WAPAKONETA, Ohio – The Armstrong Air and Space Museum is offering a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to one lucky kid.
The museum has announced its First Flight contest, which includes a free ride in a vintage Ford Tri-Motor airplane for one child and one accompanying parent or guardian. The contest aims to provide a lucky child with the same experience Neil Armstrong had on his first flight, which occurred in July 1936, when his father took him on a flight in a Ford Tri-Motor airplane in Warren, Ohio.
That inaugural flight would inspire Armstrong to pursue his lifelong passion for aviation, which would eventually make him famous as the first person to walk on the moon. The Air and Space Museum’s goal with this contest is to honor the Wapakoneta native’s legacy while also inspiring the next generation of aviators.
“It will be at Neil Armstrong Airport in New Knoxville on Friday, July 18, and then they will lift off, which I believe will take about 30 to 45 minutes,” said Logan Rex, the museum’s curator and communications director. “They’ll fly in a predetermined pattern before landing back at the airport. It’s a 1928 Ford Tri-Motor, so it’ll be an interesting first flight for them. It’s going to be an incredible experience, and hopefully it will pique their interest, as it did for Neil.”
The first flight contest is now accepting applications. The deadline to apply is Thursday, July 10th at 6 p.m. Applicants must be between the ages of 5 and 12 and have never flown an aircraft before entering the contest.
Apply online at armstrongmuseum.org. The winner will be announced Friday, July 11th.
The Ford Tri-Motor plane will also be offering flights at the Wapakoneta Summer Moon Festival; tickets are available from July 15th to July 20th, and more information can be found at summermoonfestival.com.
