'The world needs more good pilots': Oxford celebrates National Aviation Day
Kids like 10-year-old Aubrie Wade waited eagerly on the tarmac at the Miami University Airport Saturday for opportunities to copilot a plane.
Early in the afternoon sun on Aug. 17, 10-year-old Aubrie Wade and her grandma, Elaine Freedman, took to the sky.
Aubrie is no novice to flight. She has ridden in a jet and a helicopter before, but that afternoon journey during Oxford's third annual aviation celebration was her first time in a C plane.
During the flight, Pilot Joshua Thompson allowed Aubrie to take control and veer to the left and right, even dipping the left wing for the other two other passengers to view the Miami RedHawks football stadium from above.
"How many years have you been flying?" Thompson jokingly asked Aubrie after taking the controls back.
Nearing the end of the flight, Freeman said she might have a pilot on her hands.
"The world needs more good pilots," Thompson replied.
(Left) The pilots took their passengers over Miami University's campus on 15-minute rides. (Right) Elaine Freeman talks to her granddaughter through the headset about becoming a pilot. Photos by Taylor Stumbaugh
Each year on Aug. 19, the U.S. celebrates the development of flight with National Aviation Day. To celebrate, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) and the Miami University Airport (OXD) collaborated for the annual aviation celebration from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Aug. 17.
Cassie Kiser, the spokesperson and content specialist for CVG, said each flight takes roughly 15 to 20 minutes, but with only three passengers per the two planes, one a Cessna 172 C plane and the other a Cessna 172 L model, the time slots filled up quickly. By noon, the allotted 75 slots were filled, plus some.
Devona Miller, a grandma to nine and an Oxford resident for more than 50 years, said she arrived with her three grandkids at 9 a.m. The oldest with her, Bryce Reaman, a tenth grader at Talawanda, was especially excited to fly for the first time because of his aspirations to be a pilot.
Like Aubrie, Bryce also controlled the plane a few times throughout the ride.
"It's exciting to have [them here with me today]," Miller said. "One wants to learn how to fly. He's got to know things to do things, and he was very good up in the sky."
Kiser said the aviation event last year had six planes, but this year held only two. Between the six pilots in attendance three flew in a rotation: Thompson, Christian Holland and Amariah Faler.
Faler lives in Louisville now, but grew up in the area and attended Talawanda High School. She earned her wings six years ago at the age of 19.
"It's a great opportunity to inspire the next generation of pilots," Faler said. "I grew up around Oxford, and until I started flying, I had no idea that there was a little airport around here, so hopefully more people learn that we're here and maybe get some new people interested in flying."
Roughly 75 people were able to take advantage of free plane rides throughout the day. Attendees also had a chance to take part in other activities and get food. Photos by Taylor Stumbaugh
Both planes are owned by Mac's C plane service. Kiser said in years prior, CVG had an emergency helicopter on scene, but unfortunately this year it was unavailable.
Even though all ages could enjoy the event, CVG set up different activities for kids to enjoy including coloring, listening to the DJ spinning his tracks, learning how to work a drone and enjoying two food trucks: El Rey and Tropical, an ice cream truck.
"What I'm seeing now is you've got people of every generation, people with kids, people without kids. There were parents, there were grandparents, and some uncle's friends," Kiser said. "So a little bit of everybody just comes together, which is really why we're doing this event, to just bring everybody together with the core of aviation."
