With calm winds and clear skies, Arkadelphia was blessed Saturday morning with perfect weather for the first annual Aviation Expo at Dexter B. Florence Memorial Field.
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From 9 a.m. until the event ended at midday, scores of families and flight enthusiasts meandered along the runway and apron in admiration of planes taking off and landing. Pilots from around the state landed at then airport, some of them unexpectedly. At one point a pair of planes, before landing, flew over in a crowd-wowing aerobatic display of smoke.
Another highlight of the May 31 event was the landing and taking off of a Cold War-era military jet trainer.
The event was a joint effort by The Arkansas Aviation Academy at Henderson State University and Ozarka College, and included flight demonstrations by pilots from both colleges, a display of a World War II plane, a flight simulator experience, kid activities and food trucks.
Three event-goers were the lucky winners of a raffle drawing for an introductory flight with a Henderson pilot.
Arkadelphia City Manager Gary Brinkley said the expo will return in 2026.
Arkadelphia’s municipal airport is reportedly one of the busiest in Arkansas, with numerous daily operations as Henderson students earn flight hours. The airport is also a popular among pilots as a refueling location, with fuel sales totaling $425,000 in 2022 alone.
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