'AOPA ePilot' helps boost fly-in activities across the country
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| AOPA member Ellen Lasley Murphy ( AOPA 01249490) of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, encouraged a local child's interest in aviation at the Oct. 28 fly-in at Valor Field near New Market, Virginia, by putting him in the pilot seat of her Cessna 172. |
AOPA's weekly electronic ePilot newsletter is listing general aviation fly-in activities all over the country. Such events help build community acceptance of airports, particularly privately owned, public-use airports, which are closing at the rate of more than one every two weeks.
Among the five events promoted in the October 27 edition of AOPA ePilot was the October 28 Fall Foliage Hot Air Balloon Rally and Aircraft Fly-In at Valor Field, a privately owned, public-use airport near historic New Market, Virginia. Despite gusty winds from mid-morning on, an estimated 400 pilots, their friends, and townspeople gathered for a day of general aviation fun and education. About 10 aircraft flew in for the event, including a vintage radial-engine Lockheed Lodestar.
Events sponsored by the airport included a pancake breakfast, hot air balloon launches early in the day, sky-diving demonstrations, and sightseeing rides. Washington Flight Standards District Office Safety Program Manager Karen Arendt and FAA Operations Inspector Joe Mullen presented safety seminars, while FAA Maintenance Inspector Dale Kerns offered free FAA aircraft inspections as part of the FAA's Pilot and Aircraft Courtesy Evaluation (PACE).
AOPA's ePilot is sent every Friday to AOPA members who request it. Now with a subscription base of more than 175,000 members, it contains up-to-date news on general aviation, reports on innovative equipment, and details on Washington happenings that affect pilots and aircraft owners. A complete calendar in each edition concentrates on GA events for that weekend, including fly-ins. A free subscription to ePilot is available online.
00-4-046x
November 1, 2000
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