MARION AL- Responding to the first great flying weather weekend of the spring, pilots and aviation enthusiasts from Alabama and neighboring states made the Fifth Annual Vaiden Field Fly-in at Marion, Alabama on April 6th a memorable event. Inspired in 2009 by Bethany McAleer, a University of Alabama Honors College student, the Fly-in has become a popular spring event for Black Belt region locals and many Alabama flyers.
Thanks to the EAA Chapters of Shelby County, Bessemer, and Wetumpka, and to the Van Air Force for their support and for "getting the word out", the fly-in counted a record number of participants that included many unique vintage, experimental, and homebuilt aircraft.
Marion Military Institute cadets put finishing touches on their trainer before the fly-in. The MMI Flying Tiger Flight Training Program and Club co-sponsor the event with the Vaiden Field Volunteer Fire Department and the Perry County Airport and Industrial Authority.
Marion local Sam Givhan, member of the Shelby County EAA Chapter, stands beside an airplane familiar to him, an L19 Bird Dog that had been flown in by Sam Dawson of Destin, Alabama. Both flew the L19 in combat operations in Vietnam. -Special by Bill Hansen, Contributed images, FMI: http://www.marionmilitary.edu/programs/flighttraining.da