A third and final day of friendly aerial rivalry and flight displays began again Sunday morning with competitions that had originally been scheduled for Saturday but moved because of windy weather.
One of the more challenging competitions faced by Black Pilots of America aviators, the flour bomb drop, is composed of pilots flying straight down the runway at an altitude of no less than 200 foot to line up on a 10 by 10 foot square laid out on the ground. While maintaining proper flight speed, each airman attempts to hit the target with a small bag of flour tossed out of the aircraft window.
Despite hopes for a calm day, Sunday’s winds ranged from 7 to 13 mph but were fortunately blowing straight down the runway. Not being a cross-wind, it did not affect the drift of the flour bomb from side to side but made the competition a little more challenging by requiring fliers to judge their forward airspeed in the face of the breeze.
Airport manager and Pine Bluff Aviation Commission member Doug Hale said, “Thus far the weather has cooperated which was certainly something in question to begin with. We have 20 planes for this year’s event which is slightly down from previous years. But with people coming from every corner of the U.S. and considering the nationwide weather pattern we’ve been seeing, 20 planes is really good.”
New Orleans native and retired U.S. Army Col. Palmer Sullins, Jr. echoed the sentiments of fellow members, saying, “It’s always great to come back to the home of Black Pilots of America here in Pine Bluff!”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Some of the youngest and farthest-traveled fliers participating in the 27th annual Operation Skyhook were the Seattle, Washington-based Red-Tailed Hawks. Eighteen-year-old aviator Vismay Patel explained their BPA chapter name. “Obviously it’s partially in recognition of the Tuskegee Airmen Red Tails, but it’s also in reference to a bird we have in the Northwest that occupies the skies with us when we are up there, the red-tailed hawk,” he said.
Hale said, “Besides the annual competitions for the title of Top Gun, another big reason our aviators love returning is due to Mrs. Berdia Monson’s Grider Field Restaurant. Her good Southern cooking keeps them coming back for more.”
A favorite item on the dessert menu is their bread pudding. Monson’s daughter, Reneta Harper said, “The recipe belonged to grandmother, Janic Mazique from Sherrill. We’ve dabbled with that recipe for a long time and it has drawn attention from locals and travelers alike. Some fliers even say they come back to Pine Bluff just for another serving. They have helped spread the word around the country. Lots of people take extra helpings with them when they leave.”
Smiling, Hale added, “A few years back the restaurant staff decided to just do sandwiches for the fly-in but we nearly had a revolt. Pilots said we’re not coming all this way just for sandwiches. They brought the popular menu right back.”
A big hit with the youngsters was the addition of drone races this year. Using only their cupped hands to direct the airflow around the small battery-powered drones, excited children guided their tiny vehicles across the width of a hanger to see who crossed the finish line first.
In addition to daily aerial competitions, one of the highlights of each day’s activities is the Young Eagle program. Beginning around 5 p.m. all three days, Young Eagles continues to give children the thrill of going up in an airplane. While many of the youngsters are experiencing their first flight, many others come multiple times in the course of the weekend or are returning for a third and fourth year to take advantage of the opportunity to enjoy flight firsthand. As well as having accumulated a collection of frameable Young Eagles certificates, several of the repeat passengers have even established friendships with the pilots who they’ve flown with before.
The five primary aims established by Black Pilots of America are:
To train youth to participate and advance in various types of employment within the field of aviation.
To stimulate and encourage broader job opportunities for underprivileged youth in all phases of aviation.
To encourage youth to enter the field of aviation and to remain in school by educating students with films and lectures regarding opportunities in the field of aviation.
To organize and set up a school for such training.
To develop scholarships for youth who will partake in such training and development.
Considering the turnout of fresh young faces among the many fliers seen this year, BPA proves to be accomplishing their stated goals.
Beginning at 7 p.m. Sunday evening the three-day weekend culminated with an awards banquet in the Pine Bluff Convention Center where the flying skills of local and visiting pilots were recognized with award presentations. As part of the gala affair, Houston resident BPA Committee Chairman Fred Lewis conducted Hall of Fame inductions.
Monday will see fliers buckling in for their return trips home to all points of the compass.