World War II era planes, modern military aircraft and cutting-edge business jets will be featured during Georgetown County’s largest National Aviation Week celebration at the Georgetown County Airport.
The airport will host an aircraft display on Friday, Aug. 24, and Saturday, Aug. 25, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. There will also be Young Eagle flights, seminars for pilots, fire truck rides for kids and a festival environment with snack and water vendors. Admission is free.
“We are going to have 15-20 fixed-wing aircraft from the World War II era and beyond,” said Ray Funnye, director of public services for the county. “We are also expecting a military C-17 and three Black Hawk helicopters from the Army National Guard to be here as well.”
Funnye said since large crowds are expected on Saturday, parking is planned on the decommissioned closed runway off of Aviation Boulevard. Buses will transport people to and from the festival site.
The Young Eagle program will offer teens and adults 14 and up a chance to experience their first plane ride, free of charge, on a first come basis with proper paperwork submitted in advance. Those interested can also have their first piloting experience, taking an introductory flying lesson from Seven Rivers Aviation for $99.
Aviation Week is recognized and celebrated in Georgetown County every year but with a new airport manager and a new long-range strategic plan in place for growing the Georgetown Airport, staff decided a bigger celebration was merited. Funnye said the airport is working to plan more events like this one.
“We believe this is going to be a fantastic community event and we certainly want to get on track have more of these events in the future,” he said. “We want to get the community more involved with our local airports.”