The Aviation Trail Parachute Museum in Dayton, Ohio, joined other aviation organizations at the first Festival of Flight at Wright State University on October 5. The festival took place on Wright Brothers Day, which commemorates Wilbur Wright’s 39-minute flight on Huffman Prairie in Dayton in 1905. The festival also celebrated the first intentional freefall jump, made by Leslie Irvin in 1919, and the Aviation Trail Parachute Museum hosted a display commemorating Irvin’s achievement. Curator Randy Zuercher and other volunteers helped visitors don parachutes, including modern skydiving gear and military escape parachutes. Andrew Kididis from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base demonstrated how a parachute works by using a model. He also inflated an eye-catching 28-foot round parachute for the spectators.

Visitors to the festival enjoyed displays, demonstrations, biplane and World War II aircraft flyovers, music, food and games. The city of Dayton plans for the festival to be an annual event.

Ann Armstrong-Ingoldsby | D-18967
Fairborn, Ohio