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Idaho Transportation
Department
Public Affairs Office
P.O. Box 7129
Boise, ID 83707
208.334.8005
Fax: 208.334.8563
Email


Filmmaker, children’s activities to be featured
at annual Aviation Festival

Noted filmmaker, pilot and author Bill Lishman will be featured at the 14th Annual Idaho Aviation Festival, March 10-11. The festival, presented by the Idaho Transportation Department’s Division of Aeronautics, will be at the Boise Centre on the Grove in downtown Boise.

Lishman is best known for his work that inspired the feature film “Fly Away Home.” Lishman raised a flock of Canada geese, imprinted them to an ultralight aircraft he designed and built, and flew with the birds around Ontario, Canada.

The success of this work resulted in a migration experiment that led flocks on their journey south by acting as surrogate parents. The experiment was documented by ABC's "20/20" and captured the attention of biologists around the world. Lishman documented his flights with Canada geese in the award winning video "C'mon Geese."

A book he authored about the work is part of many American public schools' curriculum and his autobiography “Father Goose” is a best seller.

Lishman will speak at a March 11 dinner, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tickets are $35.

More than 800 aviation enthusiasts are expected to gather for the two-day festival, sponsored by R&M Steel Company and "Pilot Getaways" magazine. Event activities, most of which are free and open to the public, include:

  • Career Forum (March 11, noon – 2 p.m.): A panel of presenters will share information about a wide range of career opportunities within the aviation industry. Participating on the panel will be a corporate pilot, an A-10 military pilot, an air traffic controller, a flight attendant, and flight school and military representatives. All panel members will be available for a question-and-answer session. The session, designed for teens and their parents, is free.
  • Kick-off luncheon (March 10, 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.): Participants can take an “African Aero Safari” with John Kounis, who has spent more than 100 hours crisscrossing Africa in a Cessna 172RG and Cessna 185. Tickets are $18.
  • Flying Flicks (March 11, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.): Inspiring aviation-theme movies will include “Fly Away Home” and “Fei Hu – The Flying Tigers,” a PBS documentary about a group of volunteer American pilots who secretly battled the Japanese on behalf of the Chinese before the start of World War II. Free.
  • Children’s Workshop (March 11, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.): Held in partnership with the Discovery Center of Idaho, the workshop offers aspiring astronauts hands-on activities such as stomp rockets and making paper airplanes. The Rocket Man (Kevin Young) will demonstrate rocket launches at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Free.
  • Aviation Safety Seminars (March 10-11): Topics range from backcountry flying to winter survival, touring Europe by private aircraft to fun fly-in destinations in the Northwest. Free.
  • Inspector Authorization (IA) Renewal (March 10, 7:30 a.m. – 8 p.m.): Classes are offered for aviation mechanics. Class fee is $45.
  • Part 135 Training (March 10-11, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.): Classes are offered for Part 135 operators. Class fee is $45.
  • AvSwap and Trade Show (March 10-11): Items can be sold in the AvSwap for a $1 fee plus a 10 percent commission of the selling price. The trade show includes aircraft displays and aviation businesses. Free.

Exhibit and sponsorship opportunities are available. Exhibit space is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Sponsorship opportunities include an option of tailoring a package to meet specific needs.

For more information, visit itd.idaho.gov/aero/aviationfestival/2006 , or call Kim Cobb at (208) 288-0290 or (800) 345-8793.

Published 3-3-06