Airport to host second Fly-In on April 30

If things go as planned Perryville residents may want to keep an eye to the sky in the near future.
The Perryville Municipal Airport will host its second annual “Spring Fly-In” event beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday, April 30. 
The event is a way for locals to learn about and celebrate the world of aviation.
“It’s an exciting day for our community, especially anyone who is curious about flight,” said Greg Gremminger, Perryville Airport Board Member. “We hope to have various types of aviation on site including airplanes, helicopters, ultralights, gyroplanes, RC model displays and drones.”
A fly-in is when pilots, who arrive by air, gather for a showing of their planes similar to a car show. Unlike a typical air show, a “Fly-in” is a display of planes lined up. Visitors will be able to see the planes up close and talk with pilots.
“In addition to talking to pilots, we’ll have representatives from two flight schools (SIU-Carbondale School of Aviation and SEMO Flight School) to provide information on training to become a pilot as well as planning a career in aviation,” Gremminger said.
During the first year of the event in May 2021, it was estimated that there were a total of 400 people who visited and participated in events that day.
“There were quite a bit more people than we expected,” Airport Systems Operator Barbara Maxwell said. “We thought it would be a small event and it turned into something much bigger.”
Maxwell noted about 400 people is the “benchmark” for the number they are expecting this year as well.
“It wasn’t like there were 400 people at the airport at one time,” she said. “Some people came in and left, some people stayed all day. It did rain that day, so we shut down early, or we could have had more.”
Gremminger said besides showcasing the airport as a great community asset for Perryville, he hopes kids will come and enjoy the activities. 
“We’re getting back to ‘grassroots’ aviation with a paper airplane flying distance competition at 1 p.m.,” said Gremminger. “Youngsters between 6-12 are invited to bring their paper airplanes made at home or use the paper and instructions available at the Fly-in. First, second and third place winners will receive McDonald’s gift cards.” 

There will be hangar exhibits, free refreshments (brats, hotdogs and chips), and drawings for helicopter rides courtesy of Cape Copters and other attendance prizes. 
Maxwell also hopes that these types of events will help residents recognize that the Perryville Municipal Airport services pilots and planes take off and land there every day. The airport has a 7,000 x 100 foot concrete runway equipped with medium intensity runway lights and runway end identifier lights which allow various types of air crafts, including jets, to use the facility.  
“There are companies in Cape Girardeau that will charter flights here out of here,” Maxwell said. “If you have the means you can fly in and out of here with no problems. Traffic can be busy here, especially with West Star doing its maintenance work here.”
Should rain put a damper on the event, the fly-in will be held on Sunday, May 1.
“We are certainly not hoping for any of that,” Maxwell said.

Young Eagles Event

The fly-in is not the only event scheduled at the airport. There is a Young Eagles event scheduled for June. The Experimental Aircraft Association will put on an event geared towards kids ages 8-17 to get them interested in aviation.
“Pilots will take the kids in the air for about 15-20 minutes,” Maxwell said. “We will have anywhere from 3-6 pilots depending on how many sign up. The idea is to get them interested in flying because there is a shortage of pilots right now.”
The event is free and as of now there are 35 kids signed up for the event.
While there are many who will fly on that day, that is not all that is offered during the event. There will also be some hands-on demonstrations available.
“Some may not want to go into the air and be interested in flying,” Maxwell said. “We do offer activities on the mechanics side, where they may learn how to make rivets in aircraft.”
There will be more information available at the Fly-in for those interested.