Murfreesboro Airport Hosts STEAM Festival Event Oct. 22

The Murfreesboro Municipal Airport is proud to announce participation in the Discovery Center’s Sixth annual TN STEAM Festival, Oct. 14-23, 2022. Murfreesboro Airport is hosting an Airport STEAM Festival event Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022. The Airport invites the public to engage STEAM from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. to learn about what the Murfreesboro Airport does for the surrounding community.

“We are looking forward to inviting the public to the special STEAM event so the community can visit and see first-hand what our growing airport has to offer,” said Airport Director Chad Gehrke. “STEAM is science, technology, engineering, art and math and the airport will have plenty of that on display.”

The Murfreesboro Airport STEAM festival will have static displays showing-off aviation and what the airport brings to the community. There will be educational opportunities to teach everyone the fundamentals of aviation.

“We’re excited about participating in STEAM and have been planning the special day with exhibits, static displays, and guests,” said Airport Manager Ryan Hulsey. “Thanks to our many participating sponsors, the airport is able to offer hotdogs, chips, and bottled water to all who participate in the educational opportunities.”

The Experimental Aircraft Association will teach kids how planes fly and show-off the aircraft that fly in and out of the airport daily. A Paper Airplane Station will let kids and adults make paper airplanes. Civil Air Patrol will educate the community on their mission and the support CAP provides to the community.

The list of participants in the Murfreesboro Airport STEAM Festival event also include:

• The 101st Airborne Division: CH-47 (Chinook)
• TN Army National Guard: UH-60 (Blackhawk)
• Murfreesboro City Police: SWAT equipment
• Murfreesboro City Fire: Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) and fire suppression equipment
• T-34 Association: T-34 Naval Trainer Display
• Murfreesboro Aviation: Soviet Yakovlev Fighter Trainer
• Middle TN State University: jet and piston engines on display to see all the inner workings of the engine and well as show off the aircraft that train future airline pilots!
• Vanderbilt LifeFlight: see one of their active service medical evac helicopters
• Microsoft Flight Simulator: fly the same plane you just sat in right out of MBT

This is an excellent opportunity for members of the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts to earn credit towards their Aviation Merit Badge!

For the latest updated information on the Airport STEAM Festival, visit http://www.murfreesborotn.gov/2385/Airport-STEAM-Festival

For more information on the TN Steam Festival, visit https://www.tnsteam.org. Other City participants include Outdoor Murfreesboro, Cannonsburgh Village, and Overall Creek Elementary.

The City completed construction of a new Municipal Airport Terminal in 2020, replacing the old terminal built in 1952. The new 16,000-sqaure-foot terminal includes a large main lobby with raised and ground level observation areas, lounge seating, a large leasable business conference center, smaller conference room space, pilot lounge, and office space.

A new Hangar 1 project nearing completion will enhance the Airport’s infrastructure with a new modern, versatile hangar facility, allowing for additional tenants and creation of highly skilled jobs.

For more on the Airport STEAM Festival, contact Ryan Hulsey at 615-217-5048.

Visit the Murfreesboro Municipal Airport webpage at https://www.murfreesborotn.gov/95/Airport.