100 years of flight - Special coverage by The Cincinnati Enquirer

100 years of flight
Special coverage by The Cincinnati Enquirer

Surrounding the centennial celebration is a kaleidoscopic calendar of activities honoring the invention of flight. There are air shows, living history events, gala celebrations, performing arts, exhibits, book signings and more. Here is a sampling of what is available.

Inventing Flight Opening Ceremony

8:30 p.m. Thursday, Fifth Third Field, Dayton. Stadium-style ceremony with fireworks, visuals, live performers and more is produced by same company that produced opening and closing ceremonies of 2002 Winter Olympics. $125. (937) 228-2287; www.inventingflight.com

Inventing Flight Celebration Events
Interactive map

Friday-July 20: Time Flies: Catch It In the Act, living history presentation, Carillon Historical Park, 1000 Carillon Blvd., Dayton. Explore sites of Dunbar and Wright family circa 1903; includes costumed characters, storytellers, more. $20, $17 seniors, $12 children.

Friday-next Sunday: Re/Max Balloon Celebration, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, United States Air Force Museum, Wright Patterson Air Force Base. Balloon glows, mass ascensions with more than 150 balloons, concert and fireworks display Friday. Free.

July 11-13: International Blimp Meet, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, United States Air Force Museum, Wright Patterson Air Force Base. Blimps from around the world gather for blimp parades, landings, tours, blimp parachuting and more. Free.

July 18-19: "Pioneers of Flight" National Aviation Hall of Fame Reunion with emcee Harrison Ford, gala-style events at Dayton Convention Center and United States Air Force Museum. Scheduled to appear are Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Paul Tibbets, John Glenn, John Travolta, more. Tickets start at $150.

For information and tickets for all these events, call the Inventing Flight hotline at (888) 359-2003; inventingflight.com.

Dayton Air Show
9 a.m.-6 p.m. July 17-20, Dayton International Airport. Annual event extended by two days this year for centennial celebration. Includes appearances by U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, U.S. Navy Blue Angels, Canadian Forces Snowbirds plus parachutists, aerobatic pilots, more. $19-$21, $14-$16 seniors/children. (937) 898-5901. Scheduled performers include:

• U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds jet demonstration team
• U.S. Navy Blue Angels jet demonstration team
• Canadian Forces Snowbirds jet demonstration team
• U.S. Army Golden Knights precision parachute team • U.S. Air Force F-15 "Eagle"
• U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet
• U.S. Navy S-3 Viking
• U.S. Navy P-3 "Orion"
• Aeroshell Aerobatic Team
• Patty Wagstaff (solo aerobatics)
• Sean Tucker (solo aerobatics)
• Nikolay Timofeev Russian Air Shows (triple unlimited aerobatic world champions)
• Julie Clark (solo aerobatics)
• Manfred Radius (sailplane aerobatics)
• Bob Davis (solo aerobatics)
• Gene Soucy and Teresa Stokes (wingwalking team)
• Korean War Dogfight Demonstration
• Liberty Parachute Team (skydiving demonstration)
• Reno Unlimited Air Race Demonstration (P-51, Sea Fury and Super Corsair)
• "Wall of Fire," by Rich's Incredible Pyro (featuring World War II Warbirds)
• Hot air balloon launches (Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings)
• Goodrich Waco (1929 Waco Taperwing, demonstration by Bob Wagner)


Arts Events

Dayton Art Institute presents two flight related exhibits beginning Friday. Orville & Wilbur: The Wright Brothers' Legacy includes rare photographs of the Wright Brothers, their first flight and other aviation milestones plus vintage posters depicting air shows and advertisements from early days of aviation. SOARING: The Sculpture of John Safer includes flight-inspired art by the world-famous sculptor. Open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. daily (until 8 p.m. Thursdays), 456 Belmonte Park North, Dayton. Through Sept. 21. $10, $8 seniors, $5 youth includes admission to both exhibits. (937) 223-5277.

Dayton Contemporary Dance Company presents "The Complete Flight Project," 2 and 8 p.m. July 12, 4 p.m. July 13, Victoria Theatre, 138 N. Main St., Dayton. Six works by six prominent choreographers expressing dreams of flight. $25-$45. (888) 228-3630.

Human Race Theater Company presents a musical theater workshop production of Wild Blue, a new musical about flight, through July 13. Performances 7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 4 p.m. Sunday, Mathile Theatre, Schuster Center, Dayton. $25. (888) 228-3630.

Book signings

Walt Burton and Owen Findsen sign and discuss their book The Wright Brothers Legacy: Orville and Wilbur Wright and Their Aeroplanes, 7 p.m. July 9, Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Rookwood Pavilion, Norwood (396-8960) and 7 p.m. July 22, Books & Co., 350 E. Stroop Road, Dayton. Photographic portrait of the Wright Brothers' work in aviation includes rare vintage photographs and posters. Walt Burton is a local collector and dealer in vintage photography; Owen Findsen is a historian specializing in Ohio history and the former art critic for The Cincinnati Enquirer.

Books & Co. in Dayton also has many other aviation authors introducing their books.


July 8: Janet Bednarek signs and discusses Dreams of Flight: Generation Aviation in the United States, 7 p.m.
July 14: Mark Bernstein signs and discusses The Wright Brothers' Home Days Celebration 1909; Dayton Salutes Wilburn, Orville and Itself, 7 p.m.
July 26: Children's book author Mary Kay Carson leads activities from and discusses her book The Wright Brothers for Kids: How They Invented the Airplane with 21 Activities Exploring the Science and History of Flight, 11 a.m.
July 28: Richard P. Hallion signs and discusses Taking Flight: Inventing the Aerial Age for Antiquity Through the First World War, 7 p.m.
For more information on these events, call (800) 777-4881.
Local Events

Cincinnati Museum Center offers a tour to Dayton aviation sites, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Aug. 28. Bus tour includes seeing the Wright Flyers, Huffman Prairie Flying Field at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, a World War II B-17 bomber, more. $65 ($60 members). Registration required by Aug. 22. 287-7000.

Lunken Air Show honors 100th anniversary of flight this year, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sept. 13-14, 262 Wilmer Ave., Linwood. Includes visit from Tuskegee Airmen and aircraft from Air Museum Planes of Fame. $12, free under age 12. 321-4291.

-Jason Nebel

"Garrison Hilliard" wrote in message
...

100 years of flight
Special coverage by The Cincinnati Enquirer


Do you have a point anywhere in the message? Those activities were LAST
year. Believe me...I was part of the celebration.

Tex Houston