WTIU and Monroe County Airport teamed up to organize the first-ever Community Flight Night at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Monroe County Airport.
Carlos Laverty, director of aviation at the Monroe County Airport, said around 700 people attended the event. He said attendance was higher than expected.
“We were hoping to get a couple hundred people total,” Laverty said. “We reached that number before the event formally started.”
Aviation-themed activities at the event included hot air balloon rides, a bus tour of the airport and interactive plane exhibits, where community members were invited to sit inside airplanes and touch the controls.
Planes on display included a Robinson R44 red helicopter and a gray, red and yellow Nanchang CJ-6 propellor plane, among many others.
Laverty said he believes fostering a love of airplanes in kids at a young age can help address the problem of pilot shortages.
“The aviation industry is predicting a shortage of 800,000 pilots in the future,” Laverty said. “So we want to get kids interested now."
Community Flight Night also featured space-themed material that tied into WTIU’s Summer of Space program, Joan Padawan, event coordinator for WTIU/WFIU, said. These exhibits included telescopes from the Indiana Astronomical Society, a meteorite exhibit and a showing of the movie "Apollo 11."
Padawan said the event aligns with WTIU's core values because WTIU encourages people to go out and explore their communities.
“You can only get so much out of watching something on TV,” Padawan said.
Padawan said Community Flight Night provides kids with learning experiences they will remember for life.
"A lot of kids get to touch a truck," Padawan said. "But getting to touch a plane is something entirely different."
Rex Hinkle, president of Cook Aviation, said the event is not only important for kids, but taxpayers who help fund Monroe County Airport.
“There’s a lot of great things going on right here in Monroe County,” Hinkle said. “We want to highlight that so people in the community can be proud.”
Cook Aviation is a fixed base operator that provides fuel and rental cars to incoming planes at the Monroe County Airport. Cook Aviation was one of the event sponsors.
Laverty said he wants the community to be aware of how important aviation is to businesses and the economy.
“When you think of an airport, you think of vacations,” Laverty said. “But there’s so much more to that. And you can see it even here in Monroe County.”
Xavier Magno, 7, said his favorite part of the event was riding in the air balloon. Magno had never taken an airplane ride, so it was his first time in the air. The hot air balloon rose between 50 to 100 feet and was tethered to the ground by ropes.
“I felt like I was flying,” Magno said.
Janelle Clark, a Bloomington resident, brought her grandchildren Taylor and Aaron Walker to the event. Clark said she has lived near the airport for over 30 years.
“The kids see planes go by all the time and wonder where they’re going,” Clark said. “Now they can say they’ve been to the airport and sat inside the planes.”
Aaron Walker, 10, said he was especially excited about the event because he has an interest in stars and constellations. Aaron Walker said he looked forward to glimpsing into the telescopes. His sister Taylor Walker, 8, said her favorite part was touring the area by bus.
On the bus tour, visitors were able to see private hangars, where airplanes are stored, and the air traffic control tower. They also saw the primary runway where airplanes take off.
Nelson Shaffer, a geologist who was presenting meteorites Saturday, said events like these are a great way to foster kids' love for learning. Shaffer said he believes all kids are scientists, so he loves getting kids excited about science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
“The world is an amazing place," Shaffer said. "We're here to help kids realize that."
