In the pilot’s seat
Published 9:30 pm Friday, June 9, 2023
Children had their eyes on the sky on Saturday as they toured more than a dozen planes and a couple of helicopters during the Kenai Peninsula Air Fair, held at the Kenai Municipal Airport on Saturday.
Many parents took many photos of children taking advantage of the opportunity to sit in the cockpit of many a plane.
A few operators of helicopters and planes designed for transporting health care patients stood by their vehicles, fielding questions from wide-eyed attendees. At one helicopter, a man demonstrated how cramped the space can get with a pilot, a paramedic and a patient all along for the ride.
Perhaps the most eye-catching exhibit was a large cargo plane, where a long line of people waited for their chance to move up and down its passageways — stopping for a seat and a photo at the controls in the front.
Also filling the space was the sound of the 11th Airborne Division Band — trumpets and trombones playing in an upbeat tone. The smell of hamburgers and hotdogs wafted from a grill by the Fire Department facility.
Other exhibits were inside the facility, booths operated by several organizations, including Kenai Aviation and the Challenger Learning Center of Alaska. Out toward the road was a car show.
Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@cmg-northwest2.go-vip.net/peninsulaclarion.
