I forgot to mention, the last sentence of the next-to-last paragraph is also confusing and incorrect, stating Maughan “… took off … just after sunrise.” The plaque states he took off “at dawn.”
Also, the misspelling of the field’s name is on the plaque, not in the article. Mr. Phelps got that one correct.
And as an aside, Mitchel Field was also the site of the first flight conducted completely by instruments, with a blind takeoff, flight, and landing. That feat was accomplished 5 years later by another Lieutenant, one James Doolittle. The Cradle of Aviation Museum located there today is worth a visit.