On This Day in History / July 27, 2023 1909: Orville Wright, with Lt Frank P. Lahm riding as a passenger, flew the Army’s first airplane for 1 hour 12 minutes 40 seconds to set a two-man endurance record. Thus, the first official flight test of the airplane fulfilled a contract requirement for an hour-long flight with a passenger. (Lahm is seated in the right seat of the plane. Orville is hunched over in the left seat.)