The Yorkton Municipal Airport has both a long history and a vital part to play in the city today. In August, the Airport will be hosting an open house to highlight the role the airport has played in Yorkton's past, and its future, taking place August 24 and 25.
Keith Vaughan, chairman of the Yorkton Airport Authority says that the goal is to show the value of the airport. He notes that there's a lot of commerce going through the airport every day, and they are working to get more all the time, as well as starting a passenger service.
The headline attraction will be a B-17 Bomber coming in from Arizona. Tours of the aircraft will be available for $5. There will also be vintage aircraft from the Brandon Commonwealth Air Museum, an A26, Harvard and Tiger Moth. Vaughan says aircraft similar to the Harvard and Tiger Moth would have been part of the training program back when Yorkton Airport was a Commonwealth Air Training airport.
"[The B-17 is] something not a lot of people get to see, especially to get in and walk around it. If you've got the dollars and you want to go for a flight in it, that would be a once in a lifetime thing," Vaughan says.
Going for a flight in the B-17 will cost $850 to be in the nose, and $450 to sit in the "belly" of the aircraft.
The day will cap off with a hangar dance, with people encouraged to dress in period clothing. There were frequently hangar dances back in the '40s.
The hope is to see the yard full, Vaughan says, and that they would like to see continuing to do the event into the future. He says the ultimate goal is to do an air show at the airport, which he says is complicated to put together, but something which he would like to see happen in the future.
