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PDK Open House 2007
Story and photos by Chris Buff.
The Dekalb Peachtree Good
Neighbor Day was held on June 2, 2007 at Dekalb Peachtree Airport (PDK)
Atlanta, Georgia. This event has always been a family friendly venue with
easy access, close parking and lots to do for families with kids of all
ages. The weather was less than ideal with a solid layer of overcast but this did not diminish the
fun had by the thousands of visitors.
A wide variety of static
displays were on tap including the B-17 Liberty Belle, CAF Kate Torpedo
bomber replica, B-25 Killer Bee, and a very rare SBD-5 Dauntless. An unusual
but welcome addition was a large turnout by airport fire and rescue teams
and equipment from several locations. This was a huge hit with the families
as the kids were able to meet the rescue teams and sit in the massive
airport rescue equipment.
More fun was in store for those
who chose to visit the exhibit areas. Several of the local flight
instruction and aircraft sales organizations were letting kids sit in the
cockpits of general aviation aircraft, giving them a chance to work the
controls, learn about the instruments and raising their overall awareness
and interest in general aviation.
The flying activity was quite
strong this year with performances from Paul Lopex in an MX-2, Adam Mercure
in an Eagle Talon, Greg Connell in hit Pitts and Pat Epps in his aerobatic
Bonanza. Alex Mirkovic tore through the sky in his Extra 260 and Team RV put
on a large formation flight display.
Larry King wowed the crowd with
an impressive performance in his Pitts model 12. Gary Ward demonstrated his
powerful MX-2 to good effect. Gary has been at every major event in Georgia
and is establishing a reputation as a premier performer with his outstanding
high energy flight displays. The Red Eagle Air Sports team with Dan McClung
and Buck Roetman headlined the event. The team amazed the crowd with their
trademark precision formation flying and thrilling opposing solo passes.
Atlanta radio personality Scott
Slade assisted by Sam Lyons provided strong show narration. Thankfully, the rain
held off until the last performance had been completed and it was clear that
this years event was a great success.
All photos are compressed
and reduced in size for speed purposes. Broadband connection strongly
recommended. All photos ©2008 Chris Buff -
www.Aviationbuff.com
Image downloads for personal use only. No redistribution or
commercial sale of these images will be permitted without written
authorization from Chris Buff. Contact
cbuff@aviaitonbuff.com for more details
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