CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. (WTHR) — It is not unusual at all for pilots to swing by the grass runway on the Riggins place in Montgomery County, but don't be surprised if they make more than one pass.
Owner Justin Riggins is not into politics, but he is into patriotism and last Saturday, his patriotism got the best of him.
"Everybody needs to stay together. We are all in this together. We need to stay positive. That's what this is for," Riggins said.
So, Riggins decided to paint a 78-foot tall, 137-foot wide, 6,688 square foot flag on the runway.
"We measured it to make sure it was square and put wooden markers every six feet. String lines so we have something to go off of," Riggins said.
It looks great from the ground and even better from air.
"When we were painting, we did the blue first. We did the red stripes next then the white, then the stars," Riggins said.
It took about seven hours in all to complete, and Riggins said the ten-inch passes for the paint stripes gave ample opportunity for a farmers tan.
We asked what was the hardest part of it.
"Making sure it was square. We measured twice to make sure. Didn't want to end up with 48 stars or 51 stars," he said with a chuckle.
Riggins is already offering free oil changes at his repair shop, JTR Repair next door, for those working on the front lines. He just felt like he needed to do more.
When asked what the flag project means to him, Riggins responded, “A lot. We live in the greatest country in the world. A lot of people fought for it."
And now, we are fighting again, and he believes if we are fighting together, we have a better chance of winning.
"I wanted to honor the ones protecting us and our country — a tribute to our frontline health care that are keeping us healthy," Riggins said.