The annual open house at Jefferson City Memorial Airport was delayed this year due to unfinished renovations, but the runways finally reopened this week.
The open house was held Saturday, and people of all ages came out to celebrate. The Jefferson City chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association, which consists of pilots, aircraft builders and aviation enthusiasts, hosted the event and provided a pancake breakfast. A handful of pilots volunteered to help out with providing free flights to kids. For many of these kids, it was their first time flying.
Jefferson City resident Mathew Markl, who is a pilot himself, brought his 12-year-old son Stephen to the event to experience planes up close for the first time. He said the group started hosting the open house in the early nineties, around the same time he started flying. His son is excited to share the same interests as his dad.
“I was a little nervous,” said Stephen. He says he would like to one day fly water planes in Canada and use them to fish. Stephen could see his neighborhood from up in the sky.
Rachel Pirtle watched all three of her kids circle the sky.
“I feel really excited for them, because that is such a fun experience that I didn’t get to have at their age,” she said.
Volunteer pilot Ted Forester is a member of the EAA and came out to assist in the open house. He has been flying for over 40 years.
“(I've) always been interested in planes," Forester said. "I can remember as a young child going outside when I heard an airplane come over to see if I could see it."
While no commercial flights use the airport, it is an important asset to those in the community who fly recreationally and privately. The east and west running and north and south running runways were entirely rebuilt. The new runways are better up to code and will accommodate larger planes.
