On Saturday, June 22, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m., an Airport Open House and Young Eagles Rally will be held at the Danville Regional Airport. Up to 15 pilots from Virginia and North Carolina will complete free plane rides for children ages 8 to 17, who have preregistered for the Young Eagles Rally.
Airport Open House activities include tours of Averett University’s Flight Center, the Civil Air Patrol, and the airport’s Operations Tower. Also, program activities include the Danville Science Museum’s Starlab portable planetarium exhibit and paid Discovery Flights provided by General Aviation Inc.
There is no charge to attend the open house, and free refreshments will be provided to the public. Please note that registration for the Young Eagles Rally is full.
This event is weather sensitive and a rain date has been scheduled for Saturday, June, 29, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.
AIRPORT OPEN HOUSE ACTIVITIES
General Aviation Inc. Discovery Flights: General Aviation Inc. will offer Discovery Flights to the general public. The fee is $99. Persons interested should visit General Aviation’s office to coordinate a plane ride. General Aviation Inc. provides multiple aviation-related services, including fuel service, aircraft maintenance, flight training, and aircraft rental.
Averett Flight Center Tours: Tours will begin at 10:15 am and will be completed every 45 minutes. Averett’s facilities will be open for review and Averett staff will be available to talk about careers in aviation, its program, and partnership with American Airlines. Students will be able to tour and look at aircraft and the Flight Center’s simulator.
Civil Air Patrol Tours: Tours will be provided beginning at 10:30 am and will be completed every 60 minutes. The Civil Air Patrol (CAP) is the auxiliary of the Air Force. Members will present information on opportunities for cadets (age 12-18) and senior members to train in air (seniors) and ground (cadets) missions such as search and rescue. Aerial photography (senior members), as well as cadet aerospace education (drones) and leadership training, are among the many activities available in the CAP experience.
Operations Tower Tours: Tours of the airport’s operations advisory tower will begin at 10:30 am and will be completed every 30 minutes. Danville’s airport is unique compared to other airports that do not offer commercial air service due in part to the Operations Advisory Tower, which is manned from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m, Monday through Sunday. Tower staff provide traffic advisories to pilots and inform them of other important operations information. The tour will provide an opportunity to meet with tower staff and learn more about their duties.
Starlab Exhibit/ Danville Science Museum: The Danville Science Center’s Starlab Portable Planetarium will be available to view beginning at 10 am. Program activities will be completed every 30 minutes. Starlab provides visitors an opportunity to view the night sky while connecting the use of planetariums to the training of Apollo astronauts. Participants will also discover the relationship between the sun, Earth, and moon as it relates to patterns and repeating cycles that occur on earth.