DAYTON — Wright-Patterson Air Force Base will hold their annual First Flight ceremony Friday at 10 a.m. commemorating the Wright brothers’ first flight over 100 years ago.
The celebration will bring together two states that played an important part in that fateful day in 1903.
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The 88th Air Base Wing, Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park and National Aviation Heritage Area will host the event simultaneously as Outer Banks Forever, the First Flight Society and Wright Brothers National Memorial near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
Kitty Hawk, Carolina officials and Dayton officials will trade soil, virtually, to acknowledge their connection.
Brigadier general Luke Cropsey, air force security assistance and cooperation directorate head and director of International Affairs at Air Force Materiel Command, will speak at the event along with members of the Wright family.
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“The advent of powered flight didn’t just increase our power of movement in this world; it forever changed how we view this world,” Steve Byington, cultural resources manager for the 88th Civil Engineer Group, said in a release, “It set in motion a revolution of shrinking distances and expanding aviation potential, which continues to this day. Its significance to human history must be forever remembered and celebrated.”
The event will be virtual due to COVID-10 restrictions, The National Aviation Heritage Area will be live streaming the event on Facebook — but Dayton locals can look up around 10:35 a.m. for a C-130 Hercules flying overhead.
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