The Glenn L. Martin Maryland
Aviation Museum is organizing the aviation and space portion of the Baltimore
County Community Waterfront Festival to be held on Saturday, May 13, rain or
shine, at the Lockheed Martin property along Dark Head Cove, and on Martin
State Airport on Wilson Point Road in Middle River, Maryland. The event will
run from 10am. until dark on the waterfront, and from 10am. to 5pm. on the
Airport side. A fireworks show will be the finale for the event. This yea’s event is expected to draw over
25,000 people. Admission is free.
The aerospace part of the festival will feature
exhibitors at the main event site, seaplanes in the water, display aircraft on Martin State
airport, and the Glenn
L. Martin
Maryland Aviation
Museum’s exhibit rooms. A
free shuttle bus will take visitors between locations.
In addition to the exhibitor displays, there will
be antique, military, and modern airplanes and helicopters. The wide cross-section of the aerospace participants
offers broad exposure to Maryland’s
aviation and space community. Approximately 30 aerospace exhibitors, and
a similar number of display aircraft are scheduled. There will be lots to see: highlights
include:
- Aviation related activities for kids, including arts and crafts, contests, games, and a scavenger hunt in the Martin Museum.
- An opportunity to meet authors of recent books, including NASA
astronaut, Dr. Tom Jones, who was born and raised in Essex/Middle River
and has four shuttle flights and a number of space walks to his credit.
- The chance to talk to WBAL and WJZ TV airborne news reporters, and see
the helicopters and equipment used to capture the scenes shown daily on
TV.
- The opportunity to purchase sightseeing rides for an aerial view of
the area. Some airplane rides and flying lessons will be available to
lucky raffle winners.
- Open cockpits of historic fighter jets, bombers and a Martin Airliner
visitors can sit in.
- Maryland Air National Guard aircraft and crews.
- Seaplanes arriving about 10am. and departing
around 5pm., including the large 100’ Grumman Albatross that attended the
last Festival.
- Maryland aerospace organizations such as the
Lockheed Martin Corporation and the Space Telescope Sciences Institute
(Hubble telescope), NASA’s Goddard
Space Flight
Center (space and earth
sciences), the Maryland Aviation Administration, and the American
Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
- Private flying,
represented by aviation organizations that include the Aircraft Owners and
Pilots Association; the Experimental Aviation Association whose members
build and fly airplanes for education and enjoyment; and flight schools
like Brett Aviation where you can learn to fly. Phoenix Air Ads will show how they
assemble and tow those large aerial advertising banners. The Civil Air Patrol will have aircraft
and other displays and will conduct a search and rescue exercise the
public can observe.
- Women’s aviation
organizations such as Rosie the Riveter whose members built the military
aircraft of WWII; the WASPS (Women’s Air Service Pilots), who flew the
fighters and bombers on the home front; and the Maryland Ninety Nines
women pilots.
- Public service
aviation such as the Baltimore
County & Maryland State police helicopters.
- Model aviation,
including radio control and plastic scale modelers as well as model
rocketry.
- Historic aircraft
including antiques; WWII warbirds; the Museum’s
aircraft collection (including several Martin aircraft built in Middle River and a Navy “Top Gun” fighter); and a
variety of modern homebuilt, sport, personal, and business aircraft.
In addition to the aviation attractions there will be community and marine
exhibits, a boat show, live entertainment, food vendors, an historic skipjack,
water taxi tours, a fire boat, and picnic tents and tables.
The 2006 event recognizes
the area’s heritage (including aerospace) and its waterfront resources. This year’s beneficiaries are Baltimore County’s
Marshy Point
Nature Center and
the Glenn L. Martin Maryland Aviation
Museum.
For additional information
call 410-682-6122.
