the Stafford County Board of Supervisors had resolved to use coronavirus money to fund the Aerodrome No. 5 project.
The Stafford Regional Airport held an event to announce the launch of its Aerodrome No.5 project, which will tell the story of the county’s connection to early American aviation.
Professor Samuel Pierpont Langley is noted for successfully conducting the first heavier-than-air flight on May 6, 1896, with the designated Aerodrome No. 5. Langley chose Chopawamsic Island, a small land mass in the Potomac River between Quantico and Stafford County, as his launching point.
The 14-foot structure was launched from a houseboat off of the island’s coast and flew approximately 3,300 feet for 90 seconds before having a gentle landing on the river. The Aerodrome No.5 flight is the first instance of mechanical flight in the U.S., event organizers said.
Until now historians have credited The Wright Brothers are credited for being the first to fully when they flew a heavier-than-air contraption at Kitty Hawk, N.C., on December 17, 1903. The state coined the phrase “first in flight” and printed it on its vehicle license plates.
Langley beat his record on November 26, 1896, when Aerodrome No.6 was launched from the same location and flew 4,200 feet at an average speed of 30 miles per hour.
“Stafford’s history is so rich and deep, we want to get it out there and talk about it,” said Scott Mayausky, treasurer of the Langley Flight Foundation. “What Langley achieved changed the course of world history, he was an instrumental part of that, and it happened right here in Stafford County. We want to recognize that, acknowledge that, and be proud that it happened here in Stafford County.”
In addition to his position with the foundation, Mayausky is also the president of the Stafford Museum and Cultural Museum and the county’s Commissioner of Revenue.
The Foundation and the Stafford Regional Airport have formed a partnership to have a to-scale model of Aerodrome No.5 built to display it in the airport’s terminal. The 14 by 14 model intends to use it for educational purposes for students interested in STEM fields such as engineering, aviation, and mathematics.
Other possibilities of use for the Aerodrome No.5 exhibit include spurring more economic development and tourism, which could attract aviation enthusiasts and airplane and drone development.
“This is an incredible opportunity to not only educate people not only about a little-known aspect of Stafford’s history but to give people a sense of the whole concept of what happened here and how we can move forward in the future,” said Hank Scharpenberg, a member of the Stafford Regional Airport Authority.
The event was-co sponsored by the Langley Flight Foundation, a 501c3 corporation, seeking funding of $350,000 for constructing a replica of Aerodrome No.5. The Wright Experience in Warrenton would build the model, to be housed at the Stafford Regional Airport.
The original Aerodrome No.5 sits at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
The Langley Foundation has set up a GoFundMe page as one method of raising funds for the exhibit. Donations for the project can also be made on the foundation’s webpage at langfound.org.
