On September 17,1908, the first military airplane in the world, built by the Wright brothers for the Army Signal Corps, made its first flight at Fort Myer, Virginia

this is the Wright Flyer in the hanger... not much larger than a garage

Less than a thousand people witnessed the first flight at Fort Myer, because the general public was still doubtful that powered flight had been achieved. But Lewis Reed was there and he took 6 glass plate photos.  Later he started a Dodge dealership in Rockville Maryland, which is still family owned and operated, and his grand daughter made a blog about the dealership and it's history.

The Wrights would prove their machine’s qualifications at Fort Myer. They met or exceeded all of the Army’s specifications, including flying at 40 miles per hour, carrying a combined passenger weight of 350 pounds, maneuvering in any direction in the air, landing without damage, and flying for at least an hour non-stop, which was a world record at the time.

https://reedbrothersdodgehistory.wordpress.com/2018/09/17/wright-flyer-test-flights-at-fort-myer-va/