Statue Commemorating Historic Flight To Be Dedicated
Date:
03/11/2010 (Last updated: 03/12/2010)Summary:
Pilot Robert G. Fowler, who in 1911 landed the first airplane ever to touch Arizona soil, will be honored in a statue to be dedicated at a special ceremony at noon Monday, March 15, at 195 S. 4th Ave.Contact:
First Arizona Plane Landing Happened On Site Of What Is Now A Hotel
Yuma, Arizona - Pilot Robert G. Fowler, who in 1911 landed the first airplane ever to touch Arizona soil, will be honored in a statue to be dedicated at a special ceremony at noon Monday, March 15, at 195 S. 4th Ave.
Unveiling the statue will be John and Yvonne Peach of the Best Western Coronado Motor Hotel and Yuma Landing Restaurant, and Charles Flynn of the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area. The Peaches and the Heritage Area provided funding for the project, along with the Early Birds Association. The statue was sculpted by Laurie Slenning of Tucson.
With Yuma boasting a number of "firsts" in its history - the first train to enter Arizona Territory, the first coast-to-coast highway bridge across the Colorado River - Fowler's landing on Oct. 25, 1911, is overshadowed. But it was the first time any aircraft touched down anywhere in Arizona.
Piloting a Wright Model B biplane (also known as a "Cole Flyer") with an engine rented from the Wright Brothers, Fowler landed in Yuma near what was then a ball field as part of his 50-day cross-country air sojourn between Santa Monica, Calif., and Miami. To continue his journey some four days later, Fowler had to enlist the aid of locals to push the plane up the hill to 3rd Street to give it "downhill" start on takeoff.
As the years passed, the ball field gave way to the Best Western Coronado and the Yuma Landing restaurant, whose owners consistently honored the history of the site with historic markers and an extensive photo collection. In fact, Robert Fowler returned to Yuma in 1963 for the dedication of a monument in his honor, noting his historic landing 52 years earlier.
For more information, contact Charles Flynn at (928) 373-5192.
