"Trains to Planes"

Festival Activities

Depot Inn & Suites Kirksville, Missouri, Regional Air Festival

September 11 and 12, 2009

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Report and Photos (except where noted) by Carl@TrainWeb.com

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(Click any photo for a double-sized copy; Click BACK to return to this page.)

Many other activities took place at the Depot Inn and Suites Kirksville Air Festival during Friday and Saturday. Below are a few photos of those happenings.

Air Choice One flies in and out of Kirksville Airport. Their fares are at right.
	There was another kind of flying at the Festival, ground based rolls in various simulated airplanes.


	Jason Shorten

Craig Shorten managed the Tandem Sky Diving	The airport fire truck was always at the ready.
Laura Groebl (Jr.) and Merilee Goforth (Jr.) were on hand with welcoming smiles as volunteers from Alpha Phi Omega, a service organization, of Truman State University to sell Airshow Tee Shirts. (Right) Randy Smith, Air Show coordinator.

Stephanie Bissey works for the DuKum Inn. 111 South Elson St., Kirksville, MO 63501 - 660-665-9764
Matt Melzer, right, worked the Silver Rails/Depot Inn & Suites Booth. The other Matt gave kids a 'train' ride (right).	Looks like Matt Estes has a full load this trip.

Grant Marshall helped with the Depot Inn booth.
(Right) Kirksville Aeromodelers Radio Controlled Airplanes

(Right) Other flying things, like Frisbees

Behind the Hangars was a nice stand of soy beans.	Soy beans.
An airport has acres and acres to mow, so it takes a Big John Deere to get the job done. Nothing runs like a Deere.	Tandem parachute jumps were available for $225 including instruction and a video of your jump.

Keep your back bowed.

Next is strapping on the apparatus that will connect you to the parachutist.

Craig Shorten took his daughter on her first tandem jump. Bob Williams followed the entire jump from putting on the apparatus to the landing:

	Everyone looks happy and confident, as they should.
One final question as she steps aboard the jump plane.	Does that smile seem to be turning into fear? Dad's still confident.

	Twenty-three minutes later - Here they come!
"Feet Up!"	Touch Down!

The squeal of Success.	Thank you Lord!
She's one up on the boys now!	Dads are always left with picking up after the kids.

Other jumpers at the Air Festival

A Happy Rider.	Feet Up!
Touch Down!	How was it?

Just Great!	Better to be the tandem, you don't carry the chute back!
Bob thought this was a time-warp shot for an Amish or Mennonite to be going skydiving.	Bob Williams We photographers will bend over backwards to get a great skydiving photo!

The sky diving crew's equipment trailer.	Jump plane back for another load of tandem jumpers.
Up in the sky, it's a bird, it's a plane, it's a Tandem Jumper! (Right) As long as the pilot eats a healthy diet (corn dog), everything should be OK.

(High Resolution Original Images of any photo above, are available free to anyone in the photo, a small fee to others, contact: Carl@TrainWeb.com)

Comment or Corrections welcomed.