Flying the Riverway

Guest blog by Elizabeth Connor, National Aviation Heritage Area

The wind is roaring in your ears, the sun warming your back, and you feel free. The fresh air clears your head and you feel as though you could tackle any problem put before you.

Are you flying or are you cycling? The answer is both.

As you travel on the nation’s largest paved trail network through our connected communities, here are just a few hidden gems dedicated to our region’s aviation and aerospace innovation. #StayLocalGoFar

For a full list of aviation sites, fly to www.VisitNAHA.com. (Due to COVID-19, please check attraction opening times as they may vary from day to day.)

  1. The Wright Seaplane Base Ohio Historical Marker in West Carrollton

Address: 5457 Marina Drive, West Carrollton, OH

Orville Wright developed the Wright Seaplane Base in between Moraine and West Carrollton. He flew prototype hydro-planes in and out of the Great Miami River over 100 times between 1912 and 1914.

  1. “Pathway” at Dayton Art Institute

Address: 456 Belmonte Park N, Dayton, OH

Located in the parking lot, the sculpture tells of man’s path into space. It was installed in 2003 as a 100th anniversary of first flight by the Wright brothers.

  1. “Flyover” on Main St. Sculpture

Address: Main Street between Fourth and Fifth Streets, Dayton, OH

The sculpture represents the Wright brothers’ first 12-second flight. The curve matches the actual flight path they took.

  1. Bowler Hat at the Engineer’s Club

Address: 110 East Monument Avenue, Dayton, OH

Outside the front door, you’ll notice a nod to the Wright brothers – their hats on a bench. More patents were filed in Dayton per capita than anywhere else in the world and Orville Wright opened the Engineers Club as its first president. Orville gave the club his pilot’s license (No. 1) and Wright Engine No. 3.

  1. “Wright Flyer III” on Monument Ave. (TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE DURING CONSTRUCTION NEARBY. BE BACK SOON!)

Address: Monument Ave. between St. Clair and Jefferson Street, Dayton, OH

The sculpture is a tribute to the Wright brothers and their Wright Flyer III (original housed at Carillon Historical Park, John W. Berry Sr. Wright Brothers National Museum) while flying at Huffman Prairie Flying Field.

  1. The Dayton Astronaut Mural

Address: next to Warped Wing Brewing Company, 26 Wyandot St, Dayton, OH

Dedicated to Charles Bassett II, the Daytonian who has his name on the moon. Originally supposed to pilot Gemini IX in 1966, he and his co-pilot died in the line of duty.

  1. The Wright Brothers at Deeds Point

Address: 510 Webster Street, Dayton, OH

The sculpted brothers are shown experimenting with ‘wing warping’, the concept that made them successful over all other attempts at flight. Deeds Point was originally the furthest point south at McCook Field, the first experimental airfield and eventually what would become Wright Patterson Air Force Base.