We spent a bit more time at the restoration shop this week as the restorers were finishing up a presentation to be given at the upcoming Ohio Aviation Maintenance Symposium.
As the restorers adjusted their timing to the allotted time, Peppermint Pam and I compared notes for adventures we would like to take. Somewhere during the conversation, it became a let’s not just talk about this, let’s actually do it.
Sis, a Beechcraft Model 35 Bonanza, and their Bellanca 260 have similar cruising airspeeds, and we all enjoy getting out to see and sometimes eat new experiences.
Uncle Paul showed up at the tail end of our conversation just in time for lunch. He has been working through their Bellancas’ annual inspection in between projects.
Also relatively new to the area, they are curious about places with ties to aviation history in particular.
The Aviation Trail consists of locations around southwest Ohio with ties to aviation history. Grimes Field, where the restoration shop is, hosts two locations on the Aviation Trail and is a great place to fly or drive in for pie.
We have been blessed with some of the Wright Brothers’ locations so close to our home and offered to play tour guide to some other aviation geeks.
As food is as vital as new experiences, we take them to a favorite brunch spot near the final resting place of the Wright brothers and other Dayton notables.
Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum
Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum is hilly and full of interesting memorials. The location attracts area runners as the hilly terrain provides a change of pace from flatter locations.
Driving into the cemetery, it is impossible not to be surprised by the varied memorials.
Erma Bombeck, a columnist whose book, ‘It’s Always Greener Over the Septic Tank,’ was a favorite of my grandmother and remembered by Peppermint Pam, brought a boulder from Arizona to mark her resting place close to the front gate.
Not far from the terra cotta-colored boulder is a bench with two bronze bowler hats sitting upon it, a memorial to Orville and Wilbur Wright within reach of those who cannot make the trek to their final resting place further in.
As the hills indicate where roads within the cemetery can go, the route to the Wright Brothers is slightly counterintuitive, heading right to go left eventually.
If the day had been warmer and less windy, we might have walked up to the site and onto the scenic overlook of downtown Dayton.
If temperature and time allow, Woodland is certainly worth exploring.
Compared to other resting places within, the Wright family plot is more relatable and less ostentatious than other notables. Rather than a family mausoleum, common grave markers mark their resting places.
Flags mark the resting place of the Wright family as Orville and Wilbur are joined by their sister Katharine as well as their parents Bishop Milton and Susan and twins Otis and Ida, who died as babies.
Seeing small tokens of thanks left by those who have paid their respects is common. On another visit, a small airplane was sitting on Orville’s grave.
Paying our respects, it’s hard not to be reminded that while they achieved great things within their lifetime, they, like us, have but one life to live. Their contributions laid the foundation for entire industries not even dreamed of before.
As our stomachs began to growl, we drove by the scenic outlook rather than stopping on the way out of Woodland.
Our destination was just down the hill at Butter Cafe. They offer vegan/vegetarian options and regular menu choices.
Introduced to us by Fifinella and the Plant-barnstormer, we have enjoyed everything we have tried. Both vegan and regular versions of their biscuits and gravy are well worth having.
After brunch, we headed to where Peppermint Pam had requested we go that day: Carillon Park.
Carillon Park
Also a favorite destination for both the restorer and me, the outdoor park provides a view back into the history of the Dayton area with buildings around the park from previous eras.
During the holiday season, the adjacent Carillon becomes a Christmas tree with the addition of lights streaming from above the instrument to the ground around it. The park extends its hours to evenings during the holidays, with the buildings within the grounds lit up and warming fires scattered throughout.
Within the park lies another bench with bronze bowler hats resting, identical to the one at Woodland.
This one sits in front of some notable buildings.
The replica of the Wright Brothers’ bicycle shop and a building that holds the last Wright Flyer Orville Wright worked on.
(The original bicycle shop and Wright home on Hawthorn Street have both been moved to Henry Ford’s Greenfield Village in Michigan, a trip we decided needs to happen down the road).
Watching the restorer and Uncle Paul going through exhibits, I was struck by their common pace and ease with which they discussed the different facets of construction used at the time.
As wood and fabric are not as understandable to me as it is to these two craftsmen, I’ll appreciate their awe of the history in front of them.
Orville also designed the building in which the Wright Flyer resides so visitors could see the aircraft from an angle that would allow for an understanding of the design.
The trees above the building housing the Wright Flyer hold an eagle’s nest. The pair, named Orville and Willa, have had multiple eaglets since they arrived in 2019 and are seen flying along the adjacent river often enough that most days, a photographer or two are sitting along the banks in case they are out flying.
We arrived at the bicycle shop near the end of the day; the docent on site was engaging and informative, accompanying us through the string of buildings. Our time did not allow for seeing the 15 minute film adjacent to the exhibit.
The version of the Wright Flyer, the 1905 Flyer III, housed within Wright Hall was the most maneuverable of the aircraft. Selected by Orville and worked on in preparation for the exhibit, this aircraft flew the flags currently standing at Huffman Prairie, setting time and distance records along the way.
Unlike modern aircraft, which use a control stick or yoke in addition to rudder pedals to turn, flying the early Wright Flyer requires the pilot to lie prone within a cradle making turns by moving their hips left or right.
Uncle Paul remarked to the restorer about the fabric, which has been there since 1948. While the building has windows, the shades are drawn to protect the muslin fabric from ultraviolet rays. The fabric is likely long past airworthy days.
Both the restorer and Uncle Paul are familiar with the replica Wright Flyers that are airworthy. While they look like the Wright Flyer, they have a modern control wheel and sit up to fly rather than lying down, as the original 1903 flyer demanded.
Another area of interest within the park for aviation geeks is a replica of the Wright Seaplane that flew off the Miami River adjacent to Moraine Airpark, south of Dayton, which flies above the carousel housed within the main building.
As our time at Carillon Park drew to a close, there were some other areas of interest we would not be able to see this time.
Tours offered of Hawthorn Hill, the Wright family’s home, are available through the park but were booked out several weeks at the time of our visit.
One of these times, we will make it to Orville’s house….
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