Adam's preschool classes gain veteran awareness and aviation interest at Logan County Airport's Heritage In Flight Museum

 

[November 16, 2018] 

Out beyond the grassy edge of northeast Lincoln, Illinois, the Adam’s preschool children took a field trip to Logan County Airport to visit the Heritage In Flight Museum.

The cold Wednesday afternoon just prior to Veteran's Day had invigorating winds that whipped around the museum hangar. Yet, inside the children were oblivious to the weather as each took a turn learning to fly.

It was hangar flying at its best as one-by-one each child was seated in a scaled down model of the Spirit of 76 aircraft. The child-sized grounded simulator functions just like a real plane. Move the control stick forward and backward raises or lowers the nose for climb or descent, moving left and right banks the simulator for turns, movements just like a real plane. What could be more fun?

Each child from Mrs. Shirley’s class stepped up with trepidation to the simulator only to come back with smiles from ear-to-ear; they had experienced flight control!

Parent coordinator of the field trip, Bethany Edgecombe, said going to the museum and riding on the simulator gives the kids hands on experience.

Mrs. Shirley said going to the museum helped the children understand better what and who veterans are. “They saw the American Flag and the camouflage uniforms and model airplanes inside the museum and that was more realistic to them,” said Mrs. Shirley.

She didn’t think any of the children had experienced the airport museum and they enjoyed it much more than she thought they would. “They would say, ‘look at this’, and point to the American Flag, or ‘see this’ to a model boat or plane,” said Shirley. She said that in years to come they will realize what all this history was about.

While the children were outside at the airport, they ventured to see a historic WW II airplane and view the console inside of a UH-1H “Iroquois” Huey helicopter and sit inside the waiting area where army officers would wait to parachute.

One student got to stand on an old, steel carrier that picked up army men from the ground. The children thought that was awesome! There was even a large static cargo pod display outside that resembled a torpedo; it was designed to hold army officer’s luggage.

When the children saw the fire-rescue truck, the children sang a song about a fire truck they had learned at school. The tour guide said it wasn’t a fire truck to put out fires but a military vehicle to save pilots and flyers from airplane crisis.

The red and white high tower and beacon light located by the far side of the hangar was pointed out to the children. The tour guide said you could see the airport’s beam from the Mississippi River coming from the west at nine thousand feet from the curvature of the earth. The light rotates all the way around at night and also operates on days when fog creates low visibility.

The tower is an historic beacon out of many that were once used every 30 miles to mark the trail for night time navigation from Chicago to St. Louis. The airplanes flew from one light to another because you could easily see the beam, if the weather was not terrible.

At this year’s Christmas parade, another historic search light will be on a float/truck and the Heritage In Flight airplane simulator that approximately one thousand children have ridden on will be there too.

Please call the Heritage In Flight Museum to book a field trip for your classroom at [phone] or schedule a tour at www.heritage-in-flight.org.  The facility is handicap accessible and smoke free. The museum is closed Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.

[Catherine Carkulis]