Location: Dayton International Airport in Vandalia, Ohio

Admission: $20 at gate per day see review for other options and pricing.

Parking: $10.00

The 37th Annual Vectren Dayton Air Show was held on July 23 and 24, 2011 at the Dayton International Airport in Vandalia, Ohio. Dayton is the birthplace of aviation, where the Wright Brothers built their first powered plane. It is also home of the National Museum of the United States Air Force, with one of the best collections of aircraft and aviation artifacts in the world.

The Dayton Air Show is one the most prestigious air shows in North America, drawing thousands of spectators and top performers. It is ranked on the top 12 air shows in the country. The first Dayton air show took place in 1974 at the Dayton Wright-Brothers airport and moved to its current location in 1975. Throughout the years the Dayton Air Show has been known for its ability to showcase aircraft not present at many other air shows. This year it was the turn of NASA’s Super Guppy, making its only appearance at an air show this season. The Aero Spacelines 377SG Super Guppy is a highly modified version of the Boeing C-97 (Boeing 377). The Super Guppy was a major attraction on the static display area at the Dayton air show.

The local weather forecast for the air show weekend looked gloomy. Chances of thunderstorms were expected on Saturday and Sunday. Thankfully the weather was mostly clear during the 2 day show except for Sunday when the Thunderbirds were about to perform. They took off amid lighting in the horizon, but after a few passes, they had to cancel their show for safety reasons. Above average temperatures in the upper 90s, with high humidity kept many people from coming to the show. The estimated 65,000 people attending this year are 15% down from last year’s attendance.

The air show started with the US Army Golden Knights parachute team flag drop with a Zero (a highly modified T-6) from the Tora! Tora! Tora! team circling around the flag as it came down. It was followed by a display of a replica of the Wright “B” Flyer. The Golden Knights full show was next gracing the skies over Vandalia. The A-10 East Demonstration Team was, as usual, a crowd favorite, putting the Warthog through high G-turns and simulated ground attack.

General admission to the show was $20 for adults and $15 for kids, with discounted prices if purchased at area Kroger Supermarkets. Parking was $10. They also offered family 4-pack tickets for $74 which included hot dogs, sodas and souvenir program. For $37 per person, one could stay at the Pavillion seating. For those who want to enjoy the air show in a more comfortable environment, the Blue Sky Chalets were available for $99 per person. These are air conditioned tents, with breakfast and lunch included. They have outside seating, although not a great location to see the show since it is quite a distance away from the flight line and it has another row of corporate chalets in front of them. They have their own bathroom facilities and it is a great place to cool off, grab a bite and go back out to watch the air show. There is also the Chairman’s Club for $1,200 a day. That gives you a table near the flight line that seat six people, with food and beverages included. For those who want to photograph the show, their best option is to obtain a Photo Tour ticket at $80 for 2 days. A limited group of enthusiast is allowed to enter the show grounds at 7 AM to photograph the static line up without the crowd around the planes. The tour is over at 9AM. They also offer a supplement to the Photo Tour ticket. The Photo Pit tickets are $40 for both days. The photo pit is located by the flight line fence, with a tent and ice water available all day.

There were plenty of sanitary facilities and food vendors were well distributed throughout the air show grounds. There were also facilities for children to play. Helicopter rides were being offered by the Sky Soldiers. A ride on a UH-1H Iroquois was $50 and a ride on a AH-1F Cobra was $450.

The 2012 Vectren Dayton Air Show will take place on July 7 and 8 and will feature the US Navy Blue Angels.

On the behalf of AIRSHOWSREVIEW LLC would like to thank Shiela Wallace for all her assistance during our coverage of the airshow.