P-51D Mustang

The most exciting aviation event in the Tri-State region got even better with the addition of two magnificent warbirds to the 2014 Vectren Dayton Air Show Presented by Kroger, show officials announced today.

One is a pristine example of the North American P-51D Mustang, the famous fighter that helped win World War II. It’s restored in the markings of Capt. Herbert G. Kolb’s Baby Duck, a plane he flew to make five of the 14.5 kills credited to him. The other is a rare Chance Vought F4U-5 Corsair, a version of the carrier-based fighter that had a more powerful engine than earlier versions and numerous other performance enhancing features.

Thanks to the show’s “Performer Pit Row” static display, spectators will be able to get a close look at these warbirds and other planes when they aren’t flying in the June 28-29 air show at Dayton International Airport.

They join modern military performers including the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, the U.S. Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier, the Air Force Academy’s Wings of Blue parachute team and the U.S. Coast Guard’s HH-65 Dolphin search-and-rescue demonstration. Civilian performers include Sean D. Tucker, Patty Wagstaff, the North American AeroShell Aerobatic Team, the F-86 Sabre and the Shockwave jet truck. The one-of-a-kind Wright “B” Flyer, a lookalike of the Wright brothers’ first production airplane, will also fly each day.

Air show superstar Sean D. Tucker will give a child his or her first flight in a general aviation airplane in cooperation with the Vectren Dayton Air Show Presented by Kroger and the Experimental Aircraft Association’s (EAA’s) Young Eagles program.  Tucker, chairman of EAA’s Young Eagles since 2013, will give the flight at 10 a.m. on June 25, just prior to the air show on June 28-29. News media will be invited to cover the flight from the air in a photo chase plane. The flight will be offered to the winner of a Vectren Dayton Air Show essay contest. Visit www.daytonairshow.com/youngeagles for contest details.

Since 1992, more than 44,000 EAA volunteer pilots participating in Young Eagles have given first flights to more than 1.8 million youths. Registered Young Eagles have opportunities for scholarships, flight training, online resources, free student membership to the Academy of Model Aeronautics, free access to more than 300 science and technology museums and more. Thousands have become aviators themselves.

Tucker is a National Aviation Hall of Fame enshrinee and one of the National Air and Space Museum’s 25 Living Legends of Flight—an elite group that includes Jimmy Doolittle, Chuck Yeager, Bob Hoover, Gene Cernan and John Glenn. He is also one of the Living Legends of Aviation. He will be a featured performer at the air show along with the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, U.S. Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier, USAF Academy Wings of blue Parachute Team, Patty Wagstaff, AeroShell aerobatic team, Shockwave Jet Truck and more.

Ticket prices remain unchanged from 2013. The popular Chairman’s Club, Pavilion, Family 4 Pack, and Blue Sky Chalet are now on sale, offering a range of seating amenities. Tickets can conveniently be purchased through our show website at www.daytonairshow.com. Deep discount general admission tickets are on sale at more than 100 Kroger stores in the Dayton-Cincinnati region.