Aviation tour group to land at refurbished airport October 4
Rogers City?s newly renovated airport will be showcased Saturday, October 4 during one of the stops on this years Michigan fall tour. The Michigan Aviation Association, whose purpose is to promote and advance aviation, aviation education and safety throughout the state, sponsors the Michigan Air Tour (MAT). The purpose of MAT ?03, as in other years, is to promote Michigan airports by raising visibility of their contribution to local economies.
Airports visited are those that benefit from federal, state and/or local funding for improvements to their facilities.
THE ROGERS CITY airport received nearly $2 million in improvements this summer, including a new runway, lighting, and improved taxiways. This will be the first public event at the airport, with a ribbon cutting by the Michigan Department of Transportation expected at the end of October. A plaque and proclamation will be presented to local officials. Most Michigan airports have a MAT plaque from a previous tour, since the first tour was flown 74 years ago, impacting more than 130 airports, several of which have been visited five or more times.
The proclamation from Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm declares the week as ?Michigan Aviation Week.? Historically, about 40 aircraft and 80 individuals have participated in the tour each year. The community is invited to visit the airport to view the many aircraft, including Cessnas, Pipers, Beechcrafts, Mooneys, Grummans, and many others.
THE AIRCRAFT will start arriving at approximately 10:30 a.m. October 4. The presentation will occur at 11:15 a.m. After the presentation, county and city residents are invited to watch as more than 40 aircraft depart the airport. After an overnight stay in East Tawas, pilots will travel along the Lake Huron shoreline to Rogers City and then north to Cheboygan for lunch and a presentation, and then return to East Tawas. The Michigan portion of the tour will close Sunday, October 5 at the Yankee Air Museum at Detroit Willow Run Airport.
With storms dominating the Lake Michigan coastline for last year?s MAT, most pilots opted to keep wheels to the ground and drove to Ludington for the overnight stay. The next day, pilots retrieved their wings and resumed the tour. About 60 flying enthusiasts participated in MAT ?02. In 1929, 42 airplanes, one of each type
Three flights criss-crossed the lower and upper peninsulas of Michigan. The celebration of Michigan aviation resulted in the resurgence of the MAT. In 1989, to commemorate the 60th anniversary, 60 airports were visited. Some MAT participants will be continuing on from Michigan on the ?Ambassador Tour,? which extends the good will tour to an airport in Ohio.
The pilots will fly to Greene County?s, Jackson Regional Airport, to celebrate 100 years of powered flight by visiting a multitude of aviation attractions in Orville and Wilbur Wright?s hometown of Dayton, Ohio.