On Wednesday, Aug. 19, the feeling of excitement was brewing at Arbor Terrace of Lakeway in anticipation of the National Aviation Day celebration.
At day break, the Engagement team treated Austin-based volunteer pilots to a hearty Texas-sized breakfast. Bill Gunn, a local pilot, organized the group with the help of Jeff Klass. Gunn designed the flight plan to provide maximum viewing time for residents with each aircraft spaced a few minutes apart.At 10:00 a.m., the planes took off and headed to Arbor Terrace Lakeway. The weather was perfect with clear visibility. A few minutes later, just over the horizon, the first plane appeared.
One by one, each pilot flew over the community, demonstrating, even today, the mystical achievement of human flight, pioneered by the Wright Brothers.
“I loved the day,” said Diane Smith, a resident at Arbor Terrace Lakeway. “It was such great weather. And the planes that flew over! It was so interesting.”
Inside, throughout the common areas and in residents rooms, cloud and plane-shaped balloons of different colors and sizes filled the air. Following the flyover, residents got busy building their own small wooden planes. The staff helped residents assemble the pieces of the plane by gluing wings to the main fuselage.
Once the planes were completed, residents used markers to add their individual style. Designs ranged from artistic concepts, using bright colors to authentic replicas of wartime-era planes.
Dozens of planes were displayed on a table, which served as the residents’ hangar, surrounded by clouds and plane-shaped balloons. Refreshments completed the events for National Aviation Day as residents chatted about the activities. Don Landers shared, “I really enjoyed going outside and watching the planes go by.” Peggy Moffett provided the perfect ending, “What a great day!”
