There’s a high-flying chance to learn about airplanes and a local museum this weekend.
From 9 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Airplane Ride Day will be conducted at Freeman Municipal Airport on the south side of Seymour.
Activities include free tours of the Freeman Army Airfield Museum, free glider demonstrations and rides provided by the Louisville Soaring Club, a display of airplanes and military vehicles, airplane rides for a tax-deductible $20 donation per person and food available for purchase.
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The lines for the plane rides will be shorter this year, said Larry Bothe, who is organizing the event.
This year’s event will feature nine planes, which is up from six planes in previous years. A new public address system also will help ensure anyone wanting to ride is not missed.
“There were longer lines than we would have liked, and people started to get unhappy, and we were unhappy with that, so this year, we have more pilots and planes to fix this situation,” said Bothe, the museum’s curator and former president of the museum board.
Proceeds from the airplane rides benefit the museum, which is a nonprofit organization. The funds will be used for operating expenditures for the year, Bothe said.
The Freeman Field Flying Association, a group of local pilots, used to conduct Airport Awareness Day each year on the second weekend of October. Airplane rides were a small part of that large event that drew people to the airport to learn about its history and see planes up close.
That event later morphed into Cherry Hill Aviation offering Aviation Day.
Bothe decided last year to start an event in June dedicated to providing airplane rides that would bring in money for the general upkeep of the museum.
All of the pilots and plane owners volunteer their time and services to make Airplane Ride Day happen, with the only expense being for fuel.
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What: Airplane Ride Day
When: 9 to 4 p.m. Saturday
Where: Freeman Municipal Airport, 1025 A Ave., Seymour
Cost: Airplane rides for a $20 tax-deductible donation, and food will be available for purchase
Free activities: Tours of the Freeman Army Airfield Museum, glider demonstrations and rides provided by the Louisville Soaring Club and airplanes and military vehicles on display
Information: 812-521-7400
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