Astronaut Gregory Johnson and NASA Exhibit Added to Dayton Air Show

Save Big on Tickets at Kroger Beginning Today
Astronaut Gregory Johnson 
and NASA Exhibit Added to Show

Dayton, Ohio – Officials at the Vectren Dayton Air Show Presented by Kroger announced today that discounted general admission tickets go on sale at all area Kroger stores, the exclusive advance ticket outlet for the Vectren Dayton Air Show.  Patrons will enjoy a $3 savings for adult, senior citizen and child tickets purchased at Kroger.  This means that advance adult tickets are available for $17 while senior citizen and child advance tickets are $12 at Kroger. 

Air Show representatives also confirmed the appearance of NASA Astronaut Gregory H. Johnson, a Fairborn, OH native along with the NASA exhibit Driven to Explore.  Taking place on July 7th and 8th at the Dayton International Airport, the 2012 Vectren Dayton Air Show is seven weeks away from bringing southwest Ohio a world-class experience.

A 1980 graduate of Park Hills High School in Fairborn, OH and a 1984 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, Johnson logged over 5,000 hours as an Air Force pilot with 61 F-15E combat missions over Iraq.  (He retired from the Air Force as a Colonel on February 1, 2009.) Selected by NASA in 1998, Johnson piloted two NASA space shuttle missions on the orbiter "Endeavour".  In May 2011, his second shuttle mission, STS-134, was also the last for Endeavour and the next to last mission of the space shuttle fleet.  Currently Johnson serves at NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio.  He will be signing autographs in the NASA exhibit at scheduled times each day.

Driven to Explore features a multi-media exhibit that immerses visitors in the story of NASA. Guests will discover where future exploration plans will take humans.  This high-tech exhibit will also feature a 3-billion-year-old moon rock that was brought back to earth in 1972 by the crew of Apollo 17, the last Apollo mission to the moon. It's one of only eight lunar samples in the world that people are allowed to touch.

"We're thrilled to host local astronaut Greg Johnson and the awesome NASA Driven to Explore exhibit," stated Michael Emoff, Chairman of the United States Air & Trade Show Board of Trustees, the governing organization of the show.  "We also know the affordable advance tickets offered by our Presenting Sponsor, Kroger, are a huge hit for our spectators," Emoff added.

The U.S. Navy Blue Angels will headline the 2012 show.  Other recently announced performers include the Brazilian Air Force Smoke Squadron; the U.S.A.F Heritage Flight with the QF-4 Phantom and P-51 Mustang; the Sea Harrier, a vertical takeoff and landing jet aircraft; TORA TORA TORA, an emotional reenactment of the bombing of Pearl Harbor complete with pyrotechnics; Michael Goulian, an acclaimed, high-energy aerobatic performer; P51 Quick Silver, a beautifully restored WWII fighter; Gene Soucy Air Shows, barnstorming and wing walking at its best; the Misty Blues, the world's only all-woman skydiving team; and the A-4B Skyhawk, a Vietnam-era jet fighter.  On the ground spectators can visit over 100 displays, including the WWII bomber the B-17 Yankee Lady as well as visit WWII war hero, Major "Dutch" Van Kirk, the last surviving member of the Enola Gay crew. 

Ticket prices will remain unchanged from 2011.  The popular Chairman's Club, LaRosa's Pavilion, Family 4 Pack, and Blue Sky Chalet tickets are now on sale offering a range of seating amenities.   Tickets can conveniently be purchased through our show website at www.daytonairshow.com.  Many of these venues sell out early, so don't wait to get your tickets.