Jim Knippenberg
Cincinnati Enquirer

Had it with climbing in and out of cockpits? Ears ringing from the constant thunder of jet engines screeching overhead?

Dayton offers several other programs - off site and not directly a part of the Dayton Air Show - related to the celebration of 100 years of manned flight.

Three of the biggest:

• Time Flies: Catch it in the Act is a gigantic program of historical storytelling, costumed characters and tours designed to recreate the circa 1900 Dayton of Orville and Wilbur Wright. It opened July 4 and continues through July 20, when the air show closes.

Locations include Carillon Historical Park and its 23 historical buildings where you'll meet a cast of characters from 1900 Dayton; Huffman Prairie Flying Field, where the brothers practiced flying and where you can see a short play about the principles of flight; Paul Laurence Dunbar State Memorial, site of storytelling, rhyming games and a performance based on the poet's works; and the Wright Dunbar Interpretive Center for storytelling, biographies of the Wrights and Dunbar and turn-of-the-century games.

A four-day ticket (it's a total of 20 hours programming, so you need to pace yourself) is $20 adults, $12 for kids 6-12 years old, $17 for seniors 60 and older. They're available at all four sites.

Tip: Park at the University of Dayton Arena and take the shuttle. Go to www.carillonpark.org for info.

• The U.S. Air Force Museum, adjacent to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, has added a 200,000-square-foot hangar for exhibits. It's dedicated entirely to planes of the Cold War, roughly 1949 to 1989 vintage.

Thirty planes and 1,000 artifacts include such gems as the B-36 Peacemaker with its 236-foot wingspan; an AC-130 Gunship, so sleek and compact it fits under the tail of the C-133 Cargomaster; an F-86 Sabre without its skin so you can look at the innards; and a whole raft of early fighter jets.

It's open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily and always free. Get information at www.wpafb.af.mil/museum.

• Celebration Central is downtown at Deeds Point, a 12-acre wedge formed by the junction of the Great Miami and Mad rivers.

This one's aimed at the family and includes a little of everything: Live music, flight-related entertainment, the film Discover Exhilaration, exhibits and interactive activities in a cluster of tented pavilions.

It's open noon-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, noon-11 p.m. Sundays through July 20; $10 adults, $8 seniors 60 and older, free under 15. Go to www.inventingflight.com and click on Celebration Central.