In late April, 2017, I headed to Indiana to meet with Steve and Amy Brown who run the Brown Flying School, operating out of Sky King Airport (3I3) near Terre Haute, Indiana. The airport was built by Steve’s father, Herman, some 55 years ago, in April of 1962.
Herman Brown met Kirby Grant in 1959 through a mutual friend. The airport was constructed in a former Soy Bean field. At Kirby Grant’s suggestion, and with permission from the Nabisco company, it officially became the Sky King Airport.
In August of 1962, Herman Brown and Kirby Grant flew the Songbird III from Hulman Airport to the new Sky King airport, for the dedication. As Kirby Grant’s wife Carolyn Grant described it, there were “thousands of people” there.
Herman Brown passed away in 2011 at 91, but the Brown Flying School is still in business, still training pilots and selling airplanes after more than 50 years.
I brought back some interesting stories from those times, along with some great photos to add to the book.
Tim Trott
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