Go to the front of the 1909 Wright Flyer. The 1909 Military Flyer became the first military heavier-than-air flying machine when the Signal Corps purchased it from the Wright brothers on August 2, 1909. The airplane on display is an exact reproduction constructed by museum personnel in 1955. It is equipped with an engine donated by Orville Wright and chains, sprockets and propellers donated by the heirs of the Wright estate.