Beautiful weather and longer days of sunshine creates the perfect time of year for outside events
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In the New Orleans area, that usually means parades (St. Patrick/St. Joseph Day) festivals (French Quarter/ Jazz Fest) and seafood boils; but there is something else–aviation events. I have listed a few events in nearby towns that would be an interesting day trip or a fun weekend trip for the entire family.
March 21— Southern Heritage Air Foundation– SHAF
Tallulah, LA
SHAF is starting their monthly “Hang out at the Hanger Luncheon.” Cost is $10 per person. SHAF is located at the Vicksburg-Tallulah Regional Airport (KTVR) at 179 VTR Airport Rd in Tallulah, LA 71282. You can more read about of their upcoming events at Southern Heritage Air Foundation. Vicksburg- Tallulah is not too far away for a beautiful weekend drive.
April 7–Hops and Props–Pilots for Patients
5110 Operations Rd., Monroe, LA
This is a collaboration between the Chennault Aviation/Military Museum and the Southern Heritage Air Foundation. It is a free event; however a wristband for beer tasting (1:00 pm – 5:00 pm) is $5.00. Plane rides available in a WWII At-6 Texan for $350 and in a Vintage WACO Classic Bi-plane for $250. Flights are available from 10 am – 6 pm. There will be food trucks, a kid zone, raffle prizes and more! Read more at: SHAF and Chennault Aviation/Military Museum. If you have not seen the Chennault Museum, then there should be a road trip in your near future.
April 21–-WINGS OVER WIGGINS
Dean Griffin Memorial Airport in Wiggins, MS
At this time of the year, the Gulf Coast is spectacular, so it will make for a great stop over on your way to or from Wiggins.
Much like a cruise-in for cars, this is a fly-in. There will be pilots and airplanes, local skydivers, food, beverages, arts and crafts booths, activities for kids and more. You can also purchase raffle tickets to have a chance to experience flying in a historic Stearman Bi-plane and/or receive your first flying lesson. Admission to the fly-in is free. It is scheduled from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Read more at their Facebook page: Wings over Wiggins
April 23-25 — The Texas Raider in Hammond, LA
As you know the BEW wants to have a presence on both side of the Lake so if you have not been out to the Hammond Airport then this would be a an excellent time.
Tours start at 1:00 PM on Monday April 23 and ends at 4:00 PM each day. There are no tours on Friday. Flights on the B-17 Flying Fortress start at $475 and goes up depending on selected seat.
Flights start are at 5:30 PM. The view should be spectacular over the Lake. There is a 10 AM flight on the 25th. Tours of the aircraft are $10 for adults, $5 for children. Read more at: Texas Raiders
April 26-29 —EAA’s Ford TriMotor comes to Reserve LA.
This airport is an easy, nice drive from New Orleans. I think it would worth the trip to get to climb aboard one of the first mass-produced airliners, the “Tin Goose”.
A camera to record this experience and to share with family and friends would be a good idea. Advance tickets are $70 for adults. Walk up tickets are $75 and $50 for 17 years old and under. Book your spot on the historic “Tin Goose.” Visit www.flytheford.org, the EAA’s Tri-Motor tour website. Your can read more on the topic at Port of South Louisiana Executive Regional Airport.T
There are hundreds of aviation events monthly. If you want more aviation information, then please visit LaAviator.com to learn about them.