100 Years of KS Aviation

On September 2, 1911, Longren was the first Kansan to fly a Kansas-built aircraft in KS. Well, the Governor just signed a proclamation that acknowledges that achievement and declared September 2011 as the Centennial of Kansas Aviation.

This Saturday, at Topeka’s Phillip Billard Airport (TOP), I’m going to present the proclamation to the Aviation Explorer’s Post 8 Squadron at approximately 9:45 AM. Of course, everyone is invited to attend. The event is free and open to the public. Check out the attached for more information.

This will be a simple event with cake and punch but most importantly we’ll be talking directly to the future of our industry. The message that we will convey is that this was a great historical achievement, but the kids that are learning to fly out of this program are continuing the legacy of KS Aviation.

For those that aren’t familiar, the Post 8 has been around since 1952 teaching kids how to fly for pennies on the dollar. It really is a great collection and collaboration of the aviation community that support this program. They have a great hangar that they recently dedicated, flight instructors that donate time and two aircraft. Read more about them here: http://www.post8.org/

This location was also chosen because of its connection to Longren. Phillip Billard bought aircraft #5 from Longren and used to fly it around Topeka. That aircraft is on display at the KS Museum of History. Read more about it here: http://www.kshs.org/p/cool-things-longren-s-biplane/10107

So if you’re in the neighborhood, I’d love to see you there!

Jesse R. Romo
Manager, Federal-State Affairs
Division of Aviation
Kansas Department of Transportation
700 SW Harrison St., 2nd Fl-N
Topeka, KS 66603-3745
785-296-2553