Birthplace of U.S. Naval Air Forces

On September 7, 1911, Lieutenant John Rodgers, USNA Class of 1903, took off from this location in the Wright B-1 aircraft. With less than 450 feet to become airborne, an eager group of midshipmen assisted by running alongside while pulling ropes wrapped around the wing struts. Rodgers circled the Naval Academy, made several low passes, and landed. For the first time in history, an aircraft owned by the Navy and piloted by a Naval Aviator flew from naval property, and Naval Aviation had arrived at its first home. Later that afternoon he took off again and turned toward Washington, DC. One hour and twenty minutes later, the Navy's first airplane landed on the National Mall. Commander Rodgers died August 27, 1926, when the aircraft he was piloting from Washington to Philadelphia crashed into the Delaware River. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. A replica of the Wright B-I is displayed in Dahlgren Hall.

Naval Academy, Maryland · United States