DAYTON, Ohio — In 1903, Ohio natives Wilbur and Orville Wright became the first to create controlled flights in powered aircraft.
They will forever go down in history as the pioneers of aviation.
On Saturday, people were able to experience the history of aviation at a special event.
Scott Proffitt took his first-ever virtual flight at the Festival of Flight at Wright State University. But it’s not his first time flying a plane.
This experience brought him back to high school when he used to fly planes in his aviation class.
“Pretty neat,” said Proffitt. “It’s way better than what we had there. We had to rent actual things to go out flying around for our test and stuff.”
Proffitt and his wife, Donna, were among hundreds of others who attended the festival on Saturday.
He said the virtual reality flight was like no other.
What he loved the most: “The way that the clouds and everything are rolling by and how the land passes underneath you.”
After the VR flight, Proffitt stopped by the VR parachute simulator station. This time he wasn’t flying in an airplane, but instead, he was jumping out of one.
“This is a lot more simpler than the other one,” he said. “You just have to steer yourself and land on one of these icebergs.”
And now for the last stop of the day — the helicopter.
While inside the cockpit, Proffitt explored all the controls and monitors.
“It actually feels pretty neat having everything around you and all these controls,” he said.
The helicopter exhibit was one of over a dozen featured at the festival.
“It’s been an experience just doing all the different little things and seeing all the little exhibits they have,” he said.
