MARION AL- On Saturday, April 14th, 2012, Vaiden Field Airport (A08), in conjunction with Marion Military Institute will host the 4th Annual Vaiden Field Fly-in. The Vaiden Fly-in, inspired by University of Alabama Honors College student Bethany McAleer of Birmingham, as a community development project in 2008-2009, has become a capstone for advertising and public awareness for this rapidly expanding rural airport.
Located eight miles south of Marion, Alabama, in the heart of the Black Belt, Vaiden Field has the potential to contribute significantly to the economic development of Perry County and the region. In recognition of that potential the FAA, the Alabama Department of Transportation, and Marion Bank and Trust, a local financial institution, have invested substantial grants and loans over the past seven years in Vaiden Field's infrastructure.
In 2010, the construction of refueling facilities and nested T-hangars provided the infrastructure needed to initiate a flight training program with nearby Marion Military Institute. MMI, an official prep school for all four US service academies, typically sends over seventy-five cadets on to West Point, Annapolis, Colorado Springs, and New London after a year of academic preparation. Since all of the armed services have aviation components, a large percentage of those cadets aspire to become military aviators. The "MMI Flying Tigers" flight training program, now in its second year, was named in honor of General Bruce K. Holloway who prepped at MMI in 1936 before entering West Point and was one of Clair Chenault's original Flying Tigers in China during World War II. This year the MMI Flying Tigers will cohost the event staffing concession, providing golf cart transportation, aircraft marshaling and entertainment.
During the last three fly-in's Vaiden has been successful in attracting a variety of vintage aircraft, homebuilt aircraft, and warbirds in addition to many friends from the general aviation community throughout Alabama and neighboring states. It has also become a favorite annual event for hundreds of local residents in the region. The Fly-in will officially open at 9:00 AM, but pilots and airplanes are welcome anytime. Space for camping is available. - Special Report to Alabama Aviator