| What is it? |
College Park Airport is the oldest continuously operating airport in the world! |
| What makes it historical? |
THE PLAQUE SAYS:
“Oldest Continally Operated in the World”
First Military Airfield in the United States.
The following notable events occurred on this airfield:
- 1907-Early aeronautical experiments by Rex Smith and others
- 1908-Oct. 8, Wilbur Wright instructed first flying officers of the signal corps, U.S. Army
- 1909-Oct. 29. Mrs. Ralph H. Van Dewon first woman passenger in America
- 1911-July 3. First army flying school established
- 1912-First flight surgeon Lt. John P. Kelly
- 1912-First group cross country flight originated here. First long distance flight – 42 miles. Destination, Chevy Chase, MD
-First bombs dropped from an aircraft utilizing a bombsight
-First machine guns fired from an aircraft
-Early experimentation with radio signals sent from an aircraft
-Altitude records set by Lt. “Hap” Arnold, 6450 feet
- 1918-Aug. 12. Washington terminus, first regular airmail service
- 1920-Early helicopter experiments by Emile Berliner
- 1922-First successful flight of a helicopter by Henry Berliner
- 1933-First “blind flying” cross-country flight by James Kinney and Harry Diamond
OTHER TIDBITS: That pretty well sums it up! |
| How can I Help the Helpers? |
HERE’S HOW:
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| How do I find it? |
Listed Directions:
Paint Branch Parkway (westbound), east of Corporal Frank Scott Drive
College Park, MD 20740
Annotations:
Actually, if you go all the way to the end of Corporal Frank Scott Drive, you’ll come to a parking lot, and you’ll spot the marker sitting on a grassy knoll overlooking the planes!
From Annapolis: ~27mi (44km) — 0.5hrs
From Baltimore: ~34mi (55km) — 0.6hrs
From Cumberland: ~137mi (221km) — 2.3hrs
From Salisbury: ~112mi (181km) — 1.9hrs |
| When should I go? |
You can see the plaque whenever the mood strikes you, but if you’d like to visit the College Park Aviation Museum around the corner, you’ll have to drop by between 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM, any day of the week! |
