St. Louis Regional Airport Holds Annual Fly-In

By Carmelo Turdo

St. Louis Regional Airport held their much anticipated annual Fall Fly-In September 25. The fly-in has been a staple event for the local aviation community for decades, attracting aircraft based at the area's airports and the general public for an enjoyable time of flying, food and fellowship. A wide variety of aircraft were represented this year, including appearances by the Missouri CAF Wing B-25J Mitchell Show Me and Aeronca L-3E Lil' Show Me along with the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation Gateway Chapter AH-1F Cobra. 

The Aero Experience was on site during the morning hours to cover the arrivals and the launch of the Missouri CAF Wing B-25J for the first ride of the day. Here we include over 100 photos of the aircraft and airport grounds that highlight our visit.

The first thing people see as they drive into the parking lot is a McDonnell Douglas F-4C Phantom II jet on display. The jet, serial number 63-7491, was made in St. Louis and first flew in 1964 before delivery to the U.S. Air Force. It served in Vietnam, trained pilots in air combat tactics and flew interceptor missions with the Air National Guard in Hawaii. It served as a trainer for ground crews until it was retired and eventually made available for display at the airport. It has been repainted twice, the last time in the summer of 2019, by Joe Steimann and a crew of volunteers. Here we show the aircraft as it appeared last Saturday and Sunday. We also include the airport's control tower and the memorial flag pole with the original Civic Memorial Airport dedication plaque.

One of the exhibits at the fly-in was the RC Aircraft display, including the unique World War II-era Radioplane OQ-2A aerial target restored by Jack Beetz. This example, serial number 42-1249, was acquired from a local antique store in 2018 complete with shipping papers and packed recovery parachute. Signatures of the builders or inspectors can be seen on the uncovered wing parts. Also included here are some modern RC aircraft from the East Side RC Club on display and in flight.

The aircraft featured below represent individual owners, flying clubs and aviation businesses from the St. Louis and surrounding areas. Here we survey the lineup, including the arrival of the B-25J Show Me and the AH-1F Cobra. We also show the departure of the B-25J on one of two scheduled rides of the day.

The Aero Experience thanks everyone who participated in the St. Louis Regional Airport Fly-In last weekend. We will cover the OQ-2A aerial target and the Sunday Young Eagle flights in future posts.