Some of the confusion regarding the location of Professor Langley's heavier than air flights may stem from the fact that he made may attempts to launch his unmaned and man-piloted "aerodrome" from a house boat on the Potomac river. His most successful attempts occurred on May 6 1896 as his house boat 'launching pad' which was anchored near Chopawamsic island (which is?just off shore of the Quantico Marine Corps in?the Potomac River and the only island on the Potomac which is located in Virginia).?In attendance as a scientific observer was Alexander Graham Bell, who stated that "it?seems to me that no one who was present on this interesting occasion could have failed to recognize that the practicality of mechanical flight had been demonstrated.¡± (Library of Congress).?
As noted by numerous contemporaneous reports, both of Professor Langley's attempts at a man-carrying heavier than air flight took place in 1903 and were unsuccessful. A reporter quoted that the man-piloted aerodrome looked like a "a handful of mortar" as it plunged into the Potomac near Washington DC.
There are several sources which provide a good overview of Professor Langley's years long journey to achieve man-piloted heavier than air flight.?
For anyone interested in this topic, David McCollough's history/biography of the Wright brothers 'first to flight' includes background information on many of the individuals who were pursuing heavier than air flight.
