Air Day

Take a deep breath. Air keeps us alive. With the notable exception of anaerobic bacteria, living things need oxygen to survive. Not pure oxygen, mind you. That would be too much of a good thing. Air (usually) has just the right mix of gases and, for that, we owe it a debt of gratitude. If Air were sitting on the barstool next to you, you’d slap it on the back and buy it a drink.

But Air Day doesn’t celebrate Earth’s unique blend of gases.

November 11, 1929, was named Air Day by Governor Lawrence Judd to commemorate the first commercial air service flights between the Hawaiian Islands. Two Sikorsky S-38 planes flew from John Rodgers Airport, later renamed Honolulu International Airport, to the Big Island with a stop on Maui. Forty-nine military planes escorted them as far as Diamond Head; six accompanied them all the way to Hilo.

Four planes were put into service on the route. More than 10,000 passengers flew on Inter-Island Airways in 1930, its first full year of service, an astonishing number considering there were only eight seats on each plane. Cruising at about 110 miles per hour, the flight, including the stop, took about three hours.

Impressive. We suggest a couple of other air-related festivities worth celebrating.

Air Guitar Day – Air guitar is a form of dance and movement in which a person pretends to play a non-existent guitar, including riffs and solos. It requires exaggerated strumming and picking motions, often including lip-synching, to simulate a raucous performance.

Air guitar simulates the raucous sound of electric or acoustic guitar. The 30th Annual Air Guitar World Championship was held on August 22, 2025, in Oulu, Finland. Finnish air guitarist Aapo “The Angus” Rautio won by a hair, beating out Yuta Sudo “Sudo-chan” of Japan.

Air Hockey Day– Two players compete to score goals on a special low-friction table. Traditional tables blow a cushion of air through tiny holes onto the surface to increase play speed. Others eschew machinery and use a slick, often plastic, surface to reduce manufacturing costs.

Touchscreen tables are available but are not yet recognized by the United States Air Hockey Association (USAA), which celebrated its 50th anniversary in August with the 2025 World Air Hockey Championships held at the Margaritaville Lake Resort in Conroe, Texas.

Would you like to help make Air Guitar Day and Air Hockey Day official? Find your Congresspeople’s phone numbers in this directory and call now.

Have a happy Air Day!