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.

FMI: www.vaeaa.org