Published in Midwest Flyer – Dec 2016/Jan 2017
TOPEKA, KAN. – More than six hundred students from various elementary and middle schools from communities all across the state of Kansas participated in the 2016 Kansas Air Tour held at nine different airports, September 29 through October 1.
Forty general aviation aircraft took part in the event sponsored by the Kansas Commission on Aerospace Education. Kansas Aviation Director, Merrill Atwater, took the opportunity to fly with a number of different pilots as they made their way across the state. Lindsey Dreiling, also with the Kansas Division of Aviation, was recognized by Atwater and interim Kansas Secretary of Transportation Richard Carlson for doing an outstanding job organizing the event.
The 2016 Fly Kansas Air Tour marks the continuation of an event that was first held during aviation’s golden era in the 1930s. Governor Sam Brownback was on hand to address the pilots, aviation enthusiasts and Topeka area Girl Scouts at the Combat Air Museum, located at Forbes Field in Topeka. Ed Young, a driving force behind the air tour, was also on hand throughout the event representing the Kansas Commission on Aerospace Education (NASAO).