Aviation

100 years ago this month, an aerial battle took place which has passed into legend. The story of two pilots whose flight paths literally crossed over the battlefield, Canadian Arthur Roy Brown and Manfred von Richtofen, the Red Knight of Germany.  Aviation commentator Dan Patterson has the story.

This is the story of Manfred and Roy, two pilots from different backgrounds.  One was the son of an elite German military family; the other was a middle class young man who enlisted when the British Empire went to war.

Over the weekend the Dayton International Airport celebrated its 80th anniversary.  When it opened, it was called Dayton Municipal Airport. And opening day coincided with the anniversary of the Wright Brothers' first fight at Kittyhawk, North Carolina.  It was 1936 – aviation was a burgeoning industry in the US.  Aviation commentator Dan Patterson has the story.

The public will be able to pay tribute to the late John Glenn on Friday when the former astronaut and Senator lies in state at the Ohio capitol.  WYSO's Aviation Commentator Dan Patterson has this reflection on Glenn's legendary career.

Out in the countryside east of Dayton, one local pilot is using his passion to keeping a part of aviation history alive. Community Voices reporter Renee Wilde chased him down and went on the ride of her life.

I’m speeding in my car down country roads, chasing after a small plane that’s been buzzing the tree tops of my farm. I follow it to a small, grassy strip tucked amid fields of ripening corn and soybeans, and watch the red bi-plane taxi down the runway and come to a stop.

Have you ever noticed the blue helicopters in the sky above the Miami Valley? Those are CareFlights, air ambulances from the Miami Valley Hospital. Rocky Blazer, a listener from Springfield, says they seem to fly out a lot, and asked why the hospital would decide to send out a CareFlight, rather than a traditional ambulance. I drove down to the hospital’s central campus in Dayton to investigate.

On the helipad

WYSO Aviation commentators Dan Patterson and Paul Glenshaw traveled to France in April to witness a significant moment in aviation history. Today they bring us the story of a milestone of American aviation—the loss of the first American pilot in combat.

One hundred years ago, on June 23, 1916, a young flyer named Victor Chapman took off on his last flight.

The Blue Angels will be absent from this year’s Dayton Air Show. The fan favorites have decided not to perform at several air shows, including Dayton's, after last week’s tragic crash in Tennessee—losing one of their own—Marine Captain Jeff Kuss, also known as Blue Angel #6.

Roger Doctor is the Public Safety Director for the Dayton Air Show. He says the flying unit needs time before performing again.

Last Saturday night, the future of aviation came to Dayton, where manned flight was created. The Solar Impulse, an electrically powered aircraft, which uses solar cells to generate its power landed at Dayton International Airport on the latest leg of an attempt to circle the earth. Our aviation commentator Dan Patterson was there.

The Solar Impulse approaching Dayton International Airport, looking very much a UFO.Credit Dan PattersonEdit | Remove

A story on NPR last month got our aviation commentator's attention. Dan Patterson heard that the US Navy has returned to teaching celestial navigation – a method that uses an instrument called a sextant along with the sun and stars to chart a course. The Navy says it's concerned about over-reliance on GPS navigation, which is vulnerable to attack or failure.

The Dayton Development Coalition (DDC) has announced its list of priority projects for government funding requests for the year, with some pretty futuristic Air Force research at the top of the list.

Every year the coalition brings together a committee to decide on projects to advocate for in efforts to get state and federal money into the region. The goal is to unite the region around priority projects in areas including defense, health care and transportation.