Thursday and Friday saw single and twin engine aircraft landing at Pine Bluff Regional Airport-Grider Field from all over the country for a three day fly-in by the Black Pilots of America organization.
Friday morning showers cleared out in time for a 9:30 a.m. welcome ceremony that launched the 27th annual “Operation Skyhook,” hosting pilots from 18 chapters of BPA.
Arriving aviators represented groups from California, Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, New York, New Jersey and Washington state. Besides flying their personal aircraft to the event, additional BPA members traveled via commercial airlines or drove in to be a part of the occasion.
“We are proud to be the host airport for something so important to our area,” said Doug Hale, Grider Field manager and Pine Bluff Aviation Commission member.
The Pine Bluff Advertising and Promotions Commission once again awarded BPA a financial grant in support of the function. They upped their ante from previous year’s $10,000 to $15,000 for 2024.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“This event draws a lot of economic return for Pine Bluff and Jefferson County,” Hale said.
Ken Johnson is an Arkansas BPA Thunderbirds chapter member and Pine Bluff Aviation Commission chairman.
“When I invited BPA to come here back in 1996, I had no idea it would escalate into the event it has become today,” Johnson said. “I thought they’d maybe come once and then move on to somewhere else. I’m very glad they chose Pine Bluff as their home base and hope they will return for many years to come.”
“It is good to see an increasing number of young aviators getting involved. This is a perfect opportunity for those seeking a career in the skies, which holds so much potential theses days,” Johnson said.
At just past 1 p.m. Friday, the first aerial competition began, designed to test pilot proficiency in handling their individual planes. Pilots in aircraft of every variety matched their skills against one another with aerial pylon races. For the races, pilots take off to the north and turn left going toward the south end of the airfield. They then circle back north paralleling the runway to approach the race’s starting point.
The clock starts as they pass the first pylon. Flying at top speed, they make three passes around a triangular course. Ground based judges ensure that pilots don’t cut inside the designated turning points. There are four separate categories of competition based on varying aircraft performance and achievable speeds with two planes in the air at a time.
Immediately following completion of the pylon races, excited children lined up for the daily free airplane rides offered by BPA pilots. The day’s activities wrapped up with an evening fish fry for visiting aviators.
Another exciting day is in store for Saturday. Beginning at 10 a.m., visiting pilots will continue to match skills in the flour bomb drop. This consists of pilots dropping a small bag of flour out the aircraft window and landing it as near a 10 x 10 foot designated ground target as possible. Flyover attempts will be made from no lower than 200 feet elevation.
Other competitions scheduled for Sunday include spot landing and balloon bursting. These prove some of the most exciting events for spectators.
Spot landing challenges aviators to touch down their aircraft as near to a designated point on the runway as manageable while balloon bursting consists of pilots flying their prop through a rapidly rising helium filled balloon released from the ground.
Fred Lewis has been flying in from Houston to act as event air boss for many years.
“Balloon bursting is a lot harder than it might seem because we have to judge airspeed and the velocity at which the balloon is rising from the ground, all while maintaining complete control of our aircraft in varying winds that are always unpredictable,” he said.
“Typically, around 4 each afternoon we begin our Young Eagles program, giving free rides to youth. They can sign up at the terminal entrance when they come in the door. We’ve had as many as 200 kids fly in a single afternoon,” Lewis said.
In addition to a chance to enjoy a brief turn around the skies, children get to talk to pilots and see firsthand the brotherhood of fliers who come to Pine Bluff once a year from across the nation. Young Eagles is sponsored by the local Experimental Aircraft Association. Each participating child receives a frameable Young Eagles certificate upon completion of their guest flight.
Lewis shared a brief history of Operation Skyhook.
“Two gentlemen named Rufus Hunt and Horace Noble loved competing against one another in personal air races. Other Black aviators heard about what they were doing and wanted to participate in flying competitions so while flying out of Yazoo, Miss., back in the early 90’s, Hunt and Noble came up with the name Operation Skyhook,” he said.
Following the original Operation Skyhook, the first group of participating fliers officially established Black Pilots of America Inc. in 1997.
In addition to the airport festivities, the Grider Field Restaurant will be open in support of the occasion offering Southern style cooking from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Events on Saturday’s schedule:
10 a.m. Flour bomb drop begins
4-6 p.m. BPA Young Eagles free airplane rides
9 p.m. Aviator’s dinner in Pine Bluff Convention Center
Events on Sunday schedule:
10 a.m. Balloon burst and spot landing competitions begin
5-7 p.m. BPA Young Eagles free airplane rides
9 p.m. Awards banquet in Pine Bluff Convention Center.
Audrey Hodge displays her 182 Cessna bearing the paint scheme of the Civil Air Patrol. (Special to The Commercial Richard Ledbetter)