Annual Air Fair set Saturday at Havre City-County Airport

Air Fair 2022, the annual fly-in and breakfast at Havre City-County Airport, is set to start at 7 a.m., running as late as noon Saturday, and will be held rain or shine.

Admission is free and open to the public to view the airplanes and talk with the pilots. The cost of the breakfast, which is prepared by the Havre Lions Club, is $10 per person and free to kids 5 and younger and to out-of-area pilots. The breakfast, with a choice of pancakes, sausage, eggs, biscuits and gravy, coffee and juice, will be served until about 11 a.m.

If weather permits, said Willie Hurd, North Central Hangar president and co-organizer of the event, the Air Fair will also include a candy drop, and a ping pong ball drop that will help with awarding door prizes, and pilots will compete in the sky bowling tournament.

For the crowd-favorite sky bowling, metal barrels will be set in a bowling pin pattern and participating pilots, either alone or with a co-pilot assistant, will perform a low and slow flyover and drop a bowling ball from their plane attempting to hit the “pins.” The best bowling score wins.

Another popular activity that will be held if the visibility is good enough is free airplane rides for children who meet the height requirement. While it’s hard to guess the weather, Hurd said, generally getting there earlier in the morning is better if someone is hoping for a ride.

The airplane rides in the private, small aircraft are provided by local pilots donating their time and expenses to help keep younger generations enthused about flying.

Hurd said that he expects a pilot from the Kalispell area will be flying a rare antique Travel Air 6000 six-passenger aircraft to the fly-in this year. Hank Galpin, the owner and restorer of the aircraft, found the plane in the 1990s in Alaska. Galpin restored the Travel Air, Hurd said, complete with its mahogany interior.

Everyone is welcome to attend the fly-in, Hurd said.