Aviation Trail, Inc.
A non-profit corporation in partnership with the
National Park Service
to promote Aviation Heritage
in the Dayton region
Home of the largest
private parachute collection.*
The Celebration of Wilbur Wright's 150th Birthday
Aviation Trail, Inc. Event
Wilbur Wright was born to Milton and Susan Wright April 16, 1867, in a three-room house near Millville, Ind., eight miles east of New Castle, Ind. Wilbur was the Wrights' third son and was named for Wilbur Fiske, a clergyman admired by Milton.
On April 8 2017, Aviation Trail members and guests met to celebrate the 150th birthday of Wilbur Wright. The celebration was held at Sinclair College in the UAS Indoor Flying Pavilion, with a dinner, and two speakers from Sinclair. With the location in the flying pavilion, the theme of unmanned aerial systems was emphasized, with a salute to the aviation innovation that flourishes in Dayton now, as it did in Wilbur's day.
Aviation Trail President Marvin Christian welcomed the guests to the celebration, and introduced ATI board member Col. Roger McClure (USAF Ret) who led the group in a toast to those serving in the military. ATI secretary Nancy Horlacher then presented a moving tribute to Wilbur Wright. Randy Zuercher, curator of the ATI Parachute Museum, then presented a certificate of gratitude to Dr. David Bodary for his volunteer service at the museum. After dinner, president Christian then introduced the speakers, Dr. Andrew Shepherd and Dr. Ronald Storm. See below for more information on the fine program. After the program, Drs. Shepherd and Storm were presented with framed pictures of the Wright Bicycle Shop. The night concluded with a drone flying demonstration (see below).
ATI President Marvin Christian
ATI President Marvin Christian
The Drone has Landed
ATI President Marvin Christian
Hover mouse pointer over each image to read description.
The Featured Program
Guest Speakers:
Dr. Andrew Shepherd and Dr. Ronald Storm
Sinclair National UAS Training and Certification Center
DRONE FLYING DEMONSTRATION
Guests were entertained and enlightened by the two experts on unmanned aerial systems as speakers: Dr. Andrew Shepherd and Dr. Ronald Storm, both from Sinclair Community College and both Ohioans.
They provided an overview of the college's unmanned aerial systems program and a review of past, present, and future topics related to the UAS industry.
Dr. Shepherd, a Ph.D. in business administration, is director for the Sinclair UAS program. His experience extends to the defense industry and academia and is focused on modeling and simulation research, course development, accreditation, instruction and mentorship
Dr. Storm, also a Ph.D. in business administration, has worked on the technical and business side of manned and unmanned systems for the past 15 years. He is an adjunct professor at Sinclair on a variety of topics from basic understanding of unmanned systems to aviation law and privacy.
The event was held in the UAS Indoor Flying Pavilion at Sinclair Community College (Building 18. at the right). The Sinclair National UAS Training and Certification Center in Building 13 (at the left) will also be open for viewing. The National UAS Training & Certification Center is home to the nation’s first permanent, custom-built unmanned aerial systems (UAS) flying facility and represents the culmination of a focused vision dedicated to creating one of the most comprehensive and pioneering facilities for the advancement of UAS training and applied research support. Guests were able to tour Building 13 prior to the dinner.
The Location
Dr. Andrew Shepherd
UAS Indoor Flying Pavilion
National UAS
Training and Certification Center
As long as men fly...
wherever they journey through space...
their flights began in Dayton, Ohio
The Birthplace of Aviation
Dr. Ronald Storm