By John Johnston
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Two Dayton, Ohio, brothers changed the world 100 years ago today by making the first heavier-than-air powered flight. Orville Wright flew 120 feet in 12 seconds, with Wilbur trotting alongside.

This week attention has focused on North Carolina's Outer Banks, where the historic event occurred. A six-day celebration culminates today at the Wright Brothers National Memorial in the town of Kill Devil Hills with attempts to re-enact that first flight.

Dayton, you'll recall, honored the Wrights' achievement with its 18-day Inventing Flight celebration in July. While the hoopla has died down, local folks fascinated by flight still have options:

• Tune in WMUB-FM (88.5) 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. today. The Oxford station will air live coverage of festivities at Kill Devil Hills, as well as features on the Wright brothers.

• Stop by Blue Ash-Schmidt Aviation, which will host an open house at Blue Ash Airport from 3 to 7 p.m. today. Flight instructors will be available to answer questions. Information: 984-5880.

• Visit the handicapped-accessible trail at Aullwood Audubon Center & Farm in Dayton. It features displays comparing aerodynamic principles used by the Wrights with flight adaptations used by birds, bats and insects. www.audubon.org. or (937) 890-7360.

• Explore "Kites to Kitty Hawk," an interactive exhibit at Dayton's Boonshoft Museum of Discovery. It looks at the importance of kites in the development of aviation, and runs through Jan. 4. Also today: 120 middle school students compete in a glider fly-off 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., and the planetarium show "The Wright Way to Fly" is at 2 p.m. www.boonshoftmuseum.org or (937) 275-7431.

• Spend a day at the United States Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton. It's open 9 to 5 daily (except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day), and admission is free. www.wpafb.af.mil/museum or (937) 255-3284.

• Buy a special "Leader in Flight" Ohio license plate featuring images of the space shuttle and a Wright airplane. The plate costs $25 more than a standard plate and can be ordered at any Ohio license bureau. Wright B Flyer Inc., a non-profit group that flies and maintains a 1911 Wright "B" Flyer look-alike out of Dayton Wright Brothers Airport near Springboro, receives $15 for each plate motorists buy.

E-mail jjohnston@enquirer.com