Annual Fall Color Fly-in Pancake Breakfast Benefits Aviation Education, Celebrates Aviation in Cook County
Oct 01, 2024 08:52AM ● By Content Editor
Photo: The little Cessna Skyhawk stayed busy giving scenic rides for the entire 3-hour event at a discounted rate of only $40. All photos by Haley Brickner.
By Haley Brickner for Boreal Community Media - October 1, 2024
The Annual Fall Color Fly-in Pancake Breakfast occurred on September 28 at the Grand Marais/Cook County Airport (CKC). The event was sponsored by the Arrowhead Eagles Aviation Organization (AEAO), a 501(c)3 nonprofit that promotes flight training, general community awareness, volunteer participation, and career opportunities in aviation.
Pilots from all over Minnesota attended, some even coming from as far as the East Coast. One pilot from Two Harbors flew to Superior to pick up a friend and then flew up the North Shore, enjoying the fall colors and waving at fishermen along the way.
Volunteer and Cook County Commissioner Ann Sullivan explained the important role of the AEAO and CKC in fighting local wildfires. "They coordinate together so that the Beavers [a type of float plane that can operate in remote areas] come to the seaplane base down at Devil Track," she explained. "There, they pickup water and use that for fighting all the fires in the area."
Volunteer Ann Sullivan operates a fundraising booth, selling t-shirts and books for the Arrowhead Eagles.
In addition to pancakes and sausage, cooked by the Maple Hill Community Fire Department, fall color scenic flights were available for only $40 in a Cessna Seahawk, a four-seat, single-engine, high-wing, fixed-wing aircraft. The firefighters also brought their fire trucks so kids could explore and push the siren button.
Firefighters from the Maple Hill Community Fire Department volunteered to cook and serve pancakes and sausage for breakfast.
The Fall Color Fly-in Pancake Breakfast is a fundraiser that raises money for scholarships for future pilots' flight training.
The Annual Fall Color Fly-in Pancake Breakfast occurred on September 28 at the Grand Marais/Cook County Airport (CKC).
The Maple Hill Community Fire Department brought their truck for kids to explore.
A 1946 vintage Taylorcraft on display. This single-engine high-wing airplane weighs in at 1,200 lbs.
People line up for a fall colors flight in the Cessna 172M Skyhawk.
The cockpit of one of the airplanes.
Airplanes flew in from all over Minnesota. Some came even as far as from the East Coast.
The Cook County Airport (CKC) is a full-service, public-use airport and seaplane base for Cook County and Northeast Minnesota.
