Take flight

Wright State University partnered with some of the Miami Valley’s leading aviation and community organizations to host the second Festival of Flight on Sept. 25.

The Festival of Flight celebrated aviation and highlighted the importance of the Miami Valley’s aviation heritage in front of the Wright State Student Union.

The festival featured live entertainment, fun aviation-related educational experiences and creative local innovations. Attendees were able to sit in a Blackhawk helicopter and try flight simulators and a parachute simulator.

The festival offered six popular food trucks and food stands as well as flights of beer and wine in a beer garden.

The National Aviation Hall of Fame premiered its documentary “A Journey Through the Birthplace of Aviation.” A moderated panel followed the screening on Dayton’s unique contributions to aviation.

Wright State worked closely with the Dayton Regional STEM School to promote the festival for children and their families.

“I generally think that if you’re having fun you don’t realize how much you’re learning,” said Eric Corbitt, Student Union and Campus Recreation director.

The inaugural Festival of Flight was held in October 2019 and welcomed more than 4,000 visitors to the grounds of Wright State.