Volunteers thanked

To the Editor:

On Saturday, October 22, the Bethel Regional Airport held its third annual Fall Foliage Scenic Rides community event. High winds forced postponement of the event from October 15, and although not the brightest and driest day, the winds were light, making the flights very enjoyable.

Four volunteer qualified pilots based at the Bethel Regional Airport and Eastern Slopes Regional Airport in Fryeburg donated their aircraft, time and skills for the entire day to provide scenic airplane rides to 42 individuals. It was a special day for one youngster from Norway, as it was not only his first airplane ride, but it was his birthday too. Riders made donations of $25 per person to cover costs and some donated more stating that they had a great time and were so pleased to support such a great cause. Some even came out for some food and the sights and made a donation without going for a plane ride.

Three other volunteers from the region organized flights and cooked cheeseburgers, hot dogs and Italian sausage sandwiches for the crowd.

The event was made possible by dedicated volunteers who believe in the importance of community and volunteerism. The purpose of the event was to raise funds for the airport, bring the community together to educate them about general aviation, and show them what their regional airport has to offer. A common misconception about many community or regional airports is that they are for pilots only – a restricted club that bars outsiders. Sadly, this couldn’t be any further from the truth. Although some reasonable security restrictions may be in place limiting where the public can drive to ensure safety, most areas of the Bethel Regional Airport are open 24 hours daily to the public whether they are an aviator or simply want to watch various types of aircraft, from powered parachutes to single-engine airplanes, to turboprop corporate jets to military aircraft, to helicopters arriving and departing.

Over $1,300 in donations and food sales were collected at the event.

The Bethel Regional Airport sincerely appreciates and thanks the community volunteers that made this event possible: pilots - Gary Drown of Hideaway Rentals in Newry, Christopher Merrill of Albany Township, Tony Milligan of Rumford and Kenyon King of Log House Designs, Chatham, NH; flight coordinator - Diane Milligan of Sabina Farm Inn, Rumford and food - Bill Cole of Oxford and Arlene Kerr of West Paris.

Bethel Regional Airport