Visitors will find plenty to see and do during the fifth annual Aviation Day — on the ground and in the air.
The free event, which will run from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, is expected to bring 7,000 people to Columbus Municipal Airport. It will feature a military aerial demonstration beginning at noon, historic aircraft displays and the opportunity to take one of several airplane rides, airport director Brian Payne said.
Military vehicles dating back to World War II, along with several military aircraft, will also be on display. Aviation Day will also include military reenactments, food vendors and free bounce houses.
Free airplane rides offered by Young Eagle Flights will be available to children ages 8 to 17 during the event. Other flights will be available to visitors of all ages at a cost, which varies depending on the experience.
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A World War II era B-17 bomber known as the Yankee Lady, owned by the Yankee Air Force of Belleville, Michigan, will take visitors on a 25-minute flight at a cost of $450 per person. The plane has the capacity to hold 12 people.
Indy Stearman Flight will offer single-passenger flights for $120, $220 and $320 based on 15-, 30- or 60-minute intervals.
The Texan T-6 Spanish Lady aircraft, which also holds one passenger, will take individuals on a 30-minute flight for $275, discounted to $250 for veterans.
Jeff Air Pilot Services, the airport’s fixed-base operator, plans to offer 15- to 20-minute rides on its Cessna airplanes. Cost will be $35 for a front-seat passenger and $25 a person for two backseat passengers, said Thomas Jeffries, the company’s owner.
A Huey helicopter that served in the Vietnam War, owned by Indiana Air Search and Rescue, will offer rides at $100 for adults, $50 for children under age 12, and free for World War II and Korean War veterans.
The 1968 helicopter, which was acquired from the National Guard in Maine, was in Columbus last summer for the Moving Wall exhibit at the Bartholomew County 4-H Fairgrounds.
It has always been popular with visitors — especially veterans, said Jim Ogilvie, a local helicopter pilot.
“It’s so touching to them,” Ogilvie said. “There’s so many different scenarios that they can relate to.”
Highlighting different aircraft during Aviation Day is part of an effort to show the public the progression of aviation over the years, Payne said.
Organizations such as Aviation Nation, a local after-school program that gives high school students an opportunity to learn how to build an airplane, will make a return to Aviation Day
The group of students will show off progress on construction of a two-passenger plane that began two years ago, said Robert Kelly, Aviation Nation president. The aircraft — which has its tail, engine and wings in place — is on track to be completed in the next few months once interior parts are received, Kelly said.
This year’s event, “American Heroes Edition,” will honor two Columbus men for their contributions during an aerial flyover.
John Walter, a longtime volunteer with the Atterbury-Bakalar Air Museum, died Dec. 12 in Columbus at age 96. Walter, a retired engineer from Cummins, was in the Army Air Corps and flew 35 combat missions over Germany as a B-17 Flying Fortress pilot.
U.S. Army Sgt. Jonathon M. Hunter, a 2011 Columbus East High School graduate, died in Afghanistan during his first military deployment overseas. Hunter, 23, was killed Aug. 2, 2017, during an attack on a NATO convoy in southern Afghanistan.
Details for the flyover are still being finalized, Payne said.
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What: Aviation Day
Where: Columbus Municipal Airport, 4770 Ray Boll Boulevard
When: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. Special features include
- 11 a.m. ribbon-cutting for airport hangar expansion project
- Noon military aerial demonstration
More information: Visit www.facebook.com/events/736533140068965/.
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