Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Phillips Field Airport (MO23), California, Missouri: The annual fly-in draws crowd

Ron Hansen takes off from the California Phillips Field in a Bellanca Cruisemaster on Saturday, June 8.


Originally published June 19, 2013 at 6 a.m., updated June 18, 2013 at 11:51 a.m. 

The good weather undoubtedly contributed to the number of people drawn to the annual fly-in event at Phillips Field a couple of miles northeast of California. The smooth 2500-ft grass runway ranges from 50 to 130 feet wide.

The field has several new hangars and new members who have recently joined the non-profit club. It is not necessary to be a pilot to be a member.

The flying club hosted the "Cal-MO Flying Club Fly-in & Pig Roast" on Saturday, June 8. it was attended by 82 people who were interested in aviation and food. William R. Elliott, armed with a camera, took a large number of photos of the event, several of which have been submitted to the California Democrat.

Visiting pilots flew in to the event bringing the number of planes on the field on Saturday to 14. Following a lunch of pulled pork, brats, and side dishes, children and families went on a Pilot Tour to see the planes and talk to the pilots.

There were also several "planes" built just for the younger set. One was an educational toy trainer, built by Dale Carlson, for practice flying and another was a Stearman kiddie biplane, built by Bill Elliott, for photo shoots.

Phillips Field is a private airport about two miles northeast of California on Airport Road. For information contact Tom Winters at 573-301-7146 or Gerald Wood at 573-480-1300. Airport Road is about a mile north of Business 50 on Industrial Drive. The gate at Phillips Field is about eight-tenths of a mile east of Industrial Road and is prominently marked with a sign with "Phillips Field" and an airplane on it. The gate and hangars are usually locked.

Story and Photos:  http://www.californiademocrat.com

No comments:

Post a Comment