Orville Wright (third from left) with students, including Walter Brookins (fourth from left), 1911
Image credit: National Air and Space Museum

The Wrights established their flying school in 1910. Their first student was Walter Brookins. The school was first operated in Montgomery, Alabama, and was later moved to the Wrights' home field of Huffman Prarie outside Dayton, Ohio. The field was also known as Simms Station.

Orville was the original instructor at the school, and managed other instructors as they became qualified. Orville set the standards by which the student pilots were trained. There was considerable emphasis placed on maintenance of the machines. Each pilot became fluent in the mechanics and repair of the Wright aircraft. Students practiced flying in a machine known as the "balance" machine, which was an older Wright plane set up on the ground with functioning controls, something like a modern flight simulator.

Students were taught to fully control their machines and how to handle emergency situations, such as having the engine quit. Orville instructed many of the students personally, preparing them for their appearances as members of the Wright demonstration team.

Students typically learned to fly in under eight hours of instruction. Many of the graduates of the Wright school were the most famous aviators of their time: Arch Hoxsey, 'Cal' Rodgers, Ralph Johnstone, Frank Coffyn. Henry "Hap" Arnold went on to establish the United States Air Force (Crouch pp. 426-428, 435-439).