Aug 16, 2021 3 min read

After a one-year hiatus due to COVID-19, the annual Aviation Days Festival returns to Greene County Airport this weekend and it’s shaping up to be the best fest yet.

“Everybody’s saying it’s going to be a blowout,” said Max Loughman, event coordinator. “I think because of the pandemic and because of everybody basically being locked down for a year, people want to get out. We’re expecting record crowds this year.”

The weekend begins Friday evening with the popular plane pull, a strongman competition during which eight-person teams pull a large C-54 plane as far as they can. The team that pulls the 60,000-pound aircraft furthest wins.

A skydiving demonstration will be held Saturday. Loughman said the last diver will deploy an American flag while the national anthem plays.

Along with vendors and food trucks, more than 50 airplanes will be on display at various times throughout the weekend. Visitors can view the aircraft up close and talk with owners about the planes.

One of the planes on display will be the TBM Avenger, a World War II torpedo bomber owned by Charlie Cartledge. The bomber is the same type of aircraft former president George H.W. Bush flew in combat missions during WWII. The Spirit of Freedom, a C-54 craft from the Berlin-Airlift Historical Foundation, will also be on display.

Visitors will have the opportunity to do more than just look at planes this weekend: Airplane and helicopter rides are planned, and on Saturday, youth ages 8 through 17 may take a plane ride at no charge.

“I think there’s a growth in interest in aviation in younger folks,” said Loughman. “It seemed like there was kind of a slowdown, but there seems to be a resurgence here lately.”

Loughman hopes the festival encourages youth to explore careers in aviation and gives the community a different way to come together.

“It’s been a great event. We’ve always had a lot of fun with it,” he said.

The festival closes Sunday with a sweet treat: the Spirit of Freedom will fly overhead and drop Hershey bars for spectators to enjoy.

“We’ve had the candy bomber here quite a few times. It’s so much fun when we dump these candy bars out: the kids just go nuts,” Loughman said. “People just love it. It’s a nice way to end the event on Sunday afternoon.”

For more on Aviation Days, visit soarofgreenecounty.org.