This aerial photo of Cox Field’s improved main runway, which got a new surface in recent months thanks to a grant, was taken from a plane flown by airport advisory commission chairman Billy Copeland.
By CHARLES RICHARDS
eParisExtra.com
At a recent meeting of the City of Paris’ airport advisory commission, a tentative date of Sept. 22 or Sept. 29 was approved for a Fly-In at Cox Field Airport.
Both dates fall on a Saturday..
A subcommittee of Ray Ball, Jeanna Scott, Jack Ashmore, Shannon Barrentine, and airport manager Jerry Richey came up with the dates.
The group also offered several entertainment possibilities that included offering airplane rides on a B17 or B25, at a cost of $450 to $500 per ride, plus tour rates.
Commission chairman Billy Copeland suggested investigating what it would cost to get them here. Copeland also suggested looking at the Devil Dogs as an alternative.
The subcommittee also discussed contacting a DC3, the Bird Dog Flyers, the remote control people, an acrobatic pilot, sky divers, a ride simulator, EAA, and a T-28.
The subcommittee discussed parking and utilizing the city’s trolley to transport people across the runway area. Parking would be free, and the committee discussed the possibility of getting an organization to oversee the parking.
To help bring out a crowd, the commission discussed handing out tickets to individuals at the fly-in and having hourly drawings for door prizes.
Ball discussed the possibility of offering sponsor placement on advertisement banners, T-shirts, etc., with different levels of sponsorship.
Those attending September’s Fly-In will find improved runways at the airport, thanks to improvements financed by a grant.
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Charles Richards Charles Richards moved to Paris in 2004 after retiring from a 40-year career in journalism – the last 26 years as a news writer and sports writer with The Associated Press in Dallas and Washington, D.C. In mid-2004, The Paris News coaxed him out of retirement, and he began covering the police, court and regional beat for The Paris News. Then in early 2005, he was switched to coverage of a sharply divided Paris City Council. He was appointed by the City Council in 2006 to the 12-member City Charter Review Commission, which extensively rewrote the outmoded document. His writing awards include two first-place awards in statewide competition for feature writing. The most recent was his 2005 story on a Paris doctor’s startling use of leeches in a successful attempt to re-attach a man’s severed ear. Over his career, Richards’ interview subjects include Alabama Gov. George Wallace, President Bill Clinton, President George W. Bush, David Koresh, Arnold Palmer, Muhammad Ali and numerous other political and sports figures. He is an alumnus of Texas Tech, where he was editor of the school newspaper. He lives in Paris with his wife, Barbara, who is retired after 30 years as a teacher and high school counselor.
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