How to go
What: Lunken Airport Days
Where: Cincinnati Municipal Lunken Airport, 262 Wilmer Ave., Cincinnati
When: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 3-4
Cost: Free
More info: 513-289-6975 or www.cincinnatiwarbirds.org
You don’t have necessarily have to be an aviation enthusiast to enjoy riding on a World War II B-17 bomber, but it helps.
“It’s like riding in a big tin can,” said Cheryl Popp, chairwoman of the annual Labor Day Lunken Airports Days at Lunken Municipal Airport. “There’s no insulation so you wear ear protection. The seats are military with a sling. But once you get up there, you can move around, go to the front and watch the pilots fly, look out the windows. It’s more of a personal (flying) experience.”
The event is Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 3-4.
The Cincinnati Warbirds, an organization devoted to preserving military aircraft and honoring veterans, began sponsoring Lunken Airport Days 11 years ago. Lunken Municipal Airport primarily services private flights, medical flights and flight training. Due to security concerns, much of any airport is structurally closed to interlopers. Therefore, one of the great appeals of Airport Days, Popp said, is that visitors will get an in-depth look at the internal workings of an airport.
“The tower will be on a PA system, so you’ll be able to hear aircraft operations,” she said. “You can go up in the tower and see the airport. There’s also a scavenger hunt for the kids, who usually like the free hot dogs in our food tent, which is set up like a MASH tent.”
Several types of aircraft, civilian and military, will be available to see, touch and even ride in. In addition to the B-17, helicopter rides are available, also for an additional cost. There will also be representatives from regional flight and mechanic schools such as Cincinnati State.
“It’s like talking to a recruiter,” Popp said. “There’s a school for dispatchers and drones, because you have to have a license to fly drones now. There’s repair jobs and jobs where you have to take planes apart and put them back together every year. Kids can get interested in a lot of different careers.”
Air-traffic controllers will also be on hand, and Popp reassured us they’re nothing like the occasional movie and media image of an air-traffic controller, i.e. a hyper-stressed guy perpetually on the brink of a nervous breakdown.
“They’re very organized and talk fast, but they’re nothing like that,” she said. “Because the big airports are so busy, they change controllers every half hour. A lot of it is electronic, which is helpful. It’s very advanced now, very calm.”
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