SAVING SIMSBURY AIRPORT TABLE OF CONTENTS his airport, and this great event, may not exist beyond Saving Simsbury Airport 1 T the year 2017. The lease on this property expires in two Exhibitors 5 years. Unless it is renewed, or the airport is acquired by town Advertisers 5 or state governments, Simsbury Airport’s long history of service to this community will end. Parachuting In 6 Porter & Chester Institute 9 Airports all over the country have been closing at Attractions 10 an alarming rate. Recent closures in Connecticut include Johnnycake Airport in Burlington/Harwinton, and Griswold Seminars 13 airport in Madison. Skylark Airport in East Windsor will Flying FAQ 14 be out of business at year end. Every such closure means Space Shuttle Paper Airplane 14 that more and more airplanes are crowded into the remain- Memories of World War II 17 ing airports. The result is even greater congestion of the EAA Chapter 324 22 already-crowded skies. The country’s aviation infrastructure Event Map 25 is deteriorating. Schedule of Events 27 We need your support so this disturbing trend can be The Family Wagon 29 reversed. Simsbury Airport should be able to continue serv- HI Flying 32 ing this community, as it has for many years. Green/Yellow Tent 36 We have a rich history. Our operations began in Feb- Become a Young Eagle 41 ruary of 1941, when this was a civilian flying field with two Why We Fly 45 grass runways and a handful of airplanes. When World War In the Line of Fire 47 2 began late in the same year, the airport quickly became the 2015 Fly-In Committee 51 scene of much war-related activ- Special Thanks 51 ity. (Continued Page 3) Musical Performers 52 Simsbury Aircraft Maintenance 52 simsburyflyin.com 1 2 simsburyairport.com (Continued from Page 1 - Saving Simsbury Airport) the local towns. We are used as a staging area for local first The airport shifted away from civilian operations, responders. Corporate aircraft, especially including heli- and soon its primary focus was on military use. It became copters, ferry executives to New York and Boston. This past the home for a unit of the Civil Air Patrol and was a busy July, we were the home airport for the National Conven- military pilot training field. High school students came tion of the Cessna 180/185 pilots, bringing tourists to town to the airport after classes to assist in the war effort. Air from all around the US and Canada. Shows were held here to encourage local citizens to buy As you might guess, many of the aircraft based here War Bonds. We were a test site for the Pioneer Parachute are used for pleasure and recreation. But quite a few are Company, which developed large parachutes to drop cargo used as business tools for pilots who travel around the re- and even bombs. gion as salespersons, consultants, or company owners. Our When the war ended, Simsbury Airport was a sales flight school - Future Flyers of Connecticut - is an active location for surplus military aircraft. The field was crowded business that trains new pilots. Simsbury Aircraft Main- with many used but serviceable airplanes awaiting auction. tenance services aircraft, including many that come here Some of them were torpedo bombers that were converted from other airports. into crop sprayers and remained here for many years. And as you know, we are the home of the annual Immediately following the war, the airport was a bee- Simsbury Fly-In and Car Show. This is its 30th year. It is hive of activity as returning military pilots bought airplanes the largest event of its kind in the Northeastern USA. We and veterans used the GI Bill to earn pilot’s licenses. Air- attract many thousands of spectators and participants from craft dealerships were established, along with maintenance all around the region. They stay at local hotels, eat at our facilities and charter flight operations. nearby restaurants, and bring tourism dollars to the area. Our show is a great advertisement for Simsbury. Many young people began their aviation careers here. Some who had learned to fly at Simsbury joined the air- We are now engaged in serious negotiations about lines. Others became aircraft mechanics or took manage- our future. Two avenues for preservation of Simsbury Air- ment positions in aviation-related businesses. The airport port are under discussion. One is to renew our lease with also rented office space to non-aviation businesses, thus the owner of the property. The other is the possibility that providing employment and economic development for Simsbury and East Granby, or the State, could acquire the airport. Town/State airport ownership is common, both here and around the USA. Many Connecticut airports are owned by the state or by the towns in which they are located. These include Meriden, Waterbury Oxford, Hartford/Brainard, Bradley, Danielson, and a number of others. Most recently, Robertson Airport was acquired by the town of Plainville, using grants from the Federal Avia- tion Administration. The result has been a major upswing in economic development in that area. Plainville has found it can operate its airport at a profit. We fully expect that would also be true here, since Simsbury Airport is already fully self-supporting. Preservation of Simsbury Airport would retain valu- able open space and wetlands. Once its future is assured, investors would be more willing to start businesses here. The state’s transportation infrastructure would be more se- cure. The unique quality of life in this area, with great golf courses, top-notch education, music venues, bike trails.. and a local airport... would be furthered. Please lend your support to our efforts to keep this wonderful and historic airport in operation. To help, contact our Airport Man- ager Brad Griswold at 860-459-1575. Let’s work together so Simsbury Airport will continue to be a part of our community forever. simsburyflyin.com 3 Services Offered: Dealerships: • Repairs • Aspen • Installations • Avidyne • VFR/IFR • Century Biennials • Garmin • Autopilot • Honeywell/ • New/Used Bendix-King Equipment • Insight Sales/Service • JP Instruments • ADS-B Solutions • L-3 for Jan 2020 Mandate • PS Engineering • S-TEC/Genesys • Whelen By Renee Granata Illustrated by Chrissy Kryszat Gift Set Available Contact: [email protected] www.facebook.com/maxwellmoosington 4 simsburyairport.com EXHIBITORS ADVERTISER INDEX 43rd Airplane Club Interval House Aetna Ambulance 44 Mario’s Tuscany Grill & Bar 48 99s John Race Biplane Rides Aircraft Spruce 26 McLeanCare 38 A4 Mockup Display Lancair AMP Radio 15 Mitchell Auto Group 3 American Excellence Garage Doors Leaf Filter Angelo’s on Main Rockledge 1 Mooney Aircraft 46 Aviat Husky Legend Cub Avon Cosmetics Lemonade Ascent/World Fuel Services 43 NBAA 40 Ben & Jerry’s LifeStar Beacon Mechanical 7 New England Air Museum 13 Berkshire Aviation Lionel Landing Berkshire Aviation 53 Northwest Community Bank 48 Bloomfield Bicycle Mary Kay Cosmetics Big Y 2 Northwestern Mutual 49 BMI Maui Wowi Smoothies Biznuzz 6 Paine’s 44 Bradley Taffy Meriden Markham Airport BMI 49 Phonon 8 Build Right Fly Right Hobbies Mooney Aircraft Bradley Int’l Airport Inside Front Cover Piper - Columbia Aircraft 18 Central CT RC Club National Parts Depot Brett Stone 48 Porter & Chester 9 Cessna New England Urgent Care Build Right Fly Right Hobbies 49 RAMCO 33 Cirrus Aircraft Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome Cambridge Brew Pub 12 Rogo Distributors 45 Coffee 55 Packleaders Rescue of CT Crowley Auto Group Peoples Products Canton Auto Supply 51 Sensenich Props 20 CT Creamery Plymouth Rockin Poppin Kettle Korn Cape Code Fence Co. 47 Sherwin Williams 8 Ct. Flight Club Porter & Chester Institute Capitol Lighting 5 Signature Flight Service 11 Cubcrafters Protectors of Animals Chesnut Specialties, Inc 49 Simsbury Bank 49 Dorr Aviation Rans Aircraft - B & B Aviation Cirrus Aircraft Back Cover SportCruiser 43 Doug’s Creations Roy Enterprises Classic Hotels - Simsbury Inn 19 Stellar Avionics 4 Dr. Energy Saver RV12 - CHI Aerospace Fuels Dynamic Auto Works 42 Sullivan Auto Group 50 East Coast PPG’s Shriners Ed The Treeman 31 Sutton James Insurance 34 Evektor Lt. Sport Simmons Aviation E.N.E. Realty Associates Inc. 45 TBM - Columbia Aircraft 18 Exxel Avionics Sting Light Sport FAA Safety Team Sportcruiser - US Sport Aviation European Car 51 TD Bank 37 Farmington Valley Equipment Talcott Mountain Academy Exxel Avionics 52 Tower Energy Banner Tow Farmington Valley Trails Council Town of Simsbury Farmington Valley Equipment 24 Trade-a-Plane 39 FlightDesign - CHI Aerospace Fuels Toy Cars & Planes Fire Equipment Headquarters 49 Union Savings Bank 48 Fred Astaire Valenti Auto Group Fitzgerald’s Foods 16 Univair 22 Fried Dough Valley Energy FlightDesign - CHI Aerospace Fuels 44 VIP Avionics 47 Future Flyers of CT VFW Future Flyers of Connecticut 21 Westfield Bank 30 Grafix T-Shirts Villari’s Martial Arts Center Grasshelper 23 Wicks Aircraft 41 Grasshelper Waddell and Reed Interstate Aviation 36 Windsor Federal Savings 51 Hagerty Insurance Warner Theater Lee Brown Company 11 Zlotnick Construction 48 Ham Radio Operators WDRC Hello Sweetie Bake Shop We Adopt Greyhounds, Inc Lightspeed Aviation 28 Huntington Learning Center Westfield Bank EVENT SPONSORS IN RED simsburyflyin.com 5 chefs, engineers, retirees and everything inbetween. Their PARACHUTING IN PPG’s can be carried in the trunks of their cars, so when they find a suitable launch area, they can quickly unpack ou are about to see something quite unusual between and go flying. Y9 and 10 AM this morning: a formation arrival of as Like other adventure sports, it’s as safe or danger- many as ten powered paragliders. If you haven’t seen these ous as the pilot makes it. Powered Paragliding has a very machines in flight, be prepared to be surprised and delight- good safety record amongst pilots that have been properly ed.