More than 200 attend annual fly in potluck at Red Oak airport

The Red Oak Airport once again held its annual picnic welcoming pilots from all over the world as they travelled to the annual Antique Airplane Association Invitational fly-in Aug. 30-Sept. 5.
The annual event draws as many as 300 antique aircraft any given year. Last year’s fly-in drew 212 participants, though the show was hampered with some inclement weather. Pilots who stopped at Red Oak for a layover on their way to Blakesburg, Iowa, were treated to a potluck feed, with entrees provided by Chad and Mandy Hill.
The Red Oak Airport’s annual picnic event on Aug. 30 was attended by 203 people, and 41 classic and antique aircraft landed at the airport for a layover.
Pilots who have visited the airport for the annual picnic have flown in from as far as  New Hampshire, Florida, and Michigan. Among the reasons they’ve cited for making the stop include the hospitality they receive from the airport staff and the community, the facility’s three runways, the great fuel prices, and the pride in ownership.
Nick Hildreth, one of the organizers of the event, said Red Oak’s airport remains one of the best in the country for a number of reasons.
“It has crosswind runways, and it has the nice grass runway that is conducive to landing antique airplanes. I think we’ve had this here for about nine years now, said Hildreth.
Being able to host the annual event in conjunction with events in Blakesburg, Hildreth said, is very rewarding
“It’s a Red Oak pilots picnic that comes at the right time of year for us to invite these travelers from across the country to join us. They look forward to it, and so do we. We sometimes have around 40 airplanes here, and I’d say half of those pilots have joined us just to attend this specific event,” Hildreth commented.
Volunteer Many Hill, who has cooked for the annual event for the past six years, said she and husband Chad love to participate every year.
“For me, I enjoy making the food for everyone. I love cooking. We make burgers and hot dogs for everyone. For my husband, he loves to see all of the the vintage airplanes coming in,” Hill said.