OREANDA-NEWS.  June 26, 2013. The replica (exact copy) of the legendary aeroplane Lituanica flown by the pilots Steponas Darius and Stasys Girenas will arrive and welcome all participants and guests of Vilnius Aviation Day, which will take place at the aerodrome of Vilnius International Airport. Made ready for the flight only a few days before the occasion, the aeroplane will become the centrepiece of the event.

The replica of the aeroplane Lituanica was created in 1983 for a movie about Steponas Darius and Stasys Girenas. Later the aeroplane participated in a number of aviation events in Lithuania and abroad. In 2003 it flew around Lithuania and afterwards was stored in Kaunas Aviation Museum. After a ten-year break, mechanics brought this aeroplane to life and made it ready for the flight to Vilnius Aviation Day.

“Having taken off in Kaunas, this aeroplane together with other nine aeroplanes will fly in a line over Vilnius International Airport, will welcome guests and, after landing, will be displayed among other aircrafts of the event. Thus, there will be a possibility to have a closer look at it and even touch it”, Jonas Mazintas, the President of the Lithuanian Aero Club, tells about the main attraction of the event, which became known the last minute.

By the way, the history of the Lithuanian Aero Club, the largest aviation organisation in Lithuania, goes back to 1927, Steponas Darius being one of its founders.

“This celebration, being restored to life after an 18-year-break, is held to mark the 80th anniversary of the flight of Steponas Darius and Stasys Girenas across the Atlantic Ocean, and there will be many accents reminding of this. But what makes us really happy is that we managed to prepare the replica of Lituanica for the flight, which will add new colours to the occasion and remind of the historically important event”, J. Mazintas says.

Around 20-30 aircrafts will participate in a sky show at Aviation Day, organised by Vilnius International Airport, State Enterprise Oro navigacija and Lithuanian Aero Club, on Saturday. A similar number of aircrafts will be displayed at the exhibition nearby.

The organisers of the event hope that it will be visited by around 10,000 fans of aviation and city guests. A trade zone will be created for visitors, where they will be able to buy souvenirs, snacks and drinks, and children will have a chance to enjoy a programme with kites and small planes.

For those going to the event by public transport: On the day of the event, bus No. 19, going from the train station to Salininkai, will run more often and will stop next to the entrance to the territory of the event (entrance gates of the airport at Lida Road).