As he built a biplane from scratch in 1911 in Topeka, Albin K. Longren kept the project secret in case it failed.
Longren, his brother, E.J. Longren, and their mechanic, William Janicke, waited until nearly dark on Sept. 2, 1911, before revving up the engine of that plane, which Alvin Longren then piloted as it stayed airborne — 2 feet above the ground — for about 200 feet in southeast Shawnee County.
This week’s History Guy video at CJOnline tells of how Longren accomplished a milestone in Kansas aviation history that day by making the first successful flight of a plane built in this state. Clyde Cessna in May 1911 had become the first Kansan to build and fly a plane, but he did that in Oklahoma.
(Read more: Local – The Topeka Capital-Journal)