DC flyover planned
This special event will take place over one of Washington, D.C.’s most restricted flight zones, P-56, something that’s never been done with GA aircraft. Spectators on the ground and online will watch the aircraft fly above the Lincoln Memorial, down Independence Avenue, and past the Washington Monument.
The flyover will consist of more than 20 different “chapters” telling the story of GA in America starting in the Golden Age and continuing to the present day. This 1953 Tri-Pacer (opposite page) represents the post-war boom. Many returning servicemen had been pilots in the war, and in the general aviation community there was every expectation that they’d want to resume flying as civilians.
A jump in the U.S. civilian pilot population of more than 100,000 in a year—to 400,000 in 1946—was driven in part by military pilots converting their certificates. Excess aircraft manufacturing capacity was redirected to serve an anticipated boom in general aviation demand. Cessna, Piper, Aeronca, and others flooded the market with inexpensive trainers, while Beech, North American, and others produced higher-performing models for business and private use.
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