The last time the Perryville Regional Airport hosted a large number of aircraft and a crowd of local residents was during the solar eclipse in 2017, when it served as one of the official viewing sites.
“There were tons of people from all over the country,” said airport systems operator Barbara Maxwell. “The airport was the place to be.”
If things go as planned, it might be again in a few weeks, when area residents will once again be urged to keep an eye on the sky. If things go according to plan, the airport will play host to a Spring Fly-In on May 15.
“It’s kind of like a car show,” Airport Systems Operator Barbara Maxwell said. “People fly in and park their aircrafts. We will have vendors that will talk about different kinds of services. We want to get kids and young adults interested in flight and maybe becoming a pilot. We also want to raise awareness that Perryville has a functional airport that people actually use. The pilots also love to get together and talk shop.”
According to Maxwell, this will be the first fly-in at the airport.
“The closest thing we’ve had, I think was during the solar eclipse, when we had so many people fly in to watch,” Maxwell said.
Along with the fun event Maxwell hopes it brings a sense of knowledge into the world of aviation.
“I have a daughter who’s been up in a plane and just doesn’t seem interested,” Maxwell said. “There is a lot of unclaimed scholarship money that could go to people with a pilot license. You can actually get a pilot license before you get a driver’s license. There are a lot of opportunities in flight.”
