Story of Micajah Clark Dyer's 1874 Flying Machine

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Micajah Clark Dyer story

VTS 01 1Interview of Sylvia Dyer Turnage by Blairsville-Union County ...

Click on the link below to view the video produced by the Blairsville Chamber of Commerce telling the story of Micajah Clark Dyer's 1974 flying machine. Micajah Clark Dyer story - YouTube - www.youtube

Auburn University School of Aviation Learns about Pioneer Aviator Micajah Clark Dyer

On August 30, 2022, Captain Paul "Puck" Esposito introduced the history of Micajah Clark Dyer’s invention of an apparatus for navigating the air to his class at Auburn University, School of Aviation, at Auburn, Alabama.

 Capt. Puck is a retired Naval Aviator with 28 years’ service given to his country. He teaches a course at Auburn entitled "Beginning Aviation (AVMG 1010)" and has approximately 150 mostly freshmen students with a few military veterans present. Capt. Puck has added the story of Micajah Clark Dyer to be a permanent part of his future aviation lectures at Auburn.

 The fifteen minute segment of his lecture devoted to Micajah Clark Dyer consists of four PowerPoint slides.

The first slide, titled "Never Stop Learning," contains a picture of Dyer with his full name, date of birth (July 13, 1822) and date of death (January 26, 1891).  The second slide is a picture of the entire state of Georgia showing all of the counties and highlighting Union County in red. The area where Dyer lived and developed his flying machine is in that remote area of the rugged Appalachian Mountains.

Capt. Puck informed the class that Clark was a poor farmer with a large family to feed and had no formal education when he invented and patented his flying machine using only the materials he had available and his natural born mechanical abilities.

Using primitive tools, Dyer confined himself to his work shed, drawing precise plans and constructing the flying machine. He applied for and received US Patent #154,654 on September 1, 1874, for the machine. Eyewitnesses from family, neighbors and friends told of seeing him fly off Rattlesnake Mountain and navigate his crude flying machine over the fields.

Dyer’s flights occurred some 30-years before the Wright Brothers' claim to fame.

The next slide shown to the class was a picture of Figures 1 and 2 of Clark's drawings that illustrate a front and side view of the machine which were included on a signed page of Dyer’s patent.

The last slide shown was a scale model of Dyer’s Apparatus for Navigating the Air built by Jack Allen and is on display in the Union County Historical Society Museum in Blairsville Georgia.

Capt. Puck concluded the presentation with an expression of his admiration for how Dyer never gave up and never stopped learning in spite of his limited education, his limited resources, and his limited support from others.

(This post was submitted by Dr. Sylvan R. Dyer, a great-great-grandson of Micajah Clark Dyer, who is presently attending Capt. Puck’s aviation course at Auburn University. On September 13, 2022, he presented Capt. Puck with an autographed copy of Flying off Rattlesnake Mountain, a creative nonfiction novel of the life and times of Micajah Clark Dyer by author, Sylvia Dyer Turnage, a great-great-granddaughter of Micajah Clark Dyer.)

Sixteen Years Since Highway 180-East
Was Named for Micajah Clark Dyer

      Sixteen years ago Georgia Highway 180-East from U.S. Highway 19/129 to the Brasstown Bald Mountain Spur was named the Micajah Clark Dyer Parkway to honor a pioneer aviator and inventor by that name. Members of the Dyer family went to the Capitol to witness Governor Sonny Perdue signing the Resolution naming the road. The youngest family member present for the signing was James Micajah Cooper, a fourth great grandson of Micajah Clark Dyer. He is shown in the photo above with the Governor hoisting him in the air with one hand, astonishing the assembled group.

     James was recently in Union County visiting his grandparents, David and Geraldine Dyer Coker. Now seventeen, he is pictured here with his sister, Esther Cooper. and his four cousins, Ada, Danner, Gideon and Gabriel Jones, all of whom have been born since the road was named to pay tribute to their outstanding ancestor who invented and flew an aircraft, for which he was granted a patent in 1874, twenty-nine years before the Wright brothers made their historic flight at Kill Devil Hill in North Carolina in 1903. James is a junior at Wesleyan School in Atlanta and clearly has come a long way from that day when Governor Perdue gave him a surprise lift!

      The Union County Historical Society Museum in the Old Courthouse on the square in Blairsville has an exhibit of a model of Micajah Clark Dyer’s flying machine that was built by Jack Allen and donated to the museum in 2006.

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. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEHmM1q-44w&feature=youtu.be

Getting High in 1874

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.

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        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.

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You can learn much more about Micajah Clark Dyer by reading the older posts below.

There Are Ties Between Corvettes and Aviation

'Hoods Up' gives glimpse into ties between Corvettes, aviation

The “Hoods Up” event was held in conjunction with the National Corvette Museum’s 25th anniversary in Bowling Green, KY on August 30, 2019.
Enjoy the full story By DON SERGENT dsergent@bgdailynews.com

Laurie Wilson Donates Novel to Eden Public Library

Katherine Seaver receives a donated novel from Laurie Wilson 

      The Eden Public Library in Eden, NC now has a copy of Flying off Rattlesnake Mountain available for its patrons to read and enjoy. The narrative nonfiction novel gives the historical account of Micajah Clark Dyer's invention of a flying machine that he patented in 1874 and flew until a year or two before his death in 1891 over the Choestoe Valley in Union County, GA. 

      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.  

Commemorative Pendants Donated for Fund-Raising

A supply of the pendants pictured here were donated to the Foundation to raise funds for advancing knowledge of Micajah Clark Dyer's invention of a flying machine, patented Sept. 1, 1874. The cost of the pendant with a gift box is $17.95 plus $3.50 shipping if required. The cost without a gift box is $14.95 plus $3.00 shipping. 

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.

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. 

Amazon Donates to Micajah Clark Dyer Foundation

Help raise funds for projects to benefit  MCD Foundation!

Today is Prime Day! Amazon donates to Micajah Clark Dyer Foundation Inc when you shop Prime Day deals at smile.amazon.com/ch/27-0352613.

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!

Interview of Author of "Flying off Rattlesnake Mountain"

New Novel tells the Amazing Story of Pioneer-Inventor, Micajah Clark Dyer

      On May 15, John Clark, Director of the Georgia News Network in Atlanta, traveled to the mountains of Northeast Georgia to interview author Sylvia Dyer Turnage about her recently published book, Flying off Rattlesnake Mountain. Her book is a narrative, non-fiction story based on life as it was experienced by the pioneers who came into the mountainous area in 1833 to a land that had long been occupied by Cherokee and Creek Indians. The story follows the life of Clark Dyer (1822-1891) and tells how he came to have a remarkable theory about a machine that could be built to enable a man to fly like a bird.

        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.    

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

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.

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.

Kimbler says the plane is owned by the Experimental Aircraft Association , and the Gainesville Chapter has brought the plane to Lee Gilmer Memorial Airport for people to enjoy flights into history.

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

 

Blairsville Airport's new W.C. Nelson Terminal

What a lovely new facility at the Blairsville Airport!

W.C. Nelson Terminal at Blairsville Airport

Posted by:

Blairsville-Union County Chamber of Commerce

· September 6 at 7:30pm ·

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

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

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Annie Gets Her Library Book, Georgia's Pioneer Aviator

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!)

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.)

An Airplane Builder

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!

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. 

      Here is the link to the YouTube video of the interview. Enjoy!

https://youtu.be/1OryL39Zrgs

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