BRANCH COUNTY — More than 70 planes flew into the Branch County Memorial Airport Sunday, June 1 for the 77th Fly-In, joining hundreds of others who drove to the pancake breakfast to raise money for aviation scholarships.
The Branch County Flying Club handed a $1,500 check to Western Michigan University freshman Morgan Dancer, a second-time award recipient.
The Coldwater graduate will fly into Branch Memorial as part of her training in the WMU aviation program.
Dancer wants to obtain her commercial and certified flight instructor licenses, then become an airline pilot.
Dancer completed and received her private pilot’s license last month. She wants to teach others how to fly.
Airport Manager Joe Best said several young students are taking flying lessons through the fixed-based operator Elite Air Service. Elite flew those who wanted to experience small plane flying as part of the June 1 event.
The company provides its large hangar to house the pancake breakfast each year.
Airport Board Chairman Mike Kelly said the tradition started in the 1930s when local pilot and lumber yard owner Louie Legg and a friend from Marshall would fly to each other’s airports for breakfast. Later, they invited other pilots to join them.
World War II stopped the Fly-Ins. Best said Sundays was the largest post-COVID-19.
Planes took off and landed throughout the morning. The weather was good, with only a cloudy haze from Canadian wildfires.
A tractor pulling a wagon toured the airport property, giving visitors a close-up look at the two runways and taxiways, while a car show lined the grass near the hangars.
Contact Don Reid: dReid@Gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: Pilots and public raise money for aviation scholarships at 77th Fly-In
Reporting by Don Reid, Coldwater Daily Reporter / Coldwater Daily Reporter
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
