Event scheduled Feb. 16

By Jenet Krol

Staff writer

GRANT-VALKARIA - Aviation enthusiasts are invited to spread their wings at the second annual Valkaria Airport Airfest.

The daylong festival will include a history hangar, experimental aircraft, aerobatic shows, skydiving demonstrations, a twilight aerobatic show and balloon glow, said event organizer Steve Borowski.

This year, the Valkaria airport is celebrating the 50th anniversary of when the federal government turned the airport over to the county, said Mike Whaley, a member of the local chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association.

To highlight the history of the airport and aviation, the Airfest will feature two history hangars with special guests and vintage airplanes.

Nine Tuskegee Airmen, members of an all-black squadron of pilots who escorted bomber airplanes during World War II, will attend the Airfest to share their story.

"These guys aren't going to be around forever, and this is an amazing chance to get to understand the significance of what they went through," said Mr. Whaley.

Two Tuskegee Airmen, one for whom the local EAA chapter is named, General Daniel "Chappie" James Jr., founded the chapter of EAA that sponsors the Airfest.

Also in attendance will be a German Luftwaffe pilot, who flew a Hungarian Luftwaffe aircraft on the Russian Front in World War II.

General Boots Blesse, a Viera resident and American double-ace pilot who flew in World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam, will share his stories.

To achieve the title of double ace, a pilot must have 10 confirmed kills, said Mr. Borowski.

Attendees can view a variety of planes from propeller aircraft to supersonic aircraft, said Mr. Borowski, including: seaplanes, experimental homemade airplanes, helicopters, gyrocopters, B-29s and the SR71 Central Intelligence Agency spy plane, the fastest airplane in the world, which flies at speeds of 4,000 mph at altitudes in excess of 100,000 feet.

A twilight aerobatic display, one of only two performed in the United States, will light up the evening sky with flares, fireworks, sparklers and smoke, said Mr. Borowski.

As the sun goes down, the glow of inflating hot air balloons will join the sparks in the sky, and volunteers from the crowd will be asked to help anchor them.

"There are very few places where people can go to watch airplanes anymore. Places like that are evaporating, so we have the Airfest to introduce general and experimental aviation to the public," said Mr. Borowski.

The airfest is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Feb. 16 at the Valkaria Airport, 2880 Greenbrooke St., Grant-Valkaria.

Admission is $2.

For information, visit www.eaa1288.org/ValkariaAirFest.

Contact Jenet Krol at (321) 751-5958 or krol@hometownnewsol.com.