The Birthplace of Aviation

Destination Dayton has compiled a video library of the amazing aviation sites in the Dayton region.  These videos will give you plenty of ideas as you plan a future trip to Dayton.

 

Huffman Prairie

When the Wright brothers returned to Dayton, after their historic first flights at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 1903, they looked for a suitable flying field closer to home. Dayton banker, Torrence Huffman allowed the brothers to use his pasture, which was located eight miles northeast of Dayton, rent-free. 

National Museum of the U.S. Air Force

A must-see in Dayton, the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force is the world’s largest and oldest military aviation museum and Ohio’s most visited FREE tourist attraction with approximately 1 million annual visitors. This world-renowned museum features more than 360 aerospace vehicles and missiles and thousands of artifacts amid 19 acres of indoor exhibit space.

 

 

Paul Laurence Dunbar House

Explore Paul Laurence Dunbar's home, which still includes many original furnishings: original typewriter and a Wright Bicycle. Dunbar was the first African-American poet to gain international recognition. 

 

Wright B Flyer

Wright B Flyer, Inc. strives to promote, through exhibition of Wright “B” Flyer lookalikes, public awareness of the Dayton, Ohio region, where the Wright Brothers lived, invented the airplane, and gave birth to modern aviation. Wilbur and Orville Wright built America’s first airplane factory in Dayton in 1910. The Model B was its first product. 

 

Wright Brothers National Museum

The John W. Berry, Sr. Wright Brothers National Museum has more Wright artifacts on display than any other place in the world, including the 1905 Wright Flyer III: the only airplane designated a National Historic Landmark, the first practical flying machine, and what the Wright brothers considered their most important aircraft. Referred to as “the first pilot’s last project,” preserving the 1905 Wright Flyer III for Carillon Historical Park was Orville Wright’s last major project before he died on January 30, 1948. 

 

Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center

The Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center, located in the same building where the Wright Brothers operated their printing business, showcases exhibits that explore the lives of the Brothers and Orville's high school classmate, poet Paul Laurence Dunbar. Learn about the life and legacies of these three men through a film and fascinating hands-on displays. Free.