Thu, Aug 18, 2011
Dan Gryder Pitches Whiteside Airport Board On Another Vintage
Event
2010's great reunion of DC-3 and C-47 aircraft and crews was
dubbed "The Last Time," and there's little doubt the event, which
commemorated the type's 75th anniversary, will be the last time
such a large gathering of those planes takes place. But DC-3
fanatic and airline pilot Dan Gryder, who spearheaded The Last Time
reunion, doesn't want it to be the last time the Whiteside County
Airport in Rock Falls, Illinois hosts a major gathering of vintage
aircraft.
Gryder tells the Sauk Valley Newspapers he envisions a World War
II-themed aviation event in July, 2012, with "12 to 15 DC-3s,
several B-17s and B-25s, numerous P-51s and a smattering of flying
aircraft. There will be a static display and aircraft will fly a
tremendous amount during the day. We can expand based on the
experience we gained in the last production. I would like to see it
20 percent larger in terms of aircraft and visitors."
As part of his pitch to Thursday night's meeting of the
Whiteside County Airport Board, Gryder will note that The Last Time
broke even financially on its cost of $42,000. "We raised 42 and we
spent 42. Look at what we did, and it didn’t cost
anything."
David Murray, an attorney for the airport board, predicts a warm
reception. "We had so much great publicity and so many people
expressed gratitude for jobs. Pilots themselves and crew members
wrote back. Several national articles were published. They gave
tremendous credit to airport volunteers and the great reception
that we gave to all the participants. This is going to be exciting
if we can duplicate it again. I'm pretty excited! I know the board
will be, too."
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