Greenville, IL Airstravaganza Shares Love of Flight With Local Community, Part 1: Event Overview

By Carmelo Turdo

The Greenville Airstravaganza, a favorite Midwest Aviation fall fly-in, was held October 6 at Greenville Municipal Airport in central Illinois. The event is more than a fly-in - it is a family-friendly, community gathering with fun activities, good food and, of course, aviation!  Organized by the Greenville Pilots Association and the Greenville Airport Authority, the annual Airstravaganza provides the opportunity for local residents to experience aviation first-hand by visiting with pilots, touring classic cars and display aircraft, and flying in a Cessna 172, Robinson R44 helicopter or World War II-era aircraft. Regular arrivals of general aviation aircraft, RC aerobatic aircraft shows, skydiving demonstrations by Gateway Skydiving Center and overflights by Kevin Kegin’s American Warbird AT-6D Texan kept everyone’s eyes to the skies.

Greenville, IL Municipal Airport recently celebrated its 52nd anniversary. The permanent certification of Greenville Municipal Airport was granted February 2, 1966, following almost 40 years of aviation development in the area. Early aviation activities in the Bond County area included appearances by barnstormers in the 1920's, including Charles Lindbergh, who also made an unscheduled landing during a St. Louis to Chicago mail flight. The first landing strip in Bond County was located near a newly installed navigation beacon north of Greenville. Illinois Power Company was looking for a local airport to base the aircraft it used for inspecting rural power lines from the air, adding to the demand for a local airport in Greenville.  

St. Louis-based Mark Air was the first fixed base operator, and company president, Joe Morris, the first airport administrator. The airport quickly added maintenance facilities, flight training and hangars throughout the next few decades. It has grown to support 45 general aviation aircraft, the corporate aviation needs of local businesses and the government's air transportation to the Greenville federal prison. Based at the airport are the Greenville Pilots Association, Atlantic Ag Aviation, Gateway Skydiving Center, and Air Evac Life Team. Greenville Municipal Airport offers a 4,000'x75' paved runway and 2,800' grass runway. The terminal is staffed daily and 100LL/Jet A fuels are available. 

The Aero Experience was on site again this year to bring comprehensive coverage in a series of posts. In this first story in our series, we present an overview of the day's activities, on the ground and in the air. Highlights include:

  

            

This year’s event included the return of Brad Deckert with his World War II-era Grumman TBM Avenger torpedo bomber. Brad Deckert, owner of an electrical contracting business in Eureka, IL, keeps his Avenger at Illinois Valley Airport in Peru, IL. His aircraft was delivered by the General Motors Eastern Aircraft Division to the U.S. Navy in March of 1945, and served with Marine Torpedo Bombing Squadron 234 aboard an escort aircraft carrier during the Okinawa campaign. The aircraft served in various units until the mid 1950s, when it was acquired by civilian operators for fire fighting and spraying duties. Deckert acquired the aircraft in 2008, and has since done extensive restoration to make the aircraft not only airworthy, but well on its way to being the most complete example of its type. He feels that it merits top three honors so far. 

It is a sobering thought that a one-time first-line combat aircraft, a torpedo bomber with three crew members that was once maintained and flown by operational military units, was on display for anyone who visited Greenville Municipal Airport Saturday. Keeping these aircraft flying, let alone looking pristine, is a challenge. He told The Aero Experience that it takes about 25 hours of maintenance for each hour of flight. He also said that he has a core group of maintenance personnel that help keep the warbird flying regularly and a large cache of spare parts. He also has the capability of making parts that are no longer available. Deckert flew the Avenger several times, including several passes with an accompanying T-34 Mentor trainer as the storm clouds rolled in later in the afternoon.

The Aero Experience thanks the event staff and participants for their hospitality during our visit. Check back soon for several more posts in this series as we bring much more coverage of the 2018 Greenville Airstravaganza!