New 'trail' highlights Ohio aviation history

PORT CLINTON — Your interest in Ohio history now can take flight. People intrigued by aviation and space exploration have a new way to find museums and attractions in Ohio. And officials at Liberty Aviation Museum in the Port Clinton area hope the new Ohio Air and Space Trail will send more visitors the museum's way. The trail, available at ohioairandspace.com, is offered by the America 250-Ohio Commission, a group set up in 2022 to promote Ohio's contribution to American history. The commission is supposed to help Ohio take part in the 250th anniversary celebration of the creation of the U.S., which will be marked on July 4, 2026. Information about the commission is available at america250-ohio.org. The Ohio Air and Space Trail includes an online map showing where the various attractions are located. A PDF version of the trail also can be conveniently downloaded to a computer or a phone. As one might expect, many of the best attractions are clustered in the Dayton area, which was the home of the Wright Brothers. The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force is a major offering, filled with airplanes and displays. Dayton also has the Wright Brothers National Museum at Carillon Historical Park and the Huffman Prairie Flying Field Interpretive Center/Wright Memorial. Local love for aviation People who live in north-central Ohio and like airplanes have a place to visit that's much closer than Dayton. Most notably, there's the Liberty Aviation Museum, 3515 E. State Road, Port Clinton, at the Erie-Ottawa International Airport. It has a collection of fascinating exhibits along with aircraft that includes: • A Ford Tri-Motor from the 1920s • A B-25 "Mitchell" medium bomber dating from World War II • A PBY-6A Catalina patrol craft • A Grumman TBM Avenger, a torpedo bomber also dating from World War II Patrick Cook, the museum's education coordinator, works with local schools that send kids to the museum on field trips. Cook represented the museum when the Ohio Air and Space Trail was officially announced at a media event on May 9 at the WACO Air Museum in Troy, a bit north of Dayton. During remarks about the new trail, the Liberty Aviation Museum was mentioned along with the Air Force Museum in Dayton and the Armstrong Air & Space Museum in Wapakoneta. Cook took great pride in the Liberty Aviation Museum getting mentioned. He also noted those affiliated with his workplace are "very excited" by the new trail. The Liberty Aviation Museum is about halfway between Cleveland and Toledo, so it can attract visitors from both metro areas, he noted. Talking about the trail The trail map shows a number of attractions located within a reasonable drive of Sandusky, including in the Cleveland area and in Toledo. One quite good attraction is the MAPS Air Museum, located in North Canton, which has a large collection of aircraft. Sandusky played a role in aviation history, although it isn't featured on the new trail. The website of the Erie County Historical Society, eriecountyohiohistory.org, has information on historical markers in Sandusky that discuss the city's early aviation history. The Ohio Air & Space Trail website has links to various resources and a list of recommended books, including "Keep Your Airspeed Up: The Story of a Tuskegee Airman," by Harold Brown and Marsha Bordner. The America 250-Ohio Commission says that "five additional thematic experiential trails" also will be announced over the next two years to highlight Ohio's history, although details aren't available yet.