Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston birthplace of military aviation

The first Army aircraft made its first flight March 2, 1910, at Fort Sam Houston with Lt. Benjamin Foulois at the controls. Foulois piloted the Army's first aircraft, Signal Corps Aircraft No. 1, with his first fl ight lasting only 7 1/2 minutes. He made three more fl ights that day and on his fourth attempt, the young pilot ended up crashing the airplane. The original Signal Corps Aircraft No. 1 was a Canard biplane with a four-cylinder Wright 30.6 horsepower engine driving two wooden propellers via a sprocket-and chain transmission system. Foulois taught himself to fly via correspondence with Orville and Wilbur Wright. Foulois’ experiences in aviation as a member of the Army Signal Corps led to today's U.S. Air Force. The Army Air Service was created in 1918. In 1926, the Army changed the name to the Army Air Corps, which became the Army Air Forces in 1941. Based on the AAF’s wartime achievements during World War II and future potential, the U.S. Air Force won its independence as a full partner with the Army and the Navy Sept. 18, 1947.