February 11, 2020
Creek Where Clark Operated a Gristmill
Interesting history! This is the creek on the old Micajah Clark Dyer homeplace where he built a gristmill and operated it from about 1850 to 1890, grinding his and his neighbor's grains.
September 2, 2019
Getting High in 1874
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Cover of Touch & Go |
Members of the Society for Aviation History recently learned about a story that surprised them in their July-August 2019 newsletter from the other side of the continent. Here's some of what it said about Getting High in 1874.
* * *
Micajah Clark Dyer had watched the birds flying over his
Union County, Georgia home and opined, “There’s no reason why a man can’t do
that, too.” So, he set to work making it happen during the years 1844 until his
death in 1891.
Born in Pendleton District, South Carolina, on July 13,
1822, his family settled in Union County, Georgia, when Dyer was still a boy.
He came from a family of farmers, and was himself a farmer. But he was an
unusual man for his time. Living in isolation, having little money and only a
seventh grade education, he invented many gadgets and techniques.
But his most significant invention, and the joy of his life,
was a flying machine for which he received Patent No. 154,654 on Sept. 1, 1874,
titled Apparatus for Navigating the Air. It was placed in Class 244 for
Aeronautics and Astronautics, and in Subclass 28 for Airships with Beating
Wings Sustained. People all over the world were trying to design a controllable
flying machine at that time. That it should be accomplished in this remote area
at the hand of a poor farmer is remarkable.
Some months after his death, Dyer’s widow sold the flying
machine, the patent and papers to two brothers named Redwine from Atlanta and
Gainesville, Ga. Afterwards, contact was lost with those men and only an oral
legend remained for more than a hundred years.
How could a report about such an achievement as this be
absent from the annals of our country’s history? Well, during Dyer’s lifetime,
there were no newspapers or cameras in this isolated area for reporting and
recording his story. Several eye witnesses left their account of watching him
fly over the neighborhood farms, and that was the extent of the record.
Then, in late 2004, two great-great-great-grandsons found
Dyer’s 1874 patent among some old patents the U.S. Patent & Trademark
Office was uploading to their website. The drawings and descriptions in Dyer’s
patent revealed his extraordinary understanding of the basics of flight.
His design is a very early example representing the
transition from balloons and gliders to powered, heavier-than-air craft. He
married the buoyant power of a balloon with navigational controls for flight,
such as a rudder for steering, paddle wheels for acceleration and deceleration,
jointed moving wings to increase or decrease altitude, and a wedge-shaped hull
and inclined prow to reduce wind resistance. He built his machine from the only
materials available to him—lightweight wood and fabric—and constructed rails on
Rattlesnake Mountain for getting it airborne.
In 2006, after the patent was found, Jack Allen, a retired
Delta Airlines machinist, built a to-scale model of the machine with
outstanding results. He donated the model to the Union County Historical
Society in Blairsville, Georgia, where it is displayed for public viewing in
the Old Courthouse on the Square.
Today, Dyer is well-known to folks living in the North
Georgia Mountains through local newspapers, television, radio, and magazine stories.
However, across the rest of our country he is largely unknown.
* * *
You can learn much more about Micajah Clark Dyer by reading the older posts below.August 31, 2019
There Are Ties Between Corvettes and Aviation
'Hoods Up' gives glimpse into ties
between Corvettes, aviation
Enjoy the full story By DON SERGENT dsergent@bgdailynews.com
May 24, 2019
Laurie Wilson Donates Novel to Eden Public Library
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| Katherine Seaver receives a donated novel from Laurie Wilson |
The donation was made through the library book placement project of the Micajah Clark Dyer Foundation for expanding the knowledge of this early aeronautical achievement.
January 23, 2019
Commemorative Pendants Donated for Fund-Raising
Email your order to:
micajahclarkdyer@gmail.com
You can also purchase the pendant at the Union County Historical Society in the Old Courthouse on the Square in Blairsville, GA.
Please let us know if you have any questions.
August 3, 2018
Micajah Clark Dyer's Name Inscribed on Wall of Honor at National Air & Space Museum
Several months ago, Dr. Sylvan Dyer, great-great-grandson of Micajah Clark Dyer, supplied information to the Director of Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum about his ancestor's 1874 invention of an "Apparatus for Navigating the Air"--the word "airplane" hadn't even been coined back in 1874!
Last week Dr. Dyer received a letter from Smithsonian stating that in recognition of his contribution to our nation's aviation and space exploration heritage, Micajah Clark Dyer has been inscribed on the National Air and Space Museum's Wall of Honor as a permanent testament to his commitment to and passion for flight.
If you're in the Washington, D.C. area, go by the Museum's Wall of Honor at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center and see the recognition of Georgia's Pioneer Aviator on Foil 63, Panel 1, Column 3, Line 75.
Our hope is to eventually have a replica of Clark Dyer's flying machine built for placement in the National Air and Space Museum. It would represent the earliest aircraft built and flown in the United States. If you're unfamiliar with the facts about Dyer's invention, scroll down to the posts made to this site over the past dozen-plus years and read about the evidence that has been uncovered about this amazing inventor-aviator.
July 16, 2018
Amazon Donates to Micajah Clark Dyer Foundation
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Help raise funds for projects to benefit MCD Foundation! |
Let's make a project of placing a copy of "Flying off Rattlesnake Mountain" in every public library in Georgia! The history of Micajah Clark Dyer's invention and flights should be made known!
June 1, 2018
Interview of Author of "Flying off Rattlesnake Mountain"
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| New Novel tells the Amazing Story of Pioneer-Inventor, Micajah Clark Dyer
Turnage is the
great-great-granddaughter of Clark Dyer, and she based her novel on information
gleaned from every available source – old newspapers, census reports, family
recollections and historical records, some copies of which are included in back of
the book.
|
December 8, 2017
New Biographical Novel Released
Have you read the new book that's out? It is "Flying off Rattlesnake Mountain" by Sylvia Dyer Turnage. It's a narrative non-fiction story that follows the life of Micajah Clark Dyer and how he came to have a remarkable theory about flying, the roadblocks he encountered as he toiled to bring his vision to fulfillment, and the ridicule he endured from some people who couldn't understand the possibility of a machine that would fly through the air. Throughout the story, you get a rare look into an isolated land and an era where no cameras or newspapers existed, yet where a genius--just a poor, self-educated farmer--built and flew a controllable aircraft long before anyone else was able to accomplish that feat.
The book is now available on Kindle and Amazon.com. You can download yours here - http://a.co/9jYd5cm
November 5, 2017
Who Was First to Fly?
Blue Ridge Country magazine, Oct/Nov 2017 issue, has a very nice story with great photography by Joe Tennis about Micajah Clark Dyer. You can see the article which was posted by Visit Blairsville GA here: www.visitblairsvillega.com http://www.visitblairsvillega.com/fullpanel/uploads/files/brcnd17-aviation.pdf
Of course, Micajah Clark Dyer was the first to fly a controllable airplane! He is truly Georgia's Pioneer Aviator having patented and flown an aircraft in the1870s. After you read the article (PDF link above), you can learn more about Clark in the older posts below.
Of course, Micajah Clark Dyer was the first to fly a controllable airplane! He is truly Georgia's Pioneer Aviator having patented and flown an aircraft in the1870s. After you read the article (PDF link above), you can learn more about Clark in the older posts below.
October 27, 2017
Ford Tri-Motor 1929 Airplane takes to the sky
An interesting article posted recently by Scott Kimbler, a reporter for AccessWDUN, says Ford has built a replica of a 1929 airplane, and now passenger flights in it are available at the Lee Gilmer Memorial Airport in Gainesville, Georgia.
According to Kimbler, the Ford Tri-Motor was built in 1929 and was instrumental in ushering in the modern age of commercial flight, as well as airports.
See the video posted of the 1929 airplane in flight and learn some aeronautical history at this link: http://accesswdun.com/article/2017/10/598343/ford-tri-motor-airplane-takes-to-the-sky-in-gainesville
September 8, 2017
Blairsville Airport's new W.C. Nelson Terminal
What a lovely new facility at the Blairsville Airport!
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W.C. Nelson Terminal at Blairsville Airport |
Fly in style! The brand new W.C. Nelson terminal at the #BlairsvilleAirport is now open! This beautiful new asset adds to the accessibility of our area, benefiting businesses, tourism, and the community itself. Learn more at http://ow.ly/osO830eVHHv #VisitBlairsville #BelieveIt
September 3, 2017
Flying To A Mountain Landing Strip
Was Micajah Clark Dyer's runway on Rattlesnake Mountain more dangerous than this one? Watch the video below and decide.
This mountain landing strip in New Guinea took 14 years to complete. It will make such a dramatic difference in the lives of the local villagers for whom a landing strip represents access to medical supplies, building materials, clothing, food etc.
A huge day in the lives of the natives who live there, and what a test of flying skills for the young pilot!
Click here to watch:
http://www.chonday.com/ Videos/runwamaoun5
A huge day in the lives of the natives who live there, and what a test of flying skills for the young pilot!
Click here to watch:
http://www.chonday.com/ Videos/runwamaoun5
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August 3, 2017
Annie Gets Her Library Book, Georgia's Pioneer Aviator
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| Annie with her book from the library: Georgia's Pioneer Aviator, Micajah Clark Dyer |
Her mom says, " Annie's book which she had put on hold came in today! I tried to tell her Poppa already has this book but she wanted to read it from the library!"
Annie will be ahead of her classmates after learning who flew an airplane back in the 1800s!
Way to go, Annie! Thank you for your interest in history.
(Incidentally, Micajah Clark Dyer is her great-great-great-great-great-grandfather!)
June 25, 2017
Clark Dyer Nominated to Aviation Hall of Fame
http://www.gaaviationhalloffame.com
Micajah
Clark Dyer (1822-1891) has been nominated for induction this year into
the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame at Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins,
Georgia, by Dr. Sylvan R. Dyer. This is the third nomination Clark Dyer has
received for this recognition based on his invention of an "Apparatus for
Navigating the Air," for which he received U.S. Patent No. 154,654 on September 1, 1874.
The story leading up this nomination is an
amazing one. Dr. Dyer, a great, great grandson of Clark Dyer, was visiting
Robins Air Force Base on June 20, 2017, where he viewed the Aviation Hall of
Fame and felt strongly impressed to work toward getting Clark inducted since his flying
machine was the first navigable aircraft invented and flown in Georgia. When he
told the director that he wanted to make the nomination, she told him, “You
picked a good time to come because this is the last day to nominate a candidate
this year, and I would have been out of the office in one hour!”
Then and there, Dr. Dyer submitted a
formal nomination for induction of Clark into the Hall of Fame.
The Board of Electors of the Hall of Fame
will select inductees from a group of qualified nominees submitted during this
fiscal year and, hopefully, Micajah Clark Dyer will take his rightful place of
honor within the revered Hall of Fame when the Board makes its inductions in April 2018.
(If you don’t already know the historical
account of Clark Dyer’s invention, scroll down through the earlier posts below
and learn about this man and his remarkable flying machine.)
April 29, 2017
An Airplane Builder
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| Sylvia Dyer Turnage sits in a home built ultra-light airplane |
This ultra-light plane was constructed by a man who builds his own airplanes and flies them over his fields. Amazingly, his airplanes are very simple and he uses machinery and materials that are locally available for building them.
Here I am sitting in one of them, but I confess that I am not brave enough to fly in it!
Here I am sitting in one of them, but I confess that I am not brave enough to fly in it!
April 21, 2017
Video of Chamber interview on Channel 4
Know your history - On April 4, 2017, Blairsville-Union County Chamber of Commerce President, Regina Allison, interviewed Sylvia Dyer Turnage to learn about a part of history that is not too well known. That history is the saga of the 1874 invention of the flying machine by Micajah Clark Dyer of Union County. The interview was filmed by Mr. Mark Mote of Windstream for broadcasting a number of times on Cable Channel 4 during the month of April. April 15, 2017
Chamber Connection TV Show Features Micajah Clark Dyer
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| Display Sept. 2016 at Chamber of Commerce |
We are happy to have the history of Micajah Clark Dyer featured in a recent filming by Mr. Mark Mote with Windstream and Ms. Regina Allison, President of the Blairsville Chamber of Commerce. The video will air this week and next, April 11 through April 22, on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10 a.m., 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., and on Saturdays at 11 a.m., 5:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., on Windstream Channel 4. We expect to have a video of the filming available to post here soon.
Following is an excerpt from the North Georgia News article April 12, 2017, page 4A, Chamber Connection TV Show by Regina Allison:
"Every 6 weeks, a new episode of the Chamber Connection airs for Union County. In June we will be coming up on our 1 year anniversary of the show. I want to thank Mark Mote and Windstream for the opportunity to share information about our Chamber Members and our amazing community. I also want to thank the guests that have appeared on the show with me thus far; I have enjoyed spending the time with each of you and I have learned a great deal.
"We recently taped the next episode which will air the weeks of April 11th through the 22nd. I enjoyed spending time learning about part of Union County History with Sylvia Dyer Turnage of the Micajah Clark Dyer Foundation. Sylvia has spent a lot of time researching and gathering information about her great, great grandfather, known as Clark Dyer to family and friends, a very talented inventor who studied the way birds flew and wondered, “Why couldn’t a man fly like a bird?” He received the patent on September 1, 1874 for his invention. The purpose of his invention, “navigating the air” as he liked to refer to it, was conceptualized and patented 29 years prior to the Wright Brothers’ famous First Flight. A model of his invention is on display at the Old Union County Courthouse along with a wealth of information about the History of Union County. A special thank you to Union County Historical Society for all that you do to preserve the history of Union County and your involvement in the Chamber and the Community. . . and thank you to Sylvia. . ."
Please visit our blog posts below to learn more about this remarkable pioneer aviator.
Please visit our blog posts below to learn more about this remarkable pioneer aviator.
October 22, 2016
Engraving Completed
The monument at Micajah Clark Dyer's grave is now identifiable as you approach it descending the cemetery hill from the west. Previously, there was no identification on back of the monument, which caused a few visitors to leave thinking they had come to the wrong cemetery. It was necessary to go all the way to the bottom of the hill where the engraving on front could be viewed to know you were at the right place.
Thanks to the generosity of friends and relatives of Clark Dyer, engraving was completed this week to add the pertinent information to the back of the monument.
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| Back of monument |
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| Front of monument |
September 30, 2016
New aircraft and off-road vehicle created in Shreveport!
Flying Magazine says a startup company with the goal of meeting off-road accessibility with the freedom of flight just got the go-ahead from the FAA.
On June 16, 2016, Flying Magazine stated:
“SkyRunner announced this week that its flying all-terrain vehicle has earned S-LSA approval, paving the way for the company to ramp up production at its Shreveport, Louisiana, manufacturing plant.
“Marketed with the go-anywhere adventurer in mind, the SkyRunner is a four-wheel ATV that uses ram-air parafoil wing technology, or powered-parachute flight, and a three-blade propeller to take to the sky on takeoffs that require about the length of a football field.
“SkyRunner, which has just two flight controls — left and right steering and a throttle pedal — says its vehicle can reach airspeeds of 45 mph and cruise at the maximum regulated altitude of 10,000 feet.
“The company says it’s now fulfilling back orders and taking deposits for the two-seater flying ATV, which costs $119,000.”
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| SkyRunner, a flying all-terrain vehicle |
“SkyRunner announced this week that its flying all-terrain vehicle has earned S-LSA approval, paving the way for the company to ramp up production at its Shreveport, Louisiana, manufacturing plant.
“Marketed with the go-anywhere adventurer in mind, the SkyRunner is a four-wheel ATV that uses ram-air parafoil wing technology, or powered-parachute flight, and a three-blade propeller to take to the sky on takeoffs that require about the length of a football field.
“SkyRunner, which has just two flight controls — left and right steering and a throttle pedal — says its vehicle can reach airspeeds of 45 mph and cruise at the maximum regulated altitude of 10,000 feet.
“The company says it’s now fulfilling back orders and taking deposits for the two-seater flying ATV, which costs $119,000.”
See the SkyRunner in action in a video produced 9/16/16 by Fox News:
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