Smile

What makes Larry Jacobi smile? “These old airplanes; they make me smile. And we enjoy taking people on rides. These airplanes were built as trainers in World War II. I just love taking people up in them.” The pilot was found in 2022 giving an airplane ride to Promise Road Elementary Principal Christy Martino as a reward for students’ fundraising. Jacobi has been flying airplanes for 53 years and was happy to do a flyover for the kids in his U.S. Army blue and yellow open-cockpit 1941 Stearman two-seater biplane PT-17 that was used for training in World War II. Jacobi, 78, Noblesville, a retired Noblesville High School math teacher has given hundreds of airplane rides in his Stearman over the years. He often donates a 30-minute ride in his Stearman for local charity events’ auctions. He belongs to the Noblesville Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) which meets at Noblesville Airport the first Monday of the month at 7:30 p.m., with a pitch-in dinner at 6:30 p.m. and organizes a fly-in/pancake breakfast on a Saturday morning in mid-June and mid-August. The next fly-in and pancake breakfast is 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. today at Noblesville Airport. Admission is free to the fly-in. Community invited. Breakfast tickets available this morning at the airport.