At 2 p.m. Thursday, pilots from across the nation began registering for the 2025 Operation Skyhook Fly-In being held for its 28th year at Pine Bluff Regional Airport.
Thursday seminars for registered fliers began at 7 p.m. with a 9 p.m. hospitality event held at the Holiday Inn.
A full day is scheduled for Friday with a “Welcome to the City” by the Pine Bluff Chamber of Commerce. Judge’s briefings are set for 10:45 a.m. with the first aerial competition, the flour bomb drop, starting just after 11. The flour bomb competition is where pilots in small, prop driven aircraft of every variety test aerial skills against one another by dropping a small bag of flour out the aircraft window and landing it as near to a 10 x 10-foot target as possible. Fly-over attempts at the bullseye are made from no lower than 200 feet above the ground.
A yearly favorite with youngsters is the free airplane rides that take place immediately following each afternoon’s competition. These generally occur from 3 to 5 p.m.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Fred Lewis from the Houston area acts as event co-air boss.
“In an effort to get more children and young people excited about flying, we love to offer kids the opportunity to see and feel what the sensation of flight is really like,” he said.
In addition to a chance to enjoy a personalized tour of the skies, Lewis said, children get to talk to and see firsthand the brotherhood of fliers who come to Pine Bluff once a year from across the nation.
Friday culminates with a fish fry for pilots and guests at the Waterfront Building in Regional Park.
Saturday will begin with pilot registration and briefing for pilots and judges before the pilot proficiency completions start at 10 am.
Free airplane rides will again be provided for registered youngsters from 3 to 5 p.m.
The weekend culminates on Sunday with two favorite contests of both pilots and spectators. These include bursting a ground-released helium filled balloon by flying through it with their propeller. “This is a lot harder than it might sound 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,” said Lewis.
The second contest on Sunday is a spot landing competition where pilots touch down their aircraft as near to a designated mark on the tarmac as possible.
The final offer of free airplane rides for children will begin around 3 p.m.
Grider Field Restaurant will be open for dining enjoyment throughout the weekend.
An awards ceremony for winners of the various competitions will convene in the Pine Bluff Convention Center banquet room later Sunday evening.
Lewis shared a brief history of Operation Skyhook saying, “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 ’90s, Hunt and Noble came up with the name ‘Operation Skyhook.’ Black Pilots of America, Inc. was officially established in 1997.”
BPA’s stated goals are: support of community events and aviation education, support of youth programs including Summer Flight Academy, offering fellowship and mentoring opportunities, a pathway to BPA membership and connection to the broader aviation community.
Pine Bluff Advertising and Promotion Commission provided a $17,500 grant in ongoing support of the annual occasion.
aviators and local youngsters taking advantage of BPA free airplane
rides. (Special to The Commercial/Richard Ledbetter)