Airfield Letter July 2024

Alex Nelon and Mark Cigal

7/2/20242 min read

Hot as a firecracker doesn’t begin to describe Young Eagles Day at the Airfield on June 30th! Four pilots from the EAA chapter flew, I think, 11 kids ranging in age from 8-17 .. some for their first flights in a General Aviation airplane. A good time was had by all but wow! Was it hot! Special thanks to Museum (and EAA) Members Jerry and Nancy Marstall, Jean Toxen, Mike Cavanaugh and Docent Extraordinaire and Museum Board Member Bill Kelder for opening the Museum early and manning the registration, briefing the passengers and their parents and seeing to a safe and enjoyable day. Special thanks also to Sid Tolchin and Eric McMahan for showing our young passengers how an airplane’s flight controls work, using Eric’s ultralight Phantom. I apologize for not taking pictures to share!

Thanks go to Glenn Gordon, Jerry Moore and Greg Collins for keeping up with mowing … the Airfield looks better than it has in a very long time. A much-needed drainage ditch cleanout should be accomplished over the next couple of weeks, before we see our late summer, hurricane inspired rains.

Last month we reported plans to renovate the Airfield restroom and those plans are still in the picture. It seems the more we plan, the more we are faced with distractions such as broken water pipes on the property and electrical power in the Museum T hangar building. Old infrastructure is getting attention; those things must be addressed sooner rather than later … our wants are taking a back seat temporarily, but I promise we’ll be back drumming for support very soon.

Our hangar spaces are 100% rented and the waiting list is holding steady. Our little Airfield is a desirable place for airplane owners, especially since availability (and recent escalations in the cost) of light airplane hangarage in our surrounding area have become a great concern. We have not increased hangar rents since we bought the Airfield and even with a planned, modest increase for our Museum hangar tenants after the first of the year to bring all our rents to parity, we’re holding the line on increases. We don’t want the little guy to be priced out of airplane ownership. After all, without light airplanes and the people who fly them; without the pilots and supporters who introduce young people to aviation; without places like our Museum and our little Airfield to light the fires and spark the dreams of a life in the air, where will the pilots, mechanics and would-be enthusiasts find the encouragement to make the leap and join our ranks?

Not much to report this time around – we’ll try to keep making progress one bit at a time and keep you posted as we go.