On May 6, 1896, Samuel Pierpont Langley achieved the “world’s first successful flight of an unpiloted, engine-driven, heavier-than-air craft of substantial size” above the waters of the Potomac River in Stafford County, Virginia. After being catapulted off a specially designed houseboat, Langley’s Aerodrome No. 5 flew 3,300 feet in 90 seconds before gently coming to rest in the water. On November 28, 1896, Langley launched Aerodrome No. 6 from the same location for a flight totaling 4,200 feet at an average speed of 30 miles per hour.
Langley Flight Foundation
