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Wright Brothers action figures.

Wright Brothers He-Man Action Heroes

Field review by the editors.

Dayton - Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio

Wright Brothers he-man action figures are for sale in the U.S. Air Force Museum gift shop in Dayton, Ohio.

These testosterone ubermen, with their beefy chests and their hands positioned to grab a wrench or the toggle switch on a nuclear bomb site, were America's first nerd heroes.

The Wright boys boldly patented and fiercely protected their inventions from aviation copycats. They are much more appropriate as toys than the wimpy Alberto Santos-Dumont, their rival, who refused to patent his inventions and who hoped that air travel would bring peace to the world (He hanged himself in 1932).

Orville Wright, in contrast, was the first person to kill someone else in a plane -- although with a bad landing, not his mighty American fists. Orville and Wilbur made possible the U.S. Air Force and, ultimately, the B-2 bomber, on display only a few hundred feet away from the gift shop, under which a big screen TV endlessly loops a promotional video whose narrator says, "America must always negotiate from a position of strength!"

Wright Brothers action figures.

Also see: U.S. Air Force Museum

National Museum of the United States Air Force

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base

Address:
1100 Spaatz St., Wright Patterson AFB, OH
Directions:
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. I-70 Exit 41. 8 miles S on Rt 4, left on Harshman Rd., right on Springfield Pike. OR I-70 to exit 44, I-675. Follow the brown signs.
Hours:
Daily 9-5 (Call to verify) Local health policies may affect hours and access.
Phone:
937-255-3286
Admission:
Free
RA Rates:
The Best
Save to My Sights

Nearby Offbeat Places

Kennedy Assassination Air Force OneKennedy Assassination Air Force One, Wright Patterson AFB, OH - < 1 mi.
MinionMinion, Dayton, OH - 3 mi.
Rooftop RobotsRooftop Robots, Dayton, OH - 4 mi.
In the region:
Big Space Helmet and Moonprint, Wapakoneta, OH - 55 mi.

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