ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, November 22, 1996 TAG: 9611220041
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER
Don't be surprised if you see an airplane traveling down Hershberger Road in Northwest Roanoke before daybreak Saturday.
No, the aircraft won't be making an emergency landing. It will be going to the fair for the city's magnet schools at William Fleming High.
The Beechcraft "Sundowner," one of the three planes used to teach students in the magnet aviation program, will be towed from the airport down Aviation Drive starting at 4 a.m. to avoid traffic.
Flight instructor Tom Pearman will taxi the plane the rest of the way with a police escort. The plane will travel west on Hershberger, turn onto Ferncliff Avenue and proceed to the school.
The magnet fair, an annual event that gives students and parents a chance to learn about the magnet schools, will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. Previously, it was held in the City Market building in February.
It is being held earlier to reduce the chances of being postponed because of bad weather, which occurred last year. The William Fleming location provides more space for the magnet schools to exhibit their programs, school officials said.
"We've never had the fair in a place where we could really show people what we do," Pearman said. "We could never get an airplane on the third floor of the City Market building."
The plane will be displayed with an electric hot rod built by high school magnet students. The car has a four-speed transmission and is powered by 20 six-volt batteries.
LENGTH: Short : 37 linesby CNB