May 19, 1908. Signal Corps Lt. Thomas E. Selfridge becomes the first soldier to fly a heavier-than-air machine. The Baldwin Dirigible During the summer of 1908, the Army tested the Baldwin dirigible and Lts. Lahm, Selfridge, and Foulois were taught to fly it. The airship was formally accepted on August 28 and designated as Signal Corps Dirigible No. 1.