Northwest Aerospace News February | March 2019 Issue No. 7 | Page 65

S
ince 1991 members of the
group, Puget Sound Antique
Aircraft Club (PSAAC), have
taken to the skies every two
years to fly into small airports
across Washington, Oregon and
Idaho to share the joy of flight
with the general public. Now,
with the growing emphasis on
aviation, aerospace and STEM
careers, their underlying goal
is to inspire a love of avia-
tion with visiting youngsters
through “hands on” experien-
tial learning.
The Air Tour is a week-long
adventure featuring 35 classic
and antique aircraft from across
Washington State, that join up
and head for 10 to 12 rural des-
tinations, such as Grangeville,
Orofino and St. Maries, Idaho;
and Joseph, Oregon. After a
few noisy flybys near the town
signaling the arrival of the
fleet, the community rounds up
their children and heads to the
airport to see the planes.
While the youngsters are en
route, in the cockpit the pilots
are spacing themselves out for
landing, taxiing in to line up
their aircraft “air show style”
and waiting for the admiring
(and very interactive) crowd to
arrive.
Youngsters everywhere! Ex-
citement reigns as the children
have been told that they get
to sit in the airplanes. They
literally dance with giddiness
as they swarm the flight line
seeking their targets.
Circling the airplane of their
choice, youngsters line up for
their turn.
FEBRUARY | MARCH 2019 ISSUE NO. 7
65