The May 17, 2003 Majors Field Fly-In has been canceled.
**************************************The following is information from the
2002 Fly-In************************************************
Majors Field to host Annual Fly-in and Open House - On Saturday,
May 18, Greenville's Majors Field Municipal Airport will host its
Annual Fly-in and Open House. The event will be packed with great
acts and displays including a MiG-17F Soviet jet fighter, WWII
aircraft, an F-16 fly-by and skydivers. Admission and are parking
free. Gates will open at 10:00 a.m. The City of Greenville will
host the event with assistance from the Air Force Association,
Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) and the Texas State Guard
Greenville unit. For more information call 903.457.3135.
* This
year's event will feature various aircraft to perform fly-bys and
be on static display, including past and present military
aircraft and classic and current private aircraft. Skydivers are
also scheduled to make two separate jumps during the event.
* The
MiG-17F will be an exciting attraction to this year's event. The
Russian MiG-17F was a formidable adversary during the difficult
years of the Cold War. It was a rugged, reliable, agile, fast jet
that carried a lethal load of weaponry - a fact that many an
American fighter pilot can attest to. It was also, for years, the
top-secret interceptor for the Soviet Union and thus is always
the focus of interest when it appears on the air show circuit.
The powerful, afterburning turbojet engine is capable of
propelling the jet vertically from the runway to a height of
thousands of feet in just seconds. The thunder of this
performance, one of the few aircraft on the tour with an
afterburner, makes it a crowd pleaser and a perennial attention-getter.
* In
addition to the MiG-17F, numerous WWII aircraft that will be on
display include observation planes such as an L-2, L-5 and L-19.
These planes were used as artillery spotters and monitored enemy
ground forces. WWII flight trainers such as the BT-15, PT-17, PT-19,
and T-6 Texans will also be on display as well as Navy/Air Force
flight trainers from the 1950s and 1960s designated as the T-28
Trojan. The Navy was still using the T-28 into the late
1970s to train carrier pilots.
* Other
military aircraft scheduled to be on display include the Navy R4D
two engine transport, also designated by the Army as C-47, was
used in WWII to move cargo, people and drop paratroopers, and
also the A-26 medium bomber and attack aircraft of the Army Air
Corp, which was used effectively in both the Korea and Vietnam.
* Premier
jet displays will consist of a MiG-17F Soviet jet fighter from
the 1950s and a L-29 Czech built jet trainer used by the former
Soviet Union. A F-16 from the 457 fighter squadron at Carswell
Field is also scheduled to perform a fly-by.
* Various
general aviation aircraft and home built experimental aircraft
will also be on display, including gyrocopters, gliders and a
Fouga. The Fouga is a French, two-seat, twin-engine jet trainer
of all-metal construction. Its most distinctive structural
feature is a V-type tail. The Fouga prototype first flew on July
23, 1952. The Fouga is an aircraft with enough speed, range and
comfort to make it a fun aircraft to fly. The Fouga was one of
the first European jet trainers to enter large-scale serial
production. Its production totaled over 900 aircraft between 1953
and 1958, of which considerable numbers were built under license
in West Germany, Israel and Finland. In 1954, the type was
recommended as a standard jet trainer for NATO countries. In all,
Fougas have seen service in the air forces of over 20 countries.
Chosen by NATO as the most suitable jet trainer in the 50's, the
Fouga is still used by several countries as a primary trainer.
* The
Angel Flight, which provides transportation for under privileged
sick children to advanced medical facilities, will also have a
static display of some of its aircraft.
* The
L-3/IS Skydiving Club Demo Team is also scheduled to make two
parachute team drops during the day.
* The
event is great for both children and adult airplane enthusiasts.
Visitors are allowed to get close to the aircraft and have
opportunities to talk with pilots and crews. Concessions will be
available. Face painters for kids will be available and L-3/IS
airplane Crash, Fire and Rescue equipment will also be on display.
Airplane rides will be provided by Golden Eagle Aviation and a
drawing will be held to win an orientation flight.