8:20 AM: We will muster in the hotel lobby and shortly thereafter board our buses for an 8:35
AM departure and a twenty five-minute ride to the Wright “B” Flyer Inc. Museum.
Wright “B” Flyer Inc. is an all-volunteer, membership-based, not-for-profit corporation located on the
Dayton-Wright Brothers Airport. We fly one Model B look-alike during the summer months, and our hangar doubles as a museum. Our Mission Statement is: To promote, through exhibition of Wright “B” Flyer lookalikes, public awareness of the Dayton, Ohio region, where the Wright Brothers lived, invented the airplane, and gave birth to modern aviation.
The Brown Bird: The project to build No. 001, Brown Bird, was the genesis of Wright “B” Flyer Inc.
In 1973, a number of air-minded individuals at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base decided to build a flyable lookalike of the Wright brothers’ first production aircraft. The project was launched in 1975. Research revealed that detailed construction drawings of the original Wright B Military Flyer did not exist, so the planners decided to use the non-flying, highly modified Model B in the Air Force Museum as a template. Important modifications to this airplane included ailerons instead of wing warping and a control wheel instead of the original control levers.
Modern engineering and materials were used to design and build an airplane that would look like a Model B but meet modern airworthiness standards. The result was a robust aircraft with a steel structure and a modern aircraft engine. Its empty weight is 3,400 pounds., compared to the 1,400-pound loaded weight of the machine on which it’s based.
At our 2008 Reunion, we visited the Wright “B” Flyer Inc. Museum and some of us took flight in the Brown Bird.
11:25 AM: We will board our buses for a 11:40 AM departure and twenty-minute ride to the Carillon Brewing Company for lunch, 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM. The Buffet Menu will provide you with a choice of two entrées, Weiner Schnitzel or Herb Roasted Chicken, and will include Salad with Assorted Dressings, German Potato Salad and Succotash. Also included is a Complimentary Beverage Service, your choice of Iced Tea, Water and Coffee. Beer, Appetizers and Desserts will be at your expense. Please indicate on the Reunion Registration Form which entree you and the members of your party desire.
History By the Pint
Carillon Brewing Co. offers visitors a glimpse into 1850s-era Dayton through the authentically prepared food and drink of the times. It is the nation’s only production brewery in a museum, and the only U.S. brewery replicating the historic brewing process.
Gas copper lamps light the walkway outside Carillon Brewing Co., and beyond the large white oak corridor doors—sash-sawn in period fashion with hand-forged hinges and handles—the smell of charcoal and wood fire fills the air. On a brick furnace 14 feet above a bustling crowd, costumed interpreters draw water from a handmade copper kettle before beginning the process of mashing and lautering.
Nearby, malt is milled by hand; oven-fresh spent grain bread is baked; a volunteer mends his trousers with thread and needle; a growler of ale is filled; and a costumed wait-staff presents Wiener schnitzel, herb-roasted split chicken, and more. The historical German, Irish, and English offerings are in homage to Dayton’s early settlers.
American Oak barrels line the lower floor of Carillon Brewing Co., each one capped by an artful and educational panel detailing the history and science of brewing. In sourcing city directories, canal records, farmers’ reports, and the like, Carillon Historical Park carefully analyzed the influences of breweries on the city’s evolution during the latter half of the 1800s.
Ours is a story of a developing Midwestern city in a growing nation. It’s a tale that spans agriculture, industry, science, immigration, civilization, progress, culture and more. And all of it is told through beer and food.
1:00 PM: Following lunch and beer at the Brewing Company, we will tour the Carillon Historical Park.
Carillon Historical Park owes its existence to the generosity of Colonel Edward Andrew Deeds (1874–1960) and Edith Walton Deeds (1869–1947). In the 1930s, while traveling in Bruges, Belgium, Edith, an accomplished musician, found inspiration in magnificent carillon music, and she dreamed of sharing this music with the people of Dayton. Edith’s dream became reality through the construction of Deeds Carillon—her most visible legacy to the community she loved.
A renowned engineer, inventor, and industrialist, Colonel Deeds was a close friend and colleague of fellow Dayton luminaries Charles Kettering, John H. Patterson, and Orville Wright. Colonel Deeds co- founded Dayton Engineering Laboratories Company (DELCO), the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company, and the Engineers Club of Dayton, and served as the third CEO of National Cash Register (NCR).
After the Great 1913 Flood (Ohio’s worst natural disaster) decimated the Dayton region, Deeds organized the Miami Conservancy District; the MCD constructed an unprecedented dam system, thereby protecting our community from future floods. Colonel Deeds served the U.S. Army as Chief of Aircraft Procurement; under his direction, the world-famous Liberty Engine was designed and produced. And at NCR, Colonel Deeds was instrumental in bringing the company into the 20th century.
In 1950, Carillon Historical Park’s museum complex opened with the purpose of showcasing the region’s industrial innovations, transportation achievements, and Dayton’s contributions to world progress. Since construction first began on Deeds Carillon in 1940, the dreams of Edith and Edward Deeds have evolved into a beautiful 65-acre campus—designed by the Olmsted Brothers (the famed landscape architects responsible for Central Park)—containing dozens of museum buildings and countless artifacts. The Dayton region’s remarkable story continues to inspire visitors from around the world.
3:20 PM: We will board the buses for a 3:35 PM departure and twenty-five-minute ride back to the Holiday Inn arriving at 4:00 PM.
Thursday evening will be free time. Remember that a list of restaurants and shops within walking distance of the hotel will be available in our Hospitality Room.