2016 AOPA Fly-In locations have tales to tell
Each of the areas selected as a site for one of the 2016 AOPA Fly-Ins has a rich and interesting aviation tale to tell.
Beaufort, North Carolina, AOPA Fly-In May 21, 2016
DID YOU KNOW: Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station, about 30 miles west of Beaufort, is home to the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing. It was an alternate emergency landing site for the space shuttle when it was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Beaufort’s Michael J. Smith Airport is named for the pilot of the space shuttle Challenger, which blew up January 28, 1986.
Bremerton, Washington, AOPA Fly-In August 20, 2016
DID YOU KNOW: Boeing’s Everett factory at Paine Field is the largest building in the world by volume (472,370,319 cubic feet). It covers 98.3 acres.
Battle Creek, Michigan, AOPA Fly-In September 17, 2016
DID YOU KNOW: Battle Creek is home of the manufacturer of the Waco YMF–5D and Great Lakes 2T–1A biplanes. Waco Aircraft is the world’s only producer of new FAA- and EASA-certified open-cockpit sport biplanes.
Prescott, Arizona, AOPA Fly-In October 1, 2016
DID YOU KNOW: Prescott is home to a branch of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world’s largest fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace—and what Time magazine once called the “Harvard of the sky.” Facilities at the Prescott campus include the Aerospace Experimentation and Fabrication Building, a wind tunnel lab with one supersonic and four subsonic wind tunnels, and the Robertson Aircraft Accident Investigation Laboratory—the most complete facility of its kind in the country.
Opportunities to tour many of these sites are being developed. Check online for updates.
Jeremy Elson (bottom image)
Related Articles
