On this day in aviation history, 116 years ago (August 2, 1909), the United States government purchased its first military aircraft-the 1909 Wright Military Flyer. The U.S. Army Signal Corps acquired ...

Click to open image viewer. Canard biplane with one 30-to-40-horsepower Wright vertical four-cylinder engine driving two pusher propellers via sprocket-and-chain transmission system. No wheels; skids ...