Audio Cathy Wurzer talks with Gregg Herrick Gregg Herrick gives the history of some of the planes Photos The 1927 National Air Tour Gregg Herrick Hangar View full slideshow (11 images) Resources National Air Tour Your Voice Join the conversation with other MPR listeners in the News Forum.

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Vintage planes recreate National Air Tour
by Cathy Wurzer, Minnesota Public Radio
September 7, 2003

Crowds watching a Ford 4-AT Tri-motor in Boston during the 1927 National Air Tour. (Photo courtesy of National Air Tour)

Blaine, Minn. — Later this week, about 30 vintage airplanes from the 1920s and '30s will be roaring in the skies above the Twin Cities.

Celebrating that time, known as the Golden Age of aviation, is the point behind the 2003 National Air Tour which comes through the Anoka County Airport on Wednesday. About 30 vintage airplanes are being flown on the tour, which begins in Detroit, Michigan. They'll make their way through Illinois, Wisconsin, and arrive at the Anoka County Airport on Wednesday.

	Gregg Herrick

The original National Air Tours took place from 1925 to 1931, and were meant to change the image of airplanes from barnstorming and military use to a safe, reliable way for people to get around.

Gregg Herrick is the organizer of the 2003 National Air Tour and owns several airplanes from that era. Morning Edition host Cathy Wurzer met him in the hangar at the Anoka County Airport last week, as he was getting ready to fly in the tour. Herrick says that when the tours came through a town in the 1920s and '30s, the crowds were enormous.

To listen to Herrick's interview with Cathy Wurzer, click the audio link in the right column.

Organizers say the public is welcome at the Anoka County airport in Blaine on Wednesday, to watch the planes come in or see them up close after they land. Most events there are free.

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