A lot can happen in a year – The Plant-Based Barnstormer has put on a Barnstorming Carnival at Springfield-Beckley Field (KSGH) for some time now.
In the years before moving to Dayton, the event looked like fun from the pictures he and others posted online, and I couldn’t wait to go.
Last year, I helped kids build rockets during the event and had a wonderful time! Watching kids become excited about airplanes through airplane rides, pedal planes, and general immersion was beyond everything I’d seen online, and felt like I was helping the next generation discover something special.
Pedal planes and pylons give little kids the feel of what air racing was like in years gone by. Gosh, why aren’t there pedal planes for us big kids??
As food is necessary at any aviation event, food trucks gave options for snacks and meals and pancake breakfasts on hand for the morning.
At last year’s event, I was introduced to my antique aircraft friend and his Clipped Wing Monocoupe 110 Special.
Somewhat familiar with the Monocoupe from my aircraft historian friend’s Monocuope 90, it was surprising to see the radial engine out front and how much that limited visibility for takeoff and landing.
The Monocoupe owned by my antique aircraft friend flew as an air racer during the 1930’s and inspired the Howard DGA, Mr. Mulligan, which raced in the Bendix.
Seeing a G-Meter in something right out of the golden age of aviation seemed both odd and right. Honestly, that was the first time I had noticed a G meter in an airplane I was flying in.
The Barnstorming Carnival, put is the second weekend before Oshkosh each year, is the plant-based barnstormer’s way of getting aviation, especially the wonder and awe of antique and vintage airplanes, out for families and kids to experience.
As the week rolls on to Airventure at Oshkosh, there are several other events; the Tuesday antique Hagerstown Fly-in followed by the farm, and on to Brodhead, Wi, before Oshkosh.
This year, I will likely once again be helping for the event; making rockets with kids was a ton of fun.
Also, as the plant-based barnstormer and Fifinella have introduced the baby barnstormer to the world, it has taken on another more personal meaning to me; this is the circle of time in front of my eyes.
We ran into the plant-based barnstormer and Fifinella at a car show Memorial Day weekend, passing out flyers for a car cruise this year on Sunday, again expanding the scope of family fun to another area.
As there are some commonalities between cars in airplanes through history (there are early model Ford parts on vintage and antique airplanes as they were readily available, and thank goodness they are still), there is also an overlap between those interested in cars and airplanes as they seem to have similar mindsets on things.
Communities are built around shared ideals and missions, like aviation. While there have been many advances in technology over the years in aviation and other mediums, the limitation of accessibility to these things has necessitated events like the plant-based barnstormers to introduce the public to a different way of life.
None of us know what tomorrow will hold; all we can do is treat each other with kindness and respect while introducing other thoughts and ways of life to them.
The Barnstorming Carnival is a homegrown example of that.
We all have the capability to help and inspire those around us; none of us are in this alone.
Looking forward to what this year’s carnival will bring, there will undoubtedly be happy memories and moments for reflection. What are you looking forward to?
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