Champaign Aviation Museum dinner 4/26
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Champaign Aviation Museum's annual fundraising dinner is scheduled for Saturday, April 26 in the museum-hangar on historic Grimes Field in Urbana. Amanda Wright Lane, great-grandniece of Wilbur and Orville Wright, is the scheduled speaker. The museum's B-25 bomber "Champaign Gal" is to make a flyover, weather permitting.
Social hour begins at 5:30 p.m. with dinner at 7. Individual tickets are $100. Tables and sponsorships are also available.
The museum displays historic aircraft, and volunteers are constructing a B-17 bomber from parts of several aircraft and many hand-made parts. For more information, visit www.b17project.com or call 937) 652-4710.
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Scientists work on future's aviation history
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 | | Graphic: USAF |
Three research groups at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, under the leadership of Air Force Research Laboratory Materials and Manufacturing Directorate scientists, were named Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) Star Teams for 2014.
The Star Team Award emphasizes and recognizes excellence in basic research performed within AFRL's technology directorates.
Teams receiving the award and their team leaders include Nanomaterials, Dr. Steven Fairchild; Exploitation of Natural Processes and Materials, Dr. Rajesh Naik, and Single Component Nanoparticle Hybrids, Dr. Richard Vaia.
The award is another sign that the National Aviation Heritage Area isn't just about the past; it's where people continue to make aviation history. Read the Wright-Patterson news release for more information.
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Wright "B" Flyer names new officers
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 | | Jay Jabour |
Wright "B" Flyer Inc., the all-volunteer nonprofit that flies the one-of-a-kind Wright Model B lookalike, has elected a new president and vice president.
Jay Jabour, president, retired from the Air Force in October, 2003 as a brigadier general and vice commander, Aeronautical Systems Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. He managed more than 45 major programs, executed a $12 billion budget and employed a work force of approximately 12,000 at Wright-Patterson and at 37 units worldwide. Previous assignments included F-4 fighter pilot, AT-38 instructor pilot and staff officer at Combined Forces Command in South Korea. He also performed duties as an experimental test pilot on numerous aircraft, including the A-10, F-16 and YF-22.
After his retirement from the Air Force, Jay became the corporate lead executive for Northrop Grumman Corp. in Beavercreek.
Jim LaSalvia, vice president, retired from the Air Force as a lieutenant colonel in 1995 and from SAIC as a directorate manager in 2012. His military career included 18 years of flight and staff experience in B-1B and B-52 aircraft, and an additional 4 years of staff leadership and management experience at the Air Force Research Laboratory. In addition to over 5,500 flying hours, Jim had extensive wing staff and technical leadership experiences throughout his military career.
While at SAIC Jim served as a directorate manager, coordinating a staff of up to 20 systems, avionics and software engineers in simulator development. Some of his other responsibilities at SAIC included developing and managing new business opportunities in the area of modeling and simulation, and identifying sales opportunities in both government and commercial arenas.
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| WACO lecture spotlights aerial refueling |
 | | F-35 refueling (Photo: Lockheed Martin) |
Raymond Robb will discuss "Global Reach: A Brief History of Inflight Refueling" as part of the WACO Historical Society's Adult Lecture Series at 7 p.m. on April 9. The event is free and open to the public. The presentation will include a slideshow depicting the development of inflight refueling techniques as well as the variety of aircraft adapted for such operations over the last 90 years. Ray has had a lifelong passion for aviation. He currently works as a security specialist in the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. He has served as President of the Dayton Chapter of the American Helicopter Society since October 2009. He is also a freelance writer and contributing editor for Vertiflite magazine. The WACO Air Museum is located at 1865 South County Road 25A, Troy, OH 45373. For more information, visit www.wacoairmuseum.org or call 937-335-9226. |
| USAF Museum Foundation has new director |
 | | Michael Imhoff |
Michael P. Imhoff is the new executive director director of the Air Force Museum Foundation He was previously the vice president, Supply Chain, Real Estate and Facilities at NiSource, Inc. in Columbus.
The foundation raises money for buildings, programs, and other initiatives of the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. In December 2013, the foundation donated the funds to finance construction of a new $35.4 million, 224,000 square foot facility for the museum. It also operates the Museum Store, Air Force Museum Theatre, Valkyrie and Refueling Cafés and a "Friends" membership program for nearly 12,000 museum supporters.
Imhoff has worked in the public and private sector for more than 25 years. "I'm thrilled to be joining the Air Force Museum Foundation. This is an exciting time at the foundation, and I look forward to a bright future -- partnering with industry, education, and our many supporters to expand the legacy of the United States Air Force," he said.
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UD resource helps WIG retool social media
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 | Artist's rendering of Wright
Image Group monument
(Image: WIG) |
Wright Image Group (WIG) tapped a community resource to reach more people by revitalizing its dormant social media accounts. University of Dayton's Center for Project Excellence ( pdf file) matches organizations with students willing to volunteer their talents in exchange for practical experience. Fallon Edelmann, a third-year management information systems major, helped WIG liven up its FaceBook Page and explained the need to keep its content fresh. WIG is now remaking its website. WIG is continuing to develop its plan for an iconic monument featuring a giant Wright Flyer sculpture 270 feet above the intersection of I-70 and I-75 north of Dayton, with a reflecting and memorial park at its base. The monument would brand Dayton and Ohio as the birthplace of aviation. |
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NATIONAL AVIATION HERITAGE AREA
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The National Aviation Heritage Alliance (NAHA) is a private, not-for-profit corporation designated by Congress as the management entity of the National Aviation Heritage Area. The Heritage Area encompasses an eight-county area in Ohio (Montgomery, Greene, Miami, Clark, Warren, Champaign, Shelby and Auglaize counties.) NAHA's vision is to sustain the legacy of the Wright brothers and make the Dayton region the recognized global center of aviation heritage and premier destination for aviation heritage tourism. www.visitNAHA.org
PO Box 414 * Wright Brothers Station * Dayton, OH 45409
info@aviationheritagearea.org * 937-443-0165
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