Restless Heart, local band Bueler’s Day Off and even a plane belonging to Howard Hughes were all gathered in one spot in support of Aviation Heritage Park.

On Saturday, the Bowling Green-Warren County Regional Airport hosted the 10th annual Hangar Party, a yearly event that raises funds for the preservation of the park’s aircraft.  

Aviation Heritage Park President Bob Pitchford said the theme for this year’s Hangar Party was “Big Dreams in a Small Town.”

“Not only is that one of Restless Heart’s most famous songs but it epitomizes Aviation Heritage Park’s commitment to educating children,” he said.

In displaying their aircraft, the park hopes to instill in children a sense of wonder while communicating to them that they can grow up to fly similar planes.     

“We want a little kid to look at those planes and know that at one time, every one of those pilots was a kid just like them,” he said. 

Pitchford was especially excited to have a Spartan Executive that once belonged to famed aviator Howard Hughes at the event.

The plane, with a sleek exterior of shining metal, is one of 34 Executives produced and one of only 11 functioning models around today.  

“It blows my mind, not only the rarity of the plane, but its design. It is art deco with wings,” Pitchford said. “We are privileged to have that here.” 

He was also excited about a far smaller yellow Piper Cub, which was displayed just outside the hangar to honor Willa Brown Chapel.  

Chapel, born in Glasgow, was the first black woman to receive a pilot’s license in the U.S. and went on to train more than 2,000 pilots, including 200 Tuskegee Airmen, he said.   

Roger Scott, a former commercial pilot, said he has attended multiple hangar parties in the past. 

“I’ve been into aviation since I was a small child,” he said. 

He appreciates the heritage park’s efforts to teach children about old aircraft models, though he wishes the park had a covered building for the planes, adding that he thinks it’s important for kids to learn about them.  

“Aviation’s played a big part in our history,” he said.   

Lin Braswell, who worked a computer maintenance job with the Air Force, has also been to a few hangar parties, he said. 

He likes seeing the old planes and remembering his time in the Air Force.  

“It’s great,” he said. “It’s showing the kids the different types of planes. I don’t think they get a lot of education in that area.” 

Pitchford also said the Aviation Heritage Park had acquired a UH-1 helicopter, known unofficially as the Huey during the Vietnam War. He said it could take anywhere from six months to three years for the paperwork to be finalized and the artifact to be shipped to Bowling Green.  

The group is also looking for a Piper Cub, according to park vice president Larry Beam.

He said he doesn’t expect the Cub to be too hard to get. “Some aircraft are almost impossible to find but a Piper Cub should be easy,” he said.  

The park hopes to some day have an indoor museum on the grounds where several models, including the Cub they want, can be hung, Beam said.

“We’re fixing to begin a fundraiser soon,” he said, adding that designs for the facility have yet to be completed and the anticipated cost of the project is unknown. 

— Follow Daily News reporter Jackson French on Twitter @Jackson_French or visit bgdailynews.com.