Dozens of planes are expected to land at Red Deer Regional Airport for the annual Fly-In Breakfast on Sunday.
The long-running event is expected to be the first large-scale aviation breakfast held in the province since the pandemic grounded get-togethers of this kind. It runs from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Between 50 and 100 private aircraft are expected to touch down at the Springbrook airport, depending on the weather and flying conditions.
Red Deer Flying Club, which hosts the fundraising event, anticipates up to 250 people will stop by the Sky Wings Aviation Academy hangar for pancakes, sausages and eggs. Tickets cost $10 per person, $5 for children six and under, or $25 per family.
Those attending can also check out the flying club’s home in a historic building next to the terminal. Originally built in the 1930s, the two-storey building is the airport’s oldest building. It was built to house the electronic equipment for a navigation beacon system.
It was expanded in the 1980s and has long served as the home for the Red Deer Flying Club. It is also the central Alberta headquarters for the Civil Air Search and Rescue Association.
Both groups have been told they must be out of the building by June 1 because the land is wanted by the Red Deer Regional Airport Authority to expand a nearby apron. Local aviation enthusiasts want to see the building remain or, at least, be moved to another site.