Sep. 1-NEW GARDEN - Southern Chester County locals joined with visitors from across the Tri-State region to celebrate the power of aviation, marking the last day of August with a sweet farewell to summer.
Wednesday, thousands of people united to attend the New Garden Flying Field Air & Car Show - the Festival of Flight.
This was the first airshow since 2019. And while the 2020 show was canceled due to the state-mandated shutdown, since January 2021 the airport has experienced routine weekend closures because of presidential flight restrictions. In short, when the president visits his family home in Greenville, Delaware, all flights at the New Garden Flying Field airport are grounded. The airport is within a 12-mile radius of the president's New Castle residence.
Jon Martin is the aviation director of the airport. He's been working with the Secret Service to secure a date to hold the beloved community air and car show for the last two years. And on Wednesday, his diligence and perseverance paid off, with the return of one of the biggest and most popular events in Chester County.
Although in past years, the show has been held over the span of two days for a weekend celebration, this year Martin secured a Tuesday date with a rain date of Wednesday, August 31. Turns out having that rain date paid off, as summer showers fell on Tuesday, forcing the airport to announce that the show was moving to Wednesday.
And that change didn't harm attendance. In fact, there were vehicles backed up on Newark Road waiting to turn into the airport to park. The Southern Chester County Regional Police Department directed traffic throughout the day and evening.
Chief Gerald Simpson said that the Southern Chester County Regional Police Department was honored to collaborate with the Avondale Fire Company, public safety personnel, and the volunteers to ensure a safe and pleasant experience at the New Garden Air Show.
"A tremendous amount of appreciation is due to the Air Field Director, Jon Martin, and his team for their organizational, planning, and communication efforts," Simpson said. "We hope their hard work created a wonderful experience for the guests."
The festival ended with fireworks just before 9 p.m.
Avondale and Kennett first responders were on hand at the entrance point in case of any emergency.
"We are ecstatic," said Brian DiFrancesco regarding the return of the air show and festivities after a three-year hiatus. He is a firefighter and emergency medical technician with the Avondale Fire Company.
When asked why he volunteers as a firefighter in 2022, DiFrancesco said the work "is a lot more rewarding than anything else."
West Grove resident Sam Console joined Coopersville resident John Kukitz at the air and car show in New Garden. The pair represented Vet 2 Vet Service Dogs nonprofit. Console had with him a dog named Carmen, named after the fallen veteran Bob Carmen. Kukitzo had with him the dog Bartow, named after the fallen veteran Randy Bartow.
"Every dog is named after a fallen veteran," said Kukitz.
Kukitz said every day 22 veterans take their own lives. The nonprofit, founded in January, partners service dogs with veterans to bring them support, companionship and joy - and most importantly, unconditional love.
"We just want to help veterans," Kukitz said.
New Garden Flying Field, except for 2020 and 2021, has held air shows for the last 50 years.
Scores of families were in attendance, plenty of photographers and a few lawmakers including Chester County Commissioner Josh Maxwell.
"The New Garden Air Show is a treasure that I hope more Chester County residents will enjoy with its vintage planes, aerial displays, and picturesque fireworks," Maxwell said.
New Garden Flying Field, otherwise known as N57, offers pilots and visits a high-key level of service in a low-key environment.
There is a self-service fuel pump that is available 24/7.
New Garden Flying Field opened on June 9, 1986.
The airport property spans nearly 190 acres of forest and rolling hillside. The airport is at the highest point of elevation in Chester County, 1235 Newark Road, just shy of the Village of Toughkenamon, in New Garden Township.
New Garden supervisors voted to purchase the airport from the DuPont family in 2007. The municipality has since enacted a vision of change to bring contemporary upgrades to the independent airfield and hangars which services both recreational and corporate pilots.
Under Martin's leadership, since 2007, New Garden Flying Field has received several state and federal grants to help fund key projects including new hangars, a parallel taxiway and an Aviation Center, which serves as the airport's headquarters.
The maintenance shop, which opened within the Aviation Center in March 2019, offers routine maintenance, upgrades and repairs and aircraft restoration services.
Ten years prior, the New Garden Flight Connection opened within the airport, which is a locally owned and operated flight school. One of its flagship programs is the Future Aviators summer camp, an award-winning program that has empowered more than 1,400 young people with introductory flight lessons.
In addition to a vast array of vintage cars on display, the air show itself was in full swing by 5 p.m. Wednesday. At 5:20 p.m. the crowd began singing the National Anthem as Marine Matt Risley of Avondale paraglided through the bright blue sky, as the summer sunlight turned west, while holding an American flag.
To hold the American flag while soaring in the sky, as people below sang the anthem, was a cherished moment for the Marine.
"It's an honor," he said.
Many boys and girls watched different World War II aircraft perform incredible feats in the sky. At some moments, the crowd gasped, for the pilots daring skills were on full display.
"I love the planes," said elementary school student Joe Campbell of West Grove, "and especially the World War II and biplanes."
Biplanes, which were featured during Wednesday's air show in New Garden, predominated aviation in the 1920s and 1930s.
By the late 1930s into the 1940s, some of the most famous planes used during World War II by American fighter pilots were the North American P-51 Mustang and the Boeing B-29 Superfortress.
According to the Smithsonian, combat aircraft that were everyday companions to airmen in the World War II generation have become extraordinary treasures to many - symbols of the courage and sacrifice that even younger generations regard.
In New Garden, vintage aircraft raced and soared high in the sky as the sun set Wednesday evening. The festivities continued through the night, ending with an eruption of red, white and blue fireworks whose rumbles could be heard miles away in Franklin and elsewhere.
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Adeline Mae contributed to this report.
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