News Release

National Aviation Day Announcement of New Junior Ranger Program

Date: August 19, 2021
Contact: Ryan Qualls, 937-673-8689

The invention of flight has reached all corners of the globe and impacted the world in so many ways. From the cold, winter sands of the North Carolina coast, to the hot and humid summers at Huffman Prairie, Wilbur and Orville Wright took part in a legacy of flight that changed the world forever. Today that story is memorialized in pink granite and the experimental Flyer’s fabric and wood have traveled to the furthest reaches of space a human has set foot. Commemorating this rapidly evolving science started in 1939 by Franklin Delano Roosevelt as a celebration of early aviation development. President Roosevelt chose Orville Wright’s birthday in August to mark the date in American history.

Beginning today, on Orville Wright’s 150^th birthday, Junior Rangers can explore the prairie, experience the place where the world first caught a glimpse of practical flight, and earn a Prairie Junior Ranger badge. Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park, in partnership with Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, is pleased to announce a new Prairie Junior Ranger program for Huffman Prairie Flying Field. Participation in this new activity is free, and any group size can complete the program. Prospective Prairie Junior Rangers will first need to check into the Huffman Prairie Flying Field Interpretive Center, located adjacent to the Wright Memorial, to request a Junior Ranger backpack to use for their adventure. This backpack kit will contain the Junior Ranger program and all the necessary tools to complete the activity in about an hour. Upon completion, return to the Interpretive Center to turn in the backpack, receive your Junior Ranger certificate, and claim a hard-earned Prairie Junior Ranger badge. Hours of operation for the Huffman Prairie Flying Field Interpretive Center are Thursday-Sunday 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., and groups are encouraged to contact us in advance if they would like to schedule a visit to do the activity. The Flying Field is available daily from dawn to dusk. There is no fee to tour either site.

Masks are now required in all indoor federal facilities.  

For additional information about Huffman Prairie Flying Field and the Interpretive Center, please visit: www.nps.gov/daav or e-mail us. You can also find us on social media: https://www.facebook.com/DaytonAviationNPS, and @DaytonAviationNHP on Instagram.