Local youth recently got to learn about planes from pilots stopping in Chanute during the Fly Kansas Air Tour, presented by the Kansas Commission on Aerospace Education.
The tour began on Tuesday, Sept. 23, in Wellington, with official stops in Anthony, Strother Field, Augusta, Eureka, Parsons, Emporia, Herington, and Salina.
This year’s tour commemorates the 100th anniversary of the Air Mail Act, according to former KCAE president Ed Young. He also noted the First All Kansas Air Tour occurred in 1928.
“The way this originally started in 1928, there was a tour that traveled around the state and tried to convince everybody that you could have aviation stuff going on in your community too,” Young said.
He noted that at that time, flight technology was still very new.
“So that was a lot of faith to travel around Kansas and go, ‘Hey, what can we make it?’ Well, we turn it into an air-tropolis. We’ve got businesses here in Chanute that make aviation products, we’ve got businesses in Parsons, Independence — holy cow,” Young said. “So Kansas is an aviation state.”
Young said each stop featured interactive STEM activities for students, community events, and seeing aircraft up close, as well as education about various aviation careers.
“This year, there was a conflict with a stop and Chanute was the best alternative for an overnight,” Young said.
While not on the official list, the middle school-aged students attending Cherry Street Youth Center still learned about planes and aviation history when the pilots came to Chanute.
Young said the tour’s purpose now is to fuel a spark of passion for aviation in today’s youth.
“How do we get these kids to be the next Amelia Earhart? How do we get them to be the next Gary Numan? How do we get them to be Clyde Cessna? And where do we get that spark for that person?” Young asked. “You bring them out to the airport, you let them touch the airplanes.”
Students were guided by Young, who took them around the airport, where nearly 30 planes were parked, and taught them about the various planes and flying mechanics. Students were also given plastic propellers and paper airplane templates.
A Cherry Street program director, Hailey Shields, said she was intrigued by a plane with wings made of fabric.
This was echoed by a Chanute Middle School student, Raudy Bearden. He said that looking at all the planes made him want to learn more about aviation. He highlighted that he learned that many planes had angled wings to prevent spinning and stalling. When asked if he thought he wanted to be a pilot someday, Raudy said he wanted to.
“It’s not 100%. But, I would like to be,” Raudy said.
He also said he enjoyed attending Cherry Street Youth Center.
“There are lots of fun activities. We get to go on field trips like this. We get to play games and have a lot of good learning experiences,” Raudy said.
Young said that the Chanute community laid out the red carpet for the pilots.
“It’s a great aviation community,” Young said.
Chanute Area Chamber of Commerce Director Amy Jensen said the pilots landed around 3 p.m. and then refueled the planes. She noted that several community organizations came together to work with the pilots on short notice.
Neosho County Community College bused the pilots from their hotel to the Martin and Osa Johnson Safari Museum, where they were given a private tour by Museum Director Kim Westcott and former director, Conrad Froehlich.
Darrell Linenberger, a volunteer pilot on the tour, said his favorite part of the tour is visiting with new people.
“I’ve gone on a number of the tours, and they’re just a lot of fun,” Linenberger said.
Another pilot, and KCAE Treasurer George Laliberte, said these events are important because the future of aviation lies in the young people of today.
“It’s such a fun field, but all of it relates back to STEM education, the science, technology, engineering, and math,” Laliberte said.
Of Chanute, Laliberte said the town was unique.
“We’re happy to be here, even if it is just for an overnight stop,” Laliberte said.
