By Carleen Wild
Moody County Enterprise
The Flandreau Municipal Airport hosted its annual Fly-In this past Sunday, with more than 20 planes and other aircraft landing for a fun morning of show-and-tell. Pilots, family members, and friends enjoyed a beautiful summer day, chatting and grabbing a bite to eat between the runway and the maintenance garage.
Brodie Glanzer of Wilde Air Service from Brookings brought one of his spray planes to the Fly-In, hoping for a relaxing Sunday and to run into some of their customers.
Ive already run into 3-4 farmers we spray for, figured wed come and show our support, Brodie said.
We like to try to be local, even though were in Brookings, wherever we spray, the radius for an airplane, local means different in an airplane than driving a car.
Looking ahead, Brodie is excited about the airport expansion and the possibility of basing his business in Flandreau.
We do enough between Madison, weve looked at it and thought it would be cool to be here, it could be a decent little spot for us, he said.
The Flandreau Municipal Airport is set for renovations in the coming years, including a longer runway and new hangar space. The improvements have been in the works for over a decade and are expected to help accommodate the growing air traffic as Sioux Falls airport gets busier with passenger flights.
Jim Jepsen, of Flandreau, whos been flying as a hobby since 1977, flew in from Pipestone for the event. Two of his grandkids, Jace and Lexy, couldnt get enough of crawling around inside the plane.
Ive had my pilots license since 1977, Jim said. I learned how to fly back in college.
Kosta Kaounas and Gray Tappan came in their gliders, towed in by Harry Thompsons plane, adding an extra element to the event.
The breakfast, hosted by The Pink Ladies, raised funds that will go toward supporting cancer patients and their families across Moody County.
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