Decompressing Part Three

Wednesday was driving day.  Jim and I did a few things around his workshop before I hit the road.  It was a pleasant day, which made driving a lot easier.  I arrived in Pataskala to visit with my parents, but before I did, I was able to grab some dinner at one of my favorite restaurants: Skyline Chili!

 

Giant Cheese Coney!

 

Three way!

 

You gotta love a place that you need a bib to eat your dinner!

The next morning came quite quickly and was very wet.  In fact, it rained almost the entire day.  Nonetheless, I was headed to Dayton, OH to Wright Patterson Air Force Base.  

I was headed there to take part in an Air Force study that was examining the eyes of men who were color blind.  I spent about four hours in one section of the base completing all manner of tests.  Some were familiar, the traditional circle with various colored numbers.  Some were new, like the F-22 cockpit simulator.  

Later, I went to another lab where I performed different tests.  While there, I was told some pretty neat information about my eyes.  I am in fact color blind, but only in one eye and only very slightly.  In fact, they were fascinated by my eyes because usually you either are or are not color blind.  I was very unique.  My brain compensated for the color blind eye and that is why I would test so irregularly when allowed to use both eyes.

The doctors also found that I have an astigmatism.  So some glasses are in my near future.  Most interestingly to me is the fact that, like 25+ years ago, I would have been flagged for my vision.  (I had originally planned to be a helicopter pilot when I joined the Army, but failing the color blind test (three times) put a stop to that dream.)  The doctors said, however, that because of the research I had taken part in, I might have been able to fight the result.  I wish I had asked to take some photos inside the experiments, but I don't think it would have been allowed.  They showed me one of the twenty foot simulators for the F-22 that they have built with help from NASA.  I asked to try it out, but it wasn't quite ready yet.  The scientists gave me this coin and thanked me for my contribution to aerospace medicine.  They might say it to all of their subjects, but for a few moments anyway, I felt like I had made a contribution.  Interestingly, I spent a couple years of my life on Wright Patterson.  My father was in the Air Force and my sister was born on this base.

 A very heavy rainstorm socked the Dayton area and nearly sent me away.  However, knowing I didn't have a lot of free time, I decided to persevere and see as many of the sites in Dayton as I could.  Traveling around the base, I found one of the most beautiful Wright Brothers memorials just outside the gate.  

 Somehow the rain seemed appropriate.  It was pretty cool seeing Orville at the controls, while brother Will watched from close by.  I've seen a lot of memorials to the brothers, but this one is one of my favorites.  I especially liked the woven metal that formed the wing's surfaces.

 My next stop was to visit Wright State University.  They had some fantastic exhibitions of both the Wright's and one of the nearly 'unsung' heroes, Charlie Taylor.  Charlie was the mechanic who built the Wright's first engine. 

 He, as the story goes, put the 'power' in the first powered flight.  He's an intriguing fellow and I'm actually researching him for a possible future project.  They had a beautiful bust of him on display too.

The highlight of the Wright State library is the Flyer that they have hanging in their main area.  I was terribly disappointed however.  The plane was disgusting; covered in dust and full of paper airplanes.  I should have said something to someone, but I didn't.  If I hadn't been completely soaked from the downpour, I may have stayed longer.  Thankfully, my photograph doesn't show the yuckiness.

 

Next, I headed to the Huffman Prairie Interpretive Center.  Again, the rain kept me from visiting the actual prairie, but the center was full of nice displays and resources.

 My next stop was the Dayton Metro Library.  I wanted to make a copy of the Dayton Daily News from the day the article about the C-69 Constellation was published.  

I started on the microfiche machine, but the copier was not working properly, so I ended up working with the bound original of the actual newspaper.  That was pretty cool and it was fun to make a photograph of the actual newspaper. 

There was so much going on in the world, it was interesting to read a few of the 'other' stories that were taking place at the same time. 

My next stop was Carillon Park.  They have created a village of historical buildings of Dayton's past.  One of them is a recreation of the Wright's Cycle Shop and they even have one of the original models of the Flyer.  It was Orville's last big project to restore and install the machine.  The lighting inside the building was very poor; probably in effort to preserve the plane, but it made for terrible pictures.  

I did really like the way they highlighted the early years.  There was a very nice movie in the little theater they had there.  I thought the way they brought in lighting and sound to highlight each of the major innovations was especially cool.

 Some of the photos I took of the reproduction cycle shop where the brothers built the Flyer and revolutionized aerodynamic principles.  I like how they showed the single engine that powered all the tools in the shop.  

 

The wind tunnel they brothers created with the help of Charlie Taylor.

I have seen something like this before, but this struck me as a simple, but very effective reminder of the personalities of the brothers.

One thing I learned about this particular model is that it was painted silver to confuse those who might have gotten a peek at it while the Wright's perfected flight.  Even though the plane was made of wood, it's silver color would make onlookers think it was metal.  That would foil copycats because making it of metal would have added significantly to its weight.

My next stop was the cemetery where the Wright's were buried.  Thankfully it stopped raining at least for a little while.

 While I was downtown, I visited the site of the original Wright Cycle Company and also the site of Orville's final laboratory where he spent his days until the end of his life. 

 Sadly, the original was torn down by the Shell Oil Company when they planned to build a gas station.  This facade looks just like the original building.  A striking sculpture of The Professor of the Propeller stands inside the building.

I headed to Mason to spend the evening with my in-laws.  It had been a terrific trip, but it was time to head home.