by Nora Kamholz

The SilverWest Annual AirFest that took place this past Saturday 13th, was an inspirational event filled with a wide array of vintage planes, aerial displays and incredible people. This has been an annual event for the last 20 years. This year, there were a total of 32 planes on display from all over Colorado. An estimated 1,000 people (including a great deal of kids) attended both the AirFest and the free pancake breakfast.

The breakfast, provided by volunteers from the community served over 1,000 pancakes. Volunteers, including SilverWest Airport manager Clyde Butler,
says that this is by far their biggest year yet with every year seeing more and more people attending and participating in the AirFest.
A couple of the most notable planes found among the many different aircrafts on display at the AirFest, were two RV aircraft (short for Van’s Aircraft) and an old war bird T6 Texan from World War II that participated in several fly-by aerial formations. There were also many other notable aircraft like a high-speed Fouga jet, a Kodiak aircraft, Comanches, Cessnas and others. Several helicopters and other aircraft offered free flights to people throughout the day.
Including the onlookers of the event, the AirFest also hosted a wide range of pilots from casual fliers to veteran pilots, many of whom participated in aerial formations and displays. Among the different pilots attending and participating in the event, Gary Grub, with 46 years of flying experience, flew an RV-8 aircraft (one of the many big hits of the day.) A veteran of the Air Force, Grub loves everything about flying, from the speed and the height to the freedom it gives him. When asked what he enjoys about participating in the AirFest, he replied that he enjoys promoting general aviation and inspiring the people
attending.
One of the interesting individuals attending was Steve Janssen, museum curator of the Southern Colorado Space Museum & Learning Center which has it’s collection on loan at the Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum. Beginning with a small personal collection 13 years ago, Janssen is now in charge of a collection of artifacts worth millions of dollars. By attending the AirFest, Janssen enjoys  sharing and promoting knowledge of space and aviation and hopes to eventually house Southern Colorado Space Museum & Learning Center – Custer County  at SilverWest Airport Terminal.
In summary, the SilverWest Annual AirFest was an amazing event. Along with getting to view a wide variety of vintage aircrafts and watching impressive aerial formations and displays, it was also a great event to meet interesting people from all around the country. The AirFest is a great event for individuals and families to share their appreciation and knowledge of flying with fellow pilots and admirers.