A new monument would celebrate ‘Triumph of Flight’
Just as Wilbur and Orville inched methodically toward their goal of powered flight, returning to the drawing board again and again in their determined efforts, The Wright Image Group is working diligently to get their proposal for a Triumph of Flight National Monument off the ground and into the air.
The most recent activity involved a request to the Dayton Region Priority Development & Advocacy Committee for $150,000 in assistance. The city of Dayton had earlier expressed interest in locating the monument near the original Wright Brothers’ aircraft manufacturing hangars at U.S. 35 and Abbey Avenue, a proposed National Park Services facility. During a Wright Image Group presentation on how that would look to Dayton’s mayor in August 2022, Jeffrey Mims opined that the monument would be the “centerpiece of that economic development effort, ‘brand’ Dayton as the birthplace of aviation, and create dynamic synergies between all the other activities planned there, taking a big, bold step toward making Dayton one of America’s premier cities in which to live, work, raise children, and grow old.”
That option, however, has now been excluded as the City Team working to redevelop the Wright Factory is no longer inclined to give further consideration to the monument locating at this site and the Wright Image Group is exploring alternatives.
As stated in the PDAC proposal, The Triumph of Flight will bring new visitors to the Dayton area, educate those visitors about other aviation sites in the area, direct visitors to those sites, and bring the economic benefits that come with new visitors to our region. The Triumph of Flight will lead the way in branding our region as a center of technology with high livability making it attractive to businesses and job seekers.
The Triumph of Flight will be a national monument to the achievement of flight and gateway to the Dayton area’s aviation heritage. Standing 270 feet high, with a stainless-steel replica of the 1905 Wright Flyer III, the world’s first practical plane, the monument will make the emphatic statement that Dayton is THE birthplace of aviation and continues to pilot aviation into the future. Mayor Mims remains steadfast in his support of the Triumph
of Flight monument! Building upon his thoughts about helping make Dayton one of America’s premier cities in which to live, work, play, be educated, raise a family, and grow old. He believes the monument could help Dayton soar into inescapable visibility as the birthplace of flight. He also believes it will inspire scores of young people all across the region to pursue careers and high paying jobs in aviation, elevating the standard of living for the entire community.
You can help with this effort by expressing your support to Dayton City Commissioners and your elected state and congressional representatives. A project of this magnitude will benefit tremendously from grass root support, especially encouragement of elected officials. And consider the following: in addition to making a statement to the world that flight was invented in Dayton, it is anticipated that the Triumph of Flight Monument will have significant impact, similar to the impacts from the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery, Dayton History and the National Museum of the US Air Force. All of this in addition to educating visitors about other aviation sites in the area and helping Dayton capture its undisputed place in aviation history!