Comments (0) | |

Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009

Airplanes on show at Perry-Houston airport

The Collings Foundation will bring its Wings of Freedom tour to the Perry-Houston County Airport this weekend as part of an open house.

The airplanes that are planned to be at the event are the Consolidated B-24 Liberator, the North American P-51 Mustang and the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. The foundation is a non-profit group that restores aircraft and allows people to fly aboard the planes.

The Museum of Aviation also will bring its F-15 flight simulator. The Experimental Aircraft Association, which is based at the Houston County Airpark off Ga. 96, is bringing its Youth Eagle Program. The program introduces children to the world of airplane flying.

Also in attendance will be the Georgia State Patrol with a helicopter, Middle Georgia Technical College and a 1925 barnstormer plane.

Airport manager Patsy Goff, who has been with the airport for 2 1/2 years, said she wants the community to be involved with the airport.

“I want people to see what a true treasure we have here,” Goff said.

The airport is renovating its 400-acre site, including moving a taxiway, installing new medium intensity lights, expanding a taxi lane and using special purpose local option sales tax money to create a new road near the facility.

The Perry airport now will have the same equipment that is used at the Macon airport, Goff said.

The airport used several grants to fund the project, which costs more than $1 million.

Goff said she hoped the project would be complete in time for the open house, but “the time line didn’t work out.”

Goff said she has about 20 people on a waiting list for hangar space at the airport, although the facility is still working on finding funding to make that happen.

Currently, the site hosts 70 planes, and Goff hopes to add more corporate businesses.

“We expanded the taxi lane to the main ramp to attract more corporate businesses to the area,” she said.

IF YOU GO

If you go

What: Wings of Freedom tour

When: Noon to 4 p.m. Thursday; 9:30 a.m to 4 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Where: Perry-Houston County Airport

Cost: $12/adults, $6/children for walk-through tours; $425 for a flight aboard the planes

More information: 987-3713