In case you missed it, the Big Show has moved!

Dee Whittington, or Richmond, VA, sent me the following news release to remind everybody of a huge change in what has grown into a Virginia tradition:

Dee: The 10-year-old Virginia Regional EAA Fly-in will now be known as the Virginia Regional Festival of Flight. The new name complies with a directive from the Experimental Aircraft Association in Oshkosh, Wisconsin to better let the public know of the continuing independent status of the event. The 2008 Virginia Regional Festival of Flight, previously named the Virginia Regional EAA Fly-in, will be held at the Suffolk Executive Airport on June 14-15, 2008 heralding a second decade of expansion. Having outgrown the Dinwiddie County Airport, the move to the Suffolk Airport (SFQ) will offer exciting possibilities for increasing the full range of Fly-In activities, including forums, workshops, aviation vendor displays, aircraft demonstration flights, activities for young people and acres of parking for attendees either flying or driving in. Upgraded RV camping facilities will also be featured.

The Council invites all pilots, aircraft owners, homebuilders and anyone interested in personal aviation to visit the web site for the latest information. The new fly-in location, only 40 miles west of the major Hampton Roads cities of Norfolk, Virginia Beach and Chesapeake and 15 miles north of the North Carolina State line, offers an ideal venue for growth.

An exciting addition to this year's event will be the ability of aircraft vendors to give demonstrations throughout the day. Another planned addition is providing grouped parking for type clubs and show planes who contact the Manager, Judy Sparks via email: JHSparks@comcast.net or by phone at 703-590-9112.

A "live" volunteer form for anyone who would like to volunteer is on the www.VirginiaFlyIn.org web site. Signing up as soon as possible will allow you to pick the area and time best for you, and allow a dramatic increase in efficiency for the Volunteer Coordinator.

Aviation and Technology Days at Morgantown April 22 to 23rd, 2006

It rained. Oh, how it rained. But still, they came.

Aviation and Technology Days could have been a washout, but only without the visitors. It rained buckets on Saturday but still, School kids brought their parents to see airplanes, to touch airplanes and to ride airplanes, no matter what the weatherman said. And, all in all, you have to say that the event at KMGW, Morgantown, WV was enjoyed by everyone who showed up and "made a splash."

This young man got to try the controls of a Blackhawk 'chopper.' His wrap-around grin tells you what he thought about it.

Sponsored by the local CAP and EAA chapter with input from Fairmont State College, the High Tech Consortium, NASA, the National Guard and others, the annual affair is dedicated to kids as a way of expanding their horizons. It does a good job.

They explored the line in packs.

No, that column of cloud to the north is not a tornado; it's steam from a large powerplant. Makes a great wind-sock.

I kept my 415-C Ercoupe indoors, but open to all visitors. I stayed with it and talked about the little 'coupe all day. It was like working in a small museum. By sundown the airplane was covered with finger and nose-prints and I didn't mind a bit.

And, toward the end of the day, the skies dried enough for the Young Eagles to go fly. A couple of them wanted to go more than once.

Yep, it turned out to be a very good day all around. Even the ducks were happy.

If you have an event at your airport, why not let me know? This is a great place to show it off. If you let me know soon enough, I'll put it on the calendar, too.

Jim Slade

Click for more Headline News.