Ohio's debut of its new license plate failed to take off — because a banner depicted on the plate was attached to the wrong end of the Wright Brothers' historic first plane, the Wright Flyer.
The new license plate illustrates rays of sunlight beaming into the sky, with a banner that reads “Birthplace of Aviation" draped across the horizon. But the banner, which should have been trailing behind the plane, was attached to its front.
After the unveiling, Ohio officials said in a statement that they were aware of the mishap and it would be corrected to show the banner trailing the plane before Ohioans upgrade their plates.
We are aware that the plane on the new Ohio license plate unveiled this morning was oriented in the wrong direction. We regret this mistake and have fixed the image. This is the correct design that will be reflected on all new plates issued to Ohio drivers. ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/HAire7kr9M
— Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (@Ohio_BMV) October 21, 2021
The North Carolina Department of Transportation sent a friendly barb Ohio's way on Twitter, a reference to the two states' license plate slogans both claiming the Wright Brothers.
Y'all leave Ohio alone. They wouldn't know. They weren't there. #FirstInFlight ✈️https://t.co/bKL1TlT1Z8
— NCDOT (@NCDOT) October 21, 2021
The brothers were from Ohio but the Wright Flyer plane took off near Kitty Hawk, on the North Carolina coast, in 1903. North Carolina's license plates also feature an image of the plane and the slogan "first in flight."
Ohio isn't the only one who has made this flighty error. The front of the Wright Flyer can easily be mistaken for its back because the plane's propellers were located at the back, instead of the front.
The plates are expected to land on the market Dec. 29.
