(Editorial - Graphic Illustration - MetroCreativeConnection)

Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport officials pulled together a fantastic day of aerial stunts and impressive machinery … with a little education snuck in to complete the air show and Kids STEM Day.

Next year, Airport Manager Ben Auville and event organizers will be prepared for the enthusiasm with which the event was greeted.

“We opened an hour-and-a-half prior to the air show for people to come. A lot of people came at once. Some said, ‘I’ve been waiting an hour,'” Auville said Saturday.

It’s difficult to blame the crowds of people who showed up for aerial acrobatics performed by Chris Thomas; fire trucks; model airplanes; kites; bounce houses and science, technology, engineering and math lessons sprinkled throughout.

What a wonderful opportunity for local kids (and probably more than a few parents) to learn and have fun.

The National Inventors Hall of Fame says hands-on STEM learning is an active learning technique that aids retention, lets kids take control of their learning experience, and helps young people move into a “growth mindset”

“A hands-on approach to STEM education is a perfect way to develop a growth mindset because it allows students to see firsthand that the only limits that exist are the ones they place on themselves,” the NIHF says on its website.

On Saturday, the sky was the limit. Who knows what might have been inspired that day?

“This is a good turnout for the first year. I hope it continues to grow and we’ll be able to bring more models over,” said Tyler Moore of the West Virginia Army National Guard, who brought a HH-60 Blackhawk helicopter to the event.

We hope so, too.