By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
The skies above Kansas will be full of pilots making the rounds later this week as part of the Fly Kansas Air Tour, hosted by the Kansas Department of Transportation and Kansas Commission on Aerospace Education. Great Bend Airport Manager Martin Miller said that includes a stop in Great Bend on Friday, Oct. 6.
"The number they gave for this event was 30-50 pilots with their aircraft had signed up to do the tour," he said. "It's a three-day tour. Great Bend is going to have day two, and they leave in the morning on Friday from Dodge City."
The pilots are scheduled to be in Great Bend from 9:45 to 10:45 a.m. that morning. The tour includes an educational element with presentations related to science, technology, engineering, and math, as well as discussions about jobs and the economic impact associated with aviation.
"USD 428 has arranged for, I think, six buses of fifth graders to be here when they arrive," Miller said. "They'll spend time talking to the pilots and looking at the aircraft."
The tour begins on Thursday, Oct. 5 with four stops in Western Kansas. Day two includes stops in Great Bend, Wellington, Hutchinson, and Salina. Emporia and Topeka stops make up the final day of the tour on Saturday.