Don’t underestimate Dayton. The Wright Brothers didn’t, and look where that’s taken us. If you want to track the trail of the Wrights, follow their progress from the time they started building bicycles to that moment their efforts gave birth to flight as we know it, then Dayton is the place.
Start at the Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center and Aviation Trail Visitor Center, the take-off point for your tour down the trail. Next stop is the Aviation Parachute Museum. It’s on the second floor of the Aviation Trail building. If you’ve ever wanted to know the history of this life-saving device, this is the place to find out. The Wright Cycle Company, one of the two original buildings still standing at their original locations in the West Side neighborhood where the brothers lived.
Follow the trail to the Wright’s final resting place, in the Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum. That’s where Wilber, Orville and their parents lie. Walk to the top of the hill overlooking the cemetery for a panoramic view of Dayton, and some perspective as to what the Wrights wrought.
Let your ears be the guide and follow the sound of the carillons to Carillon Historical Park. On its grounds you’ll find the original 1905 Wright Flyer III. The aircraft was restored under the personal direction of Orville.
There are lots of stops along this aviation trail. But the one must-see in this reporter’s experience is the National Museum of the United States Air Force. Billed as the planets largest and oldest military aviation museum, this sprawling complex houses more than 400 aerospace vehicles – aircraft, rockets, missiles and more. Through photographs, actual aircraft, memorabilia and letters, the museum tells the story of military aviation from the days of the Wrights all the way to the present. Don’t even try to see this museum in a day. You won’t come close to doing it justice.
(Image: Marcin Wichary)
