Suffolk Executive (SFQ) Chosen For 11th Annual Event
The Virginia Council of EAA Chapters, Inc. told ANN this week
the Suffolk Executive Airport (SFQ) in Suffolk, VA has been
selected as the site of the 2008 Virginia Regional EAA Fly-In and
Expo. The date for the 11th annual event will be Father's Day
weekend, June 14-15, 2008.
Previously held at Dinwiddie County Airport, all activities will
now be based at Suffolk Executive Airport. There will not be a 2007
event due to severe scheduling constraints.
"The facilities and airport layout at Suffolk Executive Airport
will ensure that the Fly-In and Expo continues as an important
regional and national event for pilots and aviation enthusiasts,
and will allow for significant growth during the event's second
decade," said Gordon Campbell, President of the Virginia Council of
EAA Chapters, Inc.
Judy Sparks, the Expo Manager, adds, "Dinwiddie County Airport
was a gracious host over the past 10 years but the success of the
event has forced us to find a new venue."
The Virginia Council of EAA Chapters, Inc. is an all volunteer
non-profit organization working to promote aerospace education.
Formed in 1996, the organization has hosted ten Regional EAA events
to date. The Council is primarily comprised of Delegates from
Chapters of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. (EAA)
within the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Council's primary method
for furthering its goals, is the sponsoring of an annual fly-in and
aviation expo, offering forums, lectures, workshops, and youth
activities.
"On behalf of the City of Suffolk, The Suffolk Executive
Airport, and the Airport Commission, I wish to express our
excitement at our being chosen as the new location for the Virginia
Regional EAA Fly-in and Expo," said Evelyn Jones, current member
and previous Chairman of the Suffolk Airport Commission. "We have a
location in which this premier event can grow and have a population
which will support the event."
Suffolk Executive Airport
manager Kent Marshall pointed out many features of the airport,
including offering two runways of 5,000 feet and 3,700 feet;
24-hour self-service 100LL and auto gas, plus full service 100LL
and Jet A during open hours; an onsite restaurant, open seven days
a week; and the availability of such services as a pilot shop,
skydiving school, and repair facilities.
In the fall 2007, the airport will start a four-year expansion
and upgrade of the facilities including improving the main runway,
the addition of a full-length parallel taxiway and the improvement
and addition of other taxiways The City of Suffolk and the Greater
Hampton Roads area.
In addition to being an excellent facility for the fly-in
public, Suffolk Airport is within a 45-minute drive for over one
million people, the second largest population concentration in the
Commonwealth of Virginia. Lying to the east of the airport are the
cities of Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Virginia Beach,
Portsmouth and Chesapeake. They comprise the greater Hampton Roads
area which is the headquarters for the Atlantic Fleet and well as
the Oceana Naval Air Station and Langley Air Force Base.
Further Information, as well as an on line a volunteer
registration form will be posted as they become available on the
Virginia Regional EAA Fly-In and Expo website.