Robert Poydack pulls no punches as he looks out upon the 14 hangars and the concrete taxiway and runway that, at 100 feet wide and 5,500 feet long, seems to vanish into the far-off horizon.
“We can bring in the big boys, in all kinds of weather,” he says. “We have one of the best airports in southeast Kansas, without a doubt.”
And he’s about to get his chance to show it off. Poydack, in his second year as Allen County’s airport manager, is busy readying the facility for this year’s Fly Kansas Air Tour, which will bring over 40 planes to Allen County Thursday afternoon. The event is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.; it is free and open to the public.
Sponsored by the Kansas Commission on Aerospace Education and the Kansas Department of Transportation, the three-day tour will kick off at Wellington, about 30 minutes due west of Winfield, and make a stop in Fort Scott before arriving in Iola.
They’re sure to find a lively welcoming committee. Hope Unlimited will offer popcorn to pilots and visitors, and CASA of the 31st District will have snow cones for attendees. And then there’s the youngsters.
Among those attending will be approximately 550 students from USD 257. Those in preschool through 5th grade will be shuttled to the airport, where they’ll have time to admire all types of general aviation aircraft, along with an impressive collection of WWII warbirds, vintage planes, helicopters, and even a Russian jet, all out for public display.
The short bus ride will likely prevent teachers from hearing the eternal “Are we there yet?” of most field trips, but additional reasons justified taking students to the county airport.
“We don’t get many local opportunities like this one,” said Stacey Fager, USD 257 superintendent. “This is something our children normally wouldn’t see, and it represents a teachable moment for us and a great opportunity for the students.”
Jonathon Goering, Thrive’s economic development manager and a lead organizer of the event, agreed. “Education is a key component,” he said. “This may be the first time many kids will see airplanes like these up close. And they’ll have dozens of different planes to look at.”
BOB BROCK, Director of Aviation for the Kansas Department of Transportation, applauded the event’s educational focus, saying it matches the main objectives of the Fly Kansas Air Tour.
“Underserved communities across the state, especially rural communities, may not always expose students to the family of career fields that aviation includes,” said Brock. “A lot of kids in small town Kansas may not realize the long-term, high-paying jobs, and the huge variety of them, that are possible with aviation. There are great jobs out there.”
The numbers back Brock up. Aviation, which generates $20.6 billion a year in Kansas, supports over 90,000 careers and is the second-highest source of economic output for the state, trailing only agriculture. Kansas manufactures 73% of all small airplanes in the world. The state’s claim to being the “Air Capital of the World” seems more than justified.
In fact, such economic might is what led to the Fly Kansas Air Tour getting off the ground in 1928. The aircraft manufacturing industry devised the tour as a way to educate the public of aviation’s impact on the state.
Since reconvening in 2008, the tour has expanded, both in size and mission. Brock points to another key goal of the tour: link local communities to the different kinds of transportation that come through an airport.
“This tour is really a celebration of how aviation makes communities global,” said Brock. “Everyone loves Amazon, but there’s no Amazon without airports. You may not realize it, but your airport is critical to maintaining the supply chain in the local economy.
