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Orville and Wilbur Wright

Welcome to WyomingFirstFlight.Org! This website will provide more details of Wyoming's part in our Nation's Celebration of the One-Hundreth anniversary of the Wright Brother's first powered flight which occured on December 17, 1903. Cheyenne-Based Pilot, Tim Hu, will represent Wyoming in EAA's 100th Anniversary Celebration of Powered Flight. Here is the press release (you'll need the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view it). He will be flying from Cheyenne, Wyoming to Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, a distance of more than 1700 miles in his PA-32-300 Cherokee Six airplane. In keeping with the historic occasion, he will be following the original airmail route to commemorate the event. He will stop at several of the original airmail route stops along the way. A map of the route is on this webpage. The trip is planned to begin August 29th, 2003. He plans to arrive at Kill Devil Hills, N.C. on the first of September.

The Governor of Wyoming, Dave Freudenthal, signed a proclamation making September 1, 2003, Wyoming's "50 Flags to Kitty Hawk Day". The signed proclamation will be taken by Mr. Hu to Kitty Hawk for presentation at the Wright Brothers National Memorial.

You can monitor the flight's progress here. Check back often as Tim and his crew (Mike Schulte and Roger Williams, both of Cheyenne) will send back pictures (and maybe videos, too!) of his trip starting Friday, August 29, 2003. Hopefully, the pictures he sends back will be of all the original airmail stops along the route on the way to Kitty Hawk, N.C. The flight is scheduled to leave Cheyenne at 2:30PM, weather permitting. Wyoming State officials will be there to send off the flight and several grade-school classes and some of the media will be there, too.

The flight will arrive at Kitty Hawk on Labor Day, September 1, 2003. National Park Service Officials will greet the flight as it arrives from Wyoming and together with the crew of Wyoming First Flight, they will raise the Wyoming flag over the Wright Brothers National Memorial for the entire day. The Wyoming Governor's Proclamation will be presented to the Museum on-site and placed for permanent display.


Wright Brothers National Memorial located in Kill Devil Hills, NC

The first successful sustained powered flights in a heavier-than-air machine were made here by Wilbur and Orville Wright on December 17, 1903. A 60-foot granite monument dedicated in 1932, is perched atop 90-foot tall Kill Devil Hill commemorating the achievement of these two visionaries from Dayton, Ohio.


Twelve Seconds That Changed The World (click for a bigger image)


Excerpt from Orville Wright's Diary, December 17, 1903 (click for a bigger image).

Here are more pictures of their history.


Ever since the earliest days of aviation, Cheyenne has been in the forefront of aviation. Cheyenne was one of the stops for the nation's first cross-country airmail route. Click here to see information regarding Charles Lindbergh and the early airmail routes.

Below is a map of the early airmail routes. Click on it for a more detailed picture (337KB).



In addition to their aviation maps, the airmail pilots were given directions on how to fly the route. Click here to see it. Note the sections "OMAHA TO CHEYENNE" and "CHEYENNE TO SALT LAKE".

Here's a picture of the Radio Shack in Cheyenne used in conjunction with the airmail route. Click on it for a more detailed picture (199KB):


Some of the airmail pilots in Cheyenne: Left to right: pilots Eddie Allen, George C. Pomeroy, Harry Huking (also superintendent Mountain Division), Frank Yager, Cheyenne, 1926. Click on it for a more detailed picture (101KB):


Some of the flood lights and the lighting control building, Cheyenne, 1926. Click on it for a more detailed picture (74KB):


Here are some stories about the early pilots who flew the airmail route around Cheyenne:

Click here for more information about other cities along the Airmail route


More Cheyenne Aviation History

During World War II, brand-new B-17 Fortresses were outfitted with armament at Boeing's Cheyenne facility before flying off to battle in the skies over Europe. The B-17's tail gun was called the "Cheyenne Tail". They were so-called for the facility that made the first installations of this turret.


The restored B-17G Flying Fortress "Shoo Shoo Shoo baby" during a test flight close to Dover AFB, Delaware in 1988.


A B-17 Flying Fortress of the Eighth Air Force on a bomb run over the Focke Wulf Werk.


After the war, United Airlines based their training facilities here. At that time, the Cheyenne Airport was the major airport in the Rocky Mountains. That was before the development of Stapleton in Denver. Today, it is an important GA (General Aviation) airport and serves as a reliever airport for Denver International Airport. We're blessed with two runways, one of which is almost two miles long. We share the facilities with the good folks at the Wyoming Air National Guard. It's a great airport to fly to and at which to learn to fly. Click for a diagram of the airport (114KB) and for the legend of the diagram (111KB). (Acrobat Reader is required.)

More pictures will be posted soon. Most of the new pictures to be posted will come from the Wyoming State Archives. I'm currently doing research for more materials about Wyoming's early aviation history. Please check back later.


Interesting Wyoming-Based Aviation-Related Organizations

Angel Flight West, Wyoming Wing is dedicated to providing free transportation to medical treatment for people who cannot afford public transportation or who cannot tolerate it for health reasons. Angel Flight also flies missions in response to other compelling needs. Wyoming-based and other pilots from the region donate their time, fuel, and aircraft to help others at no charge to the passengers. If you're a pilot who would like to combine your passion for flying with philanthropy, give us a call or E-mail us. Please see the Angel Flight West website for contact information. If you're in need of medical-related transportation, please see the Angel Flight West website for information and procedures on getting a flight scheduled for you.

Aviat Aircraft Inc. is located in Afton, Wyoming. Aviat is engaged in the development, manufacture and servicing of sport and utility aircraft sold under the trade names of Husky A-1A and A-1B, the Pitts Special S-2C, and the Eagle II. The facility, situated two blocks south of the city center, consists primarily of six light manufacturing buildings containing approximately 72,000 square feet of enclosed space on about five acres of land in a 47 acre parcel. The facility at Afton has many advantages as a manufacturing base including the availability of labor that has many years experience in the construction of light aircraft.

Hawkins and Powers Aviation Inc. is located in Greybull, Wyoming. Hawkins and Powers Aviation has a nationally renowned historic aircraft restoration and assembly shop containing dozens of the last remaining examples of World War II’s mighty bombers and transport aircraft. This company with 40 years of national firefighting experience evolved from Avery Aviation, who specialized in aerial fire fighting and agricultural spraying beginning in 1959. Hawkins and Powers Aviation began as pioneers in aerial firefighting techniques and training and have advanced to become world leaders in computer controlled aerial retardant application systems.


This site is sponsored by


Wyoming Department of Transportation Aeronautics Division



Updated August 31, 2003
Last updated July 9, 2005
Authored by Tim Hu