MIDLAND, Texas — At Midland International Air & Space Port (MAF), it’s very easy for plane riders to keep their head down and go along with their day, especially at baggage claim where they want to get their stuff and get out.
But if they look up just a little bit, they’ll not only see Midland history, but they’ll also see a bit of Texas history.
"The Pliska Aeroplane was built in 1912," said Justine Ruff, director of airports at MAF. "It was the first airplane built and flown in Texas, and it was built by a local blacksmith here."
In a city known for oil and gas, Midland is home to the first airplane built in the Lone Star State. It gave the city’s nickname the “Tall City” a whole other meaning.
According to Ruff, the man who got this off the ground was named John Pliska.
"He wanted to build an airplane," Ruff said. "He had some experience with doing his mandatory military service in Czechoslovakia, he had learned a little bit about things flying, and so he took that knowledge with him."
Pliska, a blacksmith, and local auto mechanic Gray Coggin, took some pointers from two familiar brothers who passed their first flying test with flying colors.
"Right after the Wright Brothers did their first flight, one of their aircraft flew here on a cross-country flight on its way to LA," Ruff said. "And it stopped here for fuel. And they closed the schools, and half the town came out to check it out. And Mr. Pliska and Mr. Coggin were in that crowd watching and they noted everything that they saw, and then they started building immediately."
After some trials and errors, they learned that the best time to fly was during the morning when it wasn't as hot and no wind.
On the 4th of July of 1912, fireworks weren’t the only thing in the friendly skies, even if the plane wasn’t in there for that long.
"They were invited by the City of Odessa to come and do a demonstration flight on the 4th of July 1912," Ruff said. "But it was a hot day - not surprising from 4th of July - and it was the middle of the afternoon. And they could taxi it and just get kind of lift off the ground. But they couldn't get any sustained flight because it was so hot. A lot of the people in attendance say the cowboys were angry and wanted their money back."
After this less-than-ideal demonstration, the two fled, no pun intended.
They stored the plane in Pliska’s blacksmith shop, where it stayed for 50 years until the shop was demolished in 1962.
From there, the now historic plane was donated to the City of Midland.
"The Abell-Hanger Foundation restored the aircraft and built a little museum for it out here. In the old terminal, there was a little display for it," Ruff said.
If people flew to Midland International Airport and had their bags checked since 1999, this plane was right above their head.
"Hundreds of thousands of people have stood under it," Ruff said.
Despite that, it remains something that goes over a lot of Midlanders' heads.
"It's an important part of our history," Ruff said. "It was the first airplane built and flown in Texas, which is pretty cool. And so we're thrilled to have it here."
Showing that the planes leaving the airport everyday aren’t the only ones leaving an impact.
The adventure also prompted Pliska's wife to write a book about the experience, called A Blacksmith's Aeroplane.
"There are stories in the book that Mrs. Pliska was perhaps not thrilled with the hobby of her husband," Ruff said. "And there were many near crashes that she witnessed a lot of, and so she did not encourage this endeavor and either did Missus Coggin."
Ruff also said there was another airplane built in Midland in the 1970s called the Windecker Eagle, which is the first 100% composite-built airplane. That plane is currently in storage at the Smithsonian Museum and MAF is trying to get that one to join the Pliska on display.