Fly-in planned for this Saturday at county airport
By Matthew Whittle
Published in News on October 26, 2007 1:45 PM
The Goldsboro-Wayne Municipal Airport will host a Federal Aviation Administration Wings Day Fly-in on Saturday beginning at 7:30 a.m.
The event, which is sponsored by the FAA and the North Carolina Department of Transportation, is primarily for licensed pilots and their families.
It is an opportunity, explained FAA spokesman Bob Sutherlin, for pilots to attend seminars on subjects such as runway safety, aeronautical decision-making, survival tactics for pilots and night flying.
Most seminars are worth a half hour of Wings credit.
Pilots also will able to train on a flight simulator, as well as complete their flight reviews with a flight instructor.
Most of the time, Sutherlin explained, pilots only have to demonstrate their skills once every two years to keep their licenses.
Under the Wings program, however, pilots must pass a review once every year, and, he added, it's a much stricter test.
The advantage, though, he explained, is that it allows them to receive discounts on their insurance bills.
"We get quite a few pilots who volunteer for the program," Sutherlin said.
In addition, there also will be demonstration flights, as well as several booths set up to display new light sport and new certified ultralight and homebuilt aircraft.
Free flights for children also will be available.
Then, once the day's activities are over, a Wings Fly-in party will be held, featuring those master pilots with more than 50 years of flying experience. The reception will begin at 4:30 p.m., with dinner to be served at 5:30 p.m.
So far, only about 40 pilots have pre-registered, but Sutherlin said, with more than 700 e-mail invitations sent out, he expects many more to come Saturday morning.
Last year, the event saw 200 pilots and 85 airplanes come in for the day.