By Richard L. Gaw
Staff Writer

During the four-year span that began in late 2020 and ended in January of this year, the temporary flight restrictions – commonly referred to as TFRs - that the New Garden Flying Field was forced to adhere to were both necessary and debilitating.

While recognizing the safety precautions of its proximity to President Biden’s home near Wilmington, the Flying Field’s usual package of entertainment – one that included its annual Festival of Flight Air, Car & Tractor Show – was either reduced dramatically or completely halted.

This past weekend, however, the skies over Landenberg, Toughkenamon and Avondale were alive again with the sounds and swirls of flying machines, signaling the return of what will resume its title as New Garden’s heirloom of the air.

Presented by Merrill, a Bank of America Company and Snelling, Karakelian, O’Hara & Associates, this year’s festival served as a welcome return for the thousands who enjoyed the continuous calendar of aerobatic performances, drone shows, fireworks, a classic car exhibit, tours of military aircraft and a lot of family fun.

“This is our first year back to a weekend show at New Garden in the last five years,” said New Garden Flying Field General Manager Jon Martin. “We’re clear of the TFR debacle that we had been battling, so this is our return to a Saturday-Sunday show. I think what we learned from that five-year hiatus was that the night air aerobatics and the drone show seemed to be very popular, so we incorporated that into the weekend show.”

Two of the show’s many performers drew particular attention to anyone who happened to be looking at the sky above the Flying Field on Saturday when skywriters RJ Gritter and Scott Francis created hearts, smiles and other configurations.

“It was a very unique addition, and I think the community and our visitors loved it,” Martin said. “We were getting calls from as far away as Hockessin wondering what was going on in the sky, so I think their performances really helped draw additional attention to the festival.”

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email  [email protected].