Plans for the 2008 Kansas Air Tour continue to evolve.
The tour, which is slated for April of 2008, is, in part, a re-creation of the All Kansas Air Tour of 1928.
“We wanted to fly the original route, but that is not possible,” noted Ed Young, director of aviation for the Kansas Department of Transportation.
According to Young, the original route was found on page 91 of the book “Borne on the South Wind.” The original air tour featured 25 planes flying to 21 destinations around the Sunflower State, including Concordia, Salina, McPherson, Hutchinson, Newton, El Dorado, Winfield, Independence, Coffeyville, Parsons, Chanute, Garnett, Ottawa, Kansas City, Atchison, Topeka, Abilene and Fort Riley.
“I think we are going to diverge from the original route because many of the original airports are gone,” he said. “We’re going to try to see more of Kansas.”
When the department of transportation announced plans to recreate the tour, it started getting inquires from all over, both from pilots and communities, asking to be part of the tour, according to Young.
“It looks like the first stop will be Pratt and the second stop will be at Mid-America Air Museum in Liberal,” he said.
The air tour kickoff party is set for April 1 at the Kansas Aviation Museum (KAM) in Wichita. “You can see the original Stearman factory from KAM,” Young noted.
The air tour takes off April 2.
A brochure for the 2008 Air Tour has just been released.
There are opportunities to sponsor participating aircraft, including some antiques and warbirds that belong to the Commemorative Air Force. In addition, host cities will plan receptions for participating pilots.
For more information: KansasAirTour.ksdot.org. Click on the links for Aviation and the 80th Anniversary All Kansas Air Tour.