Unless you own a plane or know someone who does, odds are you’ve never been to the Concord Municipal Airport.
And if you didn’t catch our Airport Issue last year, chances are you don’t know much about it – except of course, that planes take off and land there. Just not the ones you take for a vacation.
But that can change this Saturday if you make a plan to head over to the city owned airport for Aviation Day, put on by the Granite State Airport Management Association.
The family fun begins at 9 a.m., and trust us, this is not an event you want to miss.
First of all, for all you runners out there, if you’re looking for a road race to set a PR at, this is the one. And it’s technically not a road race, because it takes place on the runway of the airport (that’s probably why it’s called the Runway 5K). It’s flat except for an 18 inch elevation change, so get ready for some fast times.
“It’s a unique experience,” said Dave Rolla, owner of Concord Aviation Services and airport manager. “You don’t often have a course that’s dead flat.”
The road race is at 10 a.m., with registration beginning at 9 a.m. for those who don’t sign up beforehand. The kids fun run will be held at 9:45 a.m.
But if you’re not a runner, there’s still plenty to do.
Starting at 11 a.m., kids ages 8 to 17 will have the opportunity to take a ride thanks to the Experimental Aircraft Association and its volunteer pilots in small, two- or four-seat, single-engine planes.
“The idea is to get people interested in taking pilot lessons,” Rolla said.
Kids can start signing up for rides at 9 a.m. when Aviation Day begins.
While it’s not an air show, so don’t expect to see any crazy acrobatics in the air, there will be plenty of aircrafts on display and others that will be coming and going from the airport.
“Once they start doing the kids flights, there will be a lot of activity,” Rolla said.
The N.H. State Police will have its aviation unit on display, and the National Guard’s helicopter will be there.
Rolla also said that unique and unusual aircrafts will be there for viewing thanks to private citizens. You can even see the massive snow removal machine they use for the runway, which is a lot bigger than what you might be used to plow your street.
The hangar will be used for companies in the aviation industry to show off what they do.
“There’s a tremendous shortage of skilled workers in the industry,” Rolla said.
There will be lots of hands on activities for the kiddos to keep them busy for the day.
Aviation Day runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and for more info, visit gsama.org/5k—aviation-day.html.
“Other than running in the road race, the event is free,” Rolla said.
