By Dennis K. Johnson
When pilots think of the Wright brothers, images of the sandy dunes at Kill Devil Hills on North Carolina’s Outer Banks usually come to mind. There, at the site of the first powered airplane flight, stands the Wright Brothers National Memorial. It’s appropriate that a national monument stands on that historic spot, but it should be remembered that Orville and Wilbur made most of their early flights above a prairie in Ohio. A group of aviation enthusiasts in Dayton—hometown of the Wrights—is working to erect a soaring monument dedicated to the two inventive brothers, as well as other pioneers of aviation throughout the past 114 years.
The “Triumph of Flight” monument will be erected just outside Dayton, rising high above the intersection of two interstate highways—not far from Huffman Prairie, where the Wright brothers developed the first practical airplane, the Wright Flyer III. It should be visible from the two highways—on which 53 million cars pass each year—from up to three miles away. The design calls for a 270-foot-tall steel pedestal topped by a 1905 Wright Flyer III replica with steel mesh wings spanning 144 feet.
The pedestal will rise out of a reflecting pool, surrounded by curved steel walls with reliefs depicting historic achievements in aviation, from the Wright brothers’ first flight in 1903 to the first steps on the moon in 1969, and into the twenty-first century. Aviators portrayed in the tableau will include many sons and daughters of Ohio, including astronauts Neil Armstrong and John Glenn, and Nadine Nagle, a World War II Women’s Airforce Service Pilot who flew fighters and bombers in support of the war effort.
The grounds below the monument will include a modest science, technology, engineering, and mathematics learning center, an exhibition space, and a theater. The promoters proudly assert that “it will inspire millions of people throughout the world, reminding everyone that Ohio is the birthplace of aviation.”
Supporters formed the nonprofit Wright Image Group in 2006 to erect the monument and to educate people about the significant role that Dayton and Ohio played throughout the history of aviation. The Ohio state legislature recently authorized $250,000 to continue design and development, and a bill is being discussed that would create the Ohio Aviation Hall of Fame, which would be based on the site.
The Wright Image Group has raised about 10 percent of the projected total $20 million cost, and it is beginning a capital construction fund drive to locate corporate sponsors and private donors who will contribute a large portion of the cost. The land for the monument has been pledged by a local Dayton property developer and the architectural and engineering studies are complete, including wind tunnel tests (with some assistance from NASA) to ensure the replica Flyer won’t fly away in a high wind.
Organizers believe that such a tall, imposing monument could become an attraction for Dayton on par with the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. Economic impact studies project the monument could bring $70 million in tourism to the area and create 800 jobs.
Fit to Fly
BasicMed to save pilots, FAA millions
FAA analysis projects $67.7 million savings in first decade
By Dan Namowitz
The FAA’s new BasicMed program that soon will allow many pilots to fly without a current third class medical certificate is expected to save pilots and the FAA millions of dollars over the first 10 years, according to an agency economic analysis.
Between the rule’s effective date of May 1, 2017, and 2026, the net benefit of the rule—expressed as reduced medical certification costs balanced against costs of implementing BasicMed—is projected to be $67.7 million, according to a regulatory evaluation by the Office of Aviation Policy and Plans, Economic Analysis Division.
“We have always believed third class medical reform would have significant savings for both pilots and the FAA, and this analysis confirms that belief,” said David Oord, AOPA senior director of regulatory affairs. “Those savings can now be spent on modernizing the existing fleet, advanced training and certificates, and hopefully, more flying.”
The analysis estimated that BasicMed will reduce costs by about $382.9 million through the elimination of time spent by pilots completing medical applications, traveling to medical examinations, and the cost of the exams. The savings include an estimate of the cost burden of special issuance medical certificates and follow-up examinations, and direct savings to the FAA of approximately $1.8 million.
The $382.9 million in savings would be offset by $315.1 million in costs incurred for physical examinations of participating pilots by a state-licensed physician every 48 months under BasicMed; the medical education course pilots must complete every 24 calendar months; and an increase in National Driver Register checks on pilots under the age of 40.
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