(BLOOMINGTON) – Several people attended the First Annual Flight Night at the Monroe County Airport on Saturday evening.
“We are trying to promote aviation at the airport. This is a part of the Apollo 17 landing, WTIU has several documentaries and will be shown this evening,” said Carlos Laverty Director of Aviation Monroe County Airport.
In addition to the showing of the Apollo documentaries, there were plenty of food vendors as well as other places for children and adults to look over aircraft, browse telescopes, look at meteorites that were found in Indiana, and take a tethered balloon ride.
Geologist Nelson R. Shaffer brought some of the meteorites that he has found in Indiana. Some were found in La Porte County, Lafayette, and one was found in Hangsmans Crossing in Jackson County. Shaffer also talked about a meteorite that he discovered in the Williams area and WBIW will do a future story on his finding.
The Indiana Astronomical Society brought four telescopes to display at the event. One allowed those attending to find Saturn and another was telescope specifically designed to look at the sun.
Families then had an amazing opportunity to take a tethered hot air balloon ride, sponsored by Bloomington Balloon Rides. Flight bookings throughout the year are available by contacting Bloomington Balloon Rides at 812-322-2214.
Several area organizations provided fun and educational family activities. There were space-related video screenings for adults and children of all ages, telescopes for sky exploration, airplane take-offs and landings, guided airport tours, food trucks, and more.
Various vehicles were on display for unique learning opportunities including a medevac helicopter, the airport fire rescue vehicle, a tethered hot air balloon, and several types of airplanes.
“This year’s theme revolves around the 50th anniversary of the moon landing. I’m especially looking forward to seeing the moon through one of Kirkwood Observatory’s field telescopes, and can’t wait to get an up-close look at a medevac helicopter,” said Molnar.
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