How to go
What: Veterans Appreciation Day
When: Pancake fly-in begins at 7 a.m. Displays will be open around 8:30 a.m., with events continuing throughout the day
Where: Grimes Field, 1636 N. Main St., Urbana
Cost: $1 per person
Officials hope a day of special events and a chance to honor area veterans could draw thousands to historic Grimes Field Airport Saturday.
Airport officials and area veterans organizations wanted to add some excitement to the air field’s annual Champaign County Pilots Club pancake breakfast fly-in, which typically hosts between 100 to 150 aircraft from across the U.S. This year, organizers will also host a “Veterans Appreciation Day,” since 2015 marks the 40th anniversary of the official end of the Vietnam War.
The event will include displays of military vehicles, Vietnam-era helicopter rides and an air show by the Trojan Horsemen Demonstration Team. It could draw as many as 4,000 visitors to Urbana, said Lou Driever, airport manager at Grimes Field.
“We’re taking the pancake fly-in and livening it up a little bit,” Driever said.
There are several reasons Driever is expecting big crowds. The event will provide activities all day, including a 5 p.m. ceremony to honor Champaign County veterans killed in the war, as well as a flag retirement ceremony at 8 p.m. Despite the displays, helicopter rides and other activities, the entrance fee is only $1 per person.
“Here you can bring the kids or the grandkids, and for a buck per person you can have a great couple of hours,” Driever said.
Several area veterans organizations will also be on hand, including the local Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Disabled American Veterans and Honor Flight. Besides more than a dozen Vietnam-era aircraft on display, the event is expected to include displays of U.S. military Chinook and Blackhawk helicopters, as well as a helicopter from the U.S. Coast Guard.
Residents can also purchase flights for $75 on a Bell UH-1 Huey Helicopter or $300 on a Bell AH-1 Cobra Helicopter.
Numerous fixed wing aircraft will also be on display. Eventually, organizers would like to use the annual fly-in to help mark other future anniversaries, including honoring veterans of the first Gulf War, Driever said. Ideally, the events will help make more people aware of Grimes Field, as well as the Champaign Aviation Museum and Grimes Flying Laboratory, he said.
“We’ve got a wonderful airport here and we’d like to showcase our talents,” Driever said. “This is a great opportunity to do that.”
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