St. Louis Regional Airport Holds 29th Annual Fly-In

By Carmelo Turdo

St. Louis Regional Airport held their 29th Annual Wings-N-Wheels Fly-In on Saturday, September 27. The fly-in has been a staple event for the local aviation community for nearly three decades, attracting a variety of aircraft and the general public for an enjoyable time of flying, food and fellowship. (The popular car show portion of the event is not covered here). The event was made possible through the support of the airport management, EAA Chapter 864 and other area chapters, Piston Aviation and the exhibitors and sponsors who contributed their time and resources throughout the year.

The Aero Experience begins our coverage with the sunrise over the airport's iconic F-4 Phantom display, a visit from Airport Director Danny Adams and the EAA Young Eagles program tent featuring aerospace educational activities. Young Eagle flights were given at no charge to youth aged 8-17 on Sunday.  

The Wings-N-Wheels Fly-In offered other interactive exhibits and information booths provided by Southwestern Illinois College (SWIC) Aviation Program, Illinois State Police, Illinois Wing Civil Air Patrol, U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps, Illinois Army National Guard and Piston Aviation flight training school among others.

The apron filled up with aircraft as the morning arrivals continued. Here we feature a survey of the fly-ins, including two special attractions. Dean Owen from Paducah, KY brought the Pivotal Blackfly E-VTOL personal transportation prototype aircraft for display. The Aero Experience will provide further coverage of the aircraft program, along with our interview with Mr. Owen, in a future post. Also, a crew from Air Methods Arch Air Medical Service Granite City Base paid a short visit to the fly-in and opened up their helicopter to visitors.