Airport History
Originally named the "Montgomery County Airport," the Dayton-Wright Brothers Airport was constructed in the early 1950s by the industrialist, Charles F. Kettering, to support one of the nation's first corporate flight departments. The Airport's primary role was to serve as a private general aviation airport for southern Montgomery County, Ohio.
The City of Dayton leased Montgomery County Airport from the Kettering Foundation in 1970 with the objective of utilizing it as a general aviation reliever airport to off-load the ever increasing amount of general aviation traffic from the Dayton International Airport. At that time, the Airport facilities consisted of two runways, three 12-unit T-hangars, one large conventional hangar and an administration building. The City of Dayton leased the Airport from the Kettering Foundation until 1974, when the Airport was purchased by the City with the assistance of federal grants for $1,490,000. After the City's acquisition of the Airport, it was renamed "Dayton General Airport South." In 1977, the administration building was replaced by a new facility at a cost of $1,060,000.
To honor the Wilbur and Orville Wright and celebrate Dayton's rich aviation history, Dayton General Airport South was renamed "Dayton-Wright Brothers Airport" on December 6, 1995. Today, Airport facilities include a runway equipped with a partial precision approach consisting of a localizer (LOC), approach lighting system (MALS), runway lighting (MIRL) and a visual approach lighting system (VASI), 68 T-hangars, 6 conventional hangars, 5,000 sq. ft. maintenance facility and 9,600 sq. ft administration building.
