Vintage plane will visit airport for mega cruise
PENN TOWNSHIP — A historic symbol of 20th Century industry will visit Butler County over a four-day stint in July at the Butler County Airport, overlapping with an annual mega cruise, featuring 1,000 cars, trucks and airplanes.
A vintage 1928 Ford Trimotor will accompany other vintage vehicles July 11 at the Penn Township Fire Department's 15th annual mega cruise.
The Ford Trimotor will be available from July 9 to 12 for private flight reservations and public rides. It will be available from 2 to 5 p.m. July 9 and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from July 10 to 12. All the rides cost.
The airplane will be hosted by the Experimental Aircraft Association's Butler Chapter 857. The plane is owned by Ed Patrick and the Liberty Aviation Museum in Port Clinton, Ohio.
Marketing chairman Sue Hostler said the chapter promotes experimental aircraft, general aviation and education of younger generations.
“As one of the pilots for the Young Eagles program, I'm proud to say that our chapter has given free airplane rides to close to 1,400 young people,” she said.
This particular model has been flown by famous pilots, used in movies and was even used to win non-aerial races.
“FDR used it for campaign stops during his second presidential campaign,” Hostler said of President Franklin Roosevelt.
Hostler said the proceeds from the rides will go for the chapter's education programs.
“Funds raised through the Trimotor tour will be used to support our continued efforts to expose young people to aviation,” she said.
The plane will be at the airport on the same day as the fire department's mega cruise, which will feature other airplanes and 1,000 spots for show cars, trucks and tractors.
Owners of show cars enter for free, but the department will ask for a $2 donation from spectators. Kent Shoemaker, the department's vice president, said he considers the event as an outreach to the community rather than a fundraiser.“We try to cover costs and maybe a little for the fire department,” he said.For visitors, there will be food and drinks for sale and music by a disc jockey and karaoke amateurs. Commemorative T-shirts will be sold and the first 500 people will receive a dash flag.Shoemaker said community groups also will have stands so they can connect with residents.“They raise funds to help people in the community,” he said. “They're an important part of the community, so we share some space with them.”Shoemaker said he is excited to see how the Trimotor will affect this year's cruise.“We're not sure if this will work,” he said. “We're looking to see how it does.”Shoemaker said the cruise had helicopters in a previous event that were well received, so he remains optimistic.“It expands it,” he said. “It makes it more than just a car cruise.”
