June 17: Aviation Museum to hold annual fly-in barbecue at Nashua Airport
See MST student-built plane, experience aerobatic flying via virtual reality, and enjoy BBQ during Father’s Day weekend event
Tickets for ramp access only (no BBQ) are $10 per person, with kids 5 and under free.The BBQ will be served inside a hangar and will take place regardless of weather.The public is invited to attend the barbecue, held each year on Father’s Day weekend to mark the approach of summer, which officially arrives the following Wednesday.
“Our ‘Fly-In’ barbecue is a great way for families to enjoy something together to celebrate Dad’s special day,” said Jeff Rapsis, executive director of the Aviation Museum of N.H.
Families can mingle with pilots and inspect the aircraft, giving young people a rare chance to see real airplanes up close.
Pilots flying in for the event should proceed to Tower Ramp at Nashua Airport, where a ground crew will guide aircraft safely into parking spaces. Pilots and their guests are encouraged to buy barbecue tickets in advance in case the event sells out.
The event will include the Aviation Museum’s “Rob Holland Experience,” a virtual reality exhibit that gives non-pilots a chance to fly with Nashua-based world aerobatics champion Rob Holland.
Using virtual reality goggles, participants can see what it’s like to perform breath-taking flight maneuvers that have brought Holland multiple aerobatics championships around the world.
“This popular exhibit has been in storage during the recent Covid-19 pandemic, but it’s now time to get it out again to give visitors a chance to fly along with Rob Holland, Nashua’s hometown aviation hero,” Rapsis said.
Attendees can also learn about the Aviation Museum’s student plane-building partnership with the Manchester (N.H.) School of Technology, where high school students have completed their first aircraft—a Van’s Aircraft RV-12iS.
The student-built plane will be on display during the barbecue.
Those attending may buy tickets in advance via the museum’s website at www.aviationmuseumofnh.org or by calling (603) 669-4877. Tickets will also be available at the door on a first-come, first-served basis.
All proceeds of the event benefit the Aviation Museum of N.H., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
The Aviation Museum of N.H., based in the 1937 art deco passenger terminal at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, is dedicated to preserving the Granite State’s rich aviation past, and also inspiring students today to become the aerospace pioneers of tomorrow.
Named “Best Place to Take Kids” in southern New Hampshire in the 2023 HippoPress Readers Poll, the Aviation Museum of N.H. was recently awarded the prestigious ‘Non-Profit Impact Award’ by the Center for N.H. Non-Profits.
The Aviation Museum of N.H. is a non-profit 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. For more information, visit www.aviationmuseumofnh.org or call (603) 669-4820.
