Aircraft in Lac La Biche as part of day-visit loop

Rob McKinley Jun 12, 2021 7:52 PM
Ground crew was busy keeping aircraft moving ▲
The Lac La Biche stop on the air tour featured some speeches and welcomes from local dignitaries .▲
A shiny plane gets some sunny attention at Saturday's event.▲
Lac La Biche Flying Club President Oriana Kononchuk walks across the parking area as aircraft — including Synergy Aviation helicopter and pilot Steven Gubersky — begin to leave from the visit to Lac La Biche.▲
More than 30 aircraft were expected for Saturday's Lac La Biche landing.▲
Sara McKeon, the zone commander of Edmonton-based search and rescue organization CASARA fuels up for the return trip from the Lac La Biche airport.▲
Parkland area MLA Shane Getson explains some of the reasons for the air tour▲
Fixed wing and rotor aircraft touched down in Lac La Biche on Saturday, providing an bit of a 'show and shine' and information session on the opportunities of community air travel.▲
Attendees listen to Lac La Biche Mayor Omer Moghrabi as he thanked the visiting air crews and agreed with the importance of small-craft air traffic to local economies.▲
Visitors watched an array of aircraft come into the local airport▲
Callum McKinley▲
Lac La Biche Flying Club President Oriana Kononchuk directs a landing plane from the apron and towards a parking area.▲
All types of private planes landed at the Lac La Biche airport on Saturday.▲
The Lac La Biche stop was one of eight stops on the day-long tour. Taking off Saturday morning from the Villeneuve Airport near St. Albert, the planes visited Mayerthorpe, Whitecourt, Barrhead, Athabasca, Lac La Biche, Boyle and Westlock.▲
Innisfail pilot Rob Jaap re-fuels his classic 1956 Cesna 172, ready for three more stops on the air tour after the Lac La Biche landing. The aluminum panelled plane was built the first year the Cesna model was released.▲
Many residents and visitors were at the Lac La Biche airport to watch the steady procession of aircraft on Saturday afternoon.▲
Area MLA Laila Goodridge speaks to Lac La Biche chiropractor and the Alberta director of the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association (COPA) Ken Zachkewich. ▲
The ground crew volunteers were busy with the steady arrival and departure of aircraft during the hour-long fly-in event.▲
Lac La Biche County Mayor Omer Moghrabi meets with one of the youngest visitors to the fly-in event. ▲
On-ground traffic controllers from the Lac La Biche Flying Club helped park the visiting aircraft.▲
When you fly across northeastern Alberta, what better colour scheme than the northern lights. This turbo prop was one of almost three dozen aircraft to descend onto the Lac La Biche airstrip Saturday afternoon.▲
Helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft arrived in big numbers at the Lac La Biche airport for the first-time fly-in event.▲
Lac La Biche County Mayor Omer Moghrabi spoke about the importance of the local airport, as well as the economic and social opportunity▲
About 30 aircraft landed, parked and took off from the Lac La Biche airport at Saturday's fly-in event.▲
Alberta MLA Shane Getson, the provincial representative for Lac Ste. Ann - Parkland is one of the the main organizers of the air tour, drawing support and attention to the economic opportunities tied to small aircraft in the province.▲
Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche MLA Laila Goodridge was at the event.▲
Lac La Biche County councillor Darlene Beniok has a look inside one of the aircraft at the local air visit.▲

LAC LA BICHE - The 2021 Air Tour flew into the Lac La Biche Airport on Saturday afternoon.

A steady procession of personal aircraft, including two helicopters touched down on the local airport tarmac. The aircraft, their pilots and passengers spent an hour at the airport, mingling with visitors, explaining their rides and learning about the local area.

In conjunction with the Lac La Biche Flying Club, the tour is part of a province-wide awareness campaign promoting the economics of the small-craft air industry.

Saturday's fly-in was part of an eight-airport day of travel for the pilots and their passengers. The tour included stops in Athabasca, Westlock Boyle and Barrhead. Similar tours are planned in the coming weeks. A Central Alberta and a Southern Alberta tour, including regional airports in Red Deer, Frayton Valley, Olds, and Rocky Mountain House are slated to take place in the summer. The Central Alberta tour is scheduled for July 10 and  the Southern tour is planned for August 7.

We'll have lots more from the event in the coming days, including quotes from the organizer and attendees.

 

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