Written by Paige Dawson
Our team had the privilege of helping to plan, promote and run a terrific event this past weekend. Over 100 pilots attended ‘Pilots, Popovers and Plane Talk’ which brought together pilots from around North Texas on Saturday for breakfast and networking at Terrell Municipal Airport.
Beyond the very cool fact that many attendees flew to the event, the day was made special for two reasons. First, during his remarks to the crowd Terrell Mayor Hal Richards shared big news that Terrell Municipal Airport was just named by the Texas Department of Transportation as 2014 General Aviation Airport of the Year. This prestigious award recognizes excellence in all areas of airport facilities and operations. In our work over the last year with the Terrell team, we’ve been able to see firsthand that this is a well-deserved honor.
The other highlight of the morning was watching a rare and historic B-25 bomber cruise smoothly through the skies and land right in front of us. This plane was one of the most widely used WWII aircraft and there are just a few that still fly today. Scott Glover, a passionate advocate for preserving aviation history, generously brought the restored plane to the event and let attendees tour its interior. It was so humbling to look inside the plane and see dozens of signatures of the brave souls who flew it during wartime.
The B-25 has particular significance for Terrell Airport. During World War II, the airport was the site of a Royal Air Force training facility—the first of its kind in the states. British cadets (and later American pilots) trained in Texas for their combat missions in Europe. The airport’s beautiful recently constructed terminal building pays homage to the training facility, and a museum on the airport property features a treasure trove of artifacts and information on this fascinating period of Texas—and world—history.
Big kudos go to my colleague Talana Morris (pictured below in front of the B-25) who spearheaded our team’s work on the event, coordinating with the City of Terrell staff, airport board, airport & city staff as well as volunteers who all helped make the day a success. We had a great time meeting area pilots and were especially honored to meet and talk with several armed forces veterans in attendance.
If you’re a pilot, check out Terrell Airport and mark your calendar for their Flights of Our Fathers Fly In Event on September 20th. And if you’re a history buff, be sure to visit the No. 1 British Flying Museum on the airport property and learn how Texas played a key role in shaping WWII.
Our thanks to everyone we worked with on the event—what a day!
