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Arts & Entertainment

Chester Air and Land Festival: By Land and By Air

This past weekend, the Chester Airport hosted the 1st Annual Chester Air and Land Festival.

Tucked away off the beaten track, the tiny 61 year-old Chester Airport was home to the first ever Chester Air and Land Festival this weekend.

A large crowd showed up, despite the uncertain forecast for Saturday’s event, which took a year to plan and coordinate. The festival ran from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Kids and adults alike shared in the enthusiasm as pilots and plane owners engaged in conversation about their favorite, “expensive” hobby.

Professional Acrobatic Aviator, Mike Goulian was on hand for the event, signing autographs and explaining all the unique features on his stunt plane. New for 2011, Goulian Aerosports is partnering with WHELEN Engineering, in Chester to promote US made aviation products and services.

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“These kinds of events are great for the kids and families,” said Goulian, who enjoys answering questions about his craft and his profession.

However, the day was not constrained to just planes and pilots, it was a virtual sea of man toys on display old planes, new ones, World War II fighter planes, stunt planes, engines, antique and classic cars, race cars, fire trucks, tractors of all shapes and sizes and more.

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Unfortunately the gloomy,  weather prohibited the Black Hawke and Lifestar helicopters from being able to fly in, however a special treat for spectators was the “fly in” from the US fighter aircraft Corsair F4U-4, which was flown by Pilot Dan Dameo.

During the height of WWII production, a Corsair was produced in Stratford, Connecticut every 55 minutes. Of the over 12,000 Corsairs built there are currently less than 100 in existence and less than 20 that are in flyable condition. Pretty cool stuff!

The festival, which was sponsored by the Chester Pilots Group, Whelen Engineering Company the Chester Hose Company and the Rotary Club of Chester, was a huge success and hopes are to continue it for several years to come.

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