THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 16, 1994 TAG: 9409160498
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY ANNE SAITA, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MAPLE LENGTH: Medium: 55 lines
Looking for an uplifting experience this weekend? Then turn your attention - and your cars and planes - toward the Maple Airport on Saturday.
The third annual Currituck County Aviation Day will kick off at 10 a.m. with displays of public and private airplane makes and models at the facility off U.S. 158.
Aerial activities will begin at noon, when the airport will close for arrivals until 4 p.m.
``The purpose of this is to show the citizens of Currituck County and the general public the improvements we've made at the airport and to show its various capabilities,'' said Starkey Sharp, chairman of the county's airport authority.
A team of U.S. Navy SEALs is among aviators scheduled to perform, but Sharp said their ``Salute to the American Flag'' is subject to change if the United States invades Haiti.
Someone who will most likely make it is Ray Meads, who will pull his turbine-powered ``AG-Cat'' for a crop-dusting demonstration.
A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crew from Elizabeth City will simulate a search-and-rescue mission, while The River City Model Airplane Club will fly radio-controlled model airplanes.
Hang gliders will appear, courtesy of Kitty Hawk Kites.
Admission and parking are free. Food and T-shirts will be on sale.
Organizers expect to meet or surpass last year's crowd of 1,000 visitors throughout the day.
Much attention has been given recently to the county airport, located near the Maple prison.
The Currituck County Board of Commissioners last week approved construction of a $250,000 hangar for private airplanes. Two businesses would be located in end units.
The Maple Airport has expanded its apron and added pilot-operated runway lights to a 4,000-foot strip.
Some citizens and county officials have held reservations about the Currituck airport, unsure it will successfully compete with nearby municipal aviation centers.
Saturday's annual Aviation Day, which does not use county funds, is a way to gain public confidence in the airport and highlight its abilities, airport authority members said.
This year's event will break tradition by being held later in the summer. The past two Aviation Days were held in August.
``Both of them were really hot,'' Sharp said, adding that the new date should make the airport more accessible to Currituck residents because of reduced tourist traffic. by CNB