Children listen to a special Aeronautical story time at The Mississippi Children’s Museum-Meridian last week. Photo courtesy of MCM-Meridian

Children visiting The Mississippi Children’s Museum-Meridian last week were treated to a special aeronautical story time as the museum joined in marking the 90th anniversary of the Key Brothers’ historic flight.

 

On June 4, 1935, brothers Fred and Al Key took off from Meridian’s airfield on what would become a record-breaking 27-day flight. Throughout the journey, the two men were resupplied with food and fuel from support planes that took off to meet them.

 

The Key brothers’ flight put Meridian in the history books as the birthplace of aerial refueling, and a special valve invented for their attempt is largely unchanged in use today by The Mississippi Air National Guard’s 186th Air Refueling Wing, which flies aerial refueling missions from what is now called Key Field.

 

To celebrate the anniversary of the Key brothers’ flight, the Friends of the Library is raffling off a signed copy of “The Flying Key Brothers and Their Flight to Remember,” by Stephen Owen. Tickets for the raffle, which cost $1, can be purchased from Friends of the Library members or at Meridian-Lauderdale County Public Library each Friday in June from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

 

A winner will be drawn on July 1, which is the day the Key brothers landed, at Meridian Regional Airport.

 

For more information, call 601-693-6771 or visit meridianlauderdalecolibrary.com.