America’s—and Dayton’s—aviation heritage will be on display in Texas this weekend as Wright B Flyer Inc. takes part in the San Antonio tricentennial celebration.
Wright B Flyer is sending the “Valentine Flyer,” a full-scale Wright Model B replica named for its builder, to the Army’s Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, where Wright B Flyer volunteers will assemble and display the flyer on the historic post’s parade field. San Antonio tricentennial planners expect large crowds to see the flyer and other military heritage exhibits among other events taking place across the city.
It’s Wright B Flyer’s second excursion to San Antonio. In March 2010, a dozen Wright B Flyer volunteers took two aircraft to San Antonio to help celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first solo military flight by Army Lt. (later Maj. Gen.) Benjamin Foulois. Foulois taught himself to fly at Fort Sam Houston by corresponding frequently with the Wright brothers. The 2010 activities included taxiing one flyer on the parade field while the other one flew overhead.
Located in south-central Texas, San Antonio dates its age from 1718, when Spanish explorers founded it as a colonial outpost. It contains five 18th-century Spanish frontier missions, including the Alamo and San Antonio Missions National Historical Park.
Wright B Flyer is an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization based at Dayton-Wright Brothers Airport in southern Montgomery County and northern Warren County. It promotes America’s aviation heritage by displaying and flying replicas of the Wright brothers’ first production airplanes, manufactured in the Wright Company factory in west Dayton and elsewhere under license. Wright B Flyer is a partner of the National Aviation Heritage Alliance.
Born in Milan, Italy, Moreno moved to the U.S. in 1999 to pursue a career as a commercial pilot. His aviation passion began early, inspired by his uncle, an F-104 Starfighter Crew Chief, and his father, a military traffic controller. Childhood adventures included camping outside military bases and watching planes at Aeroporto Linate. In 1999, he relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, to obtain his commercial pilot license, a move that became permanent. With 24 years in the U.S., he now flies full-time for a Part 91 business aviation company in Atlanta. He is actively involved with the Commemorative Air Force, the D-Day Squadron, and other aviation organizations. He enjoys life with his supportive wife and three wonderful children.
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