Originally published in 2006
Cheryl Williams
Austin, Texas
There is evidence-newspaper documentation and family oral history-to support the story that Gillespie County resident Jacob Brodbeck successfully piloted a fixed-wing aircraft in 1865; nearly 40 years prior to Orville and Wilbur Wright’s history-making flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, in 1903.
The story is that Brodbeck flew his “airship” on Sept. 20, 1865, in an area about three miles east of Luckenbach. While the flight was successful, it ended in a crash landing destroying the aircraft. His airplane had wings, a propeller, a rudder and was powered by coiled springs. Apparently, Brodbeck gave up the idea for his flying machine when he was unable to get a patent for the device.
Many Hill Country residents refer to Brodbeck as the “Father of U.S. Aviation,” and although a monument honoring his achievements sits on Marktplatz in downtown Fredericksburg, many believe he has not received the proper recognition for his historic aviation feat. He died in 1910, seven years after the Wright brothers’ flights.