About 10 years ago, Andrew King and Frank Pavliga were flying their antique airplanes over eastern Indiana. They decided to land on an alfalfa field on a dairy farm to take some pictures, never realizing how that would change not only their lives, but the lives of the farmer, his family and the community.

The farmer, Matt Dirksen, thought he had seen two planes crash, so he rushed to the field in a truck with two of his sons in tow.

Nervous, the pilots initially made up a story about engine trouble, but when the saw the excitement in the young boys’ eyes at seeing the planes, they harkened back to the days of the barnstormers and offered the boys their first flights.

A little while later, as the two barnstormers prepared to take off on their return home, Dirksen invited them back, promising a barbecue. Never one to pass up a free meal, the pilots returned the following year, and the next, and the next, each time bringing more planes and making more friends.

Now, the event attracts hundreds of people from the nearby community, who enjoy a day of flying, food, and good, old-fashioned fun.

For the past three years, filmmakers Bryan Reichhardt and Paul Glenshaw have traveled to Indiana to film the annual reunion. Their documentary, “Barnstorming,” immerses the viewer in the annual event, capturing the excitement leading up to the reunion from the family’s and the pilots’ perspectives.

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