Wikimedia Commons/Bain
Matthew Sellers’ Revolutionary Retractable Landing Gear in Kentucky
While the Wright Brothers got all the fame, a rich man from Baltimore was making air history in the hills of Kentucky. Matthew Sellers built his own wind tunnel in 1903, then moved on to kites and gliders.
By December 1908, he had made something special – a light plane with bicycle wheels that pulled up after takeoff. This wasn’t just any plane.
It was the first in Kentucky and had the world’s first retractable landing gear…