Flying in

Mondell Field Airport to host fly-in on Sept. 14

Mary Stroka

NLJ Reporter

Mondell Field Airport, a small general aviation airport located a few miles west of Newcastle, will host its annual fly-in on Saturday, Sept. 14, and the general public is invited to join the pilots in the celebration at 4206 U.S. Highway 16.

“It’s always an excuse for everybody to get out and go flying,” Streeter said.

Airport manager Tuff Streeter said on Sept. 3 that he and airport board members will begin serving a breakfast of pancakes, eggs and sausage at around 7 a.m. and the event will “probably go until about noon.” 

The event will feature a “balloon bust,” where pilots try to hit balloons in the sky with their planes, and a “spot landing,” where pilots compete to see who can come closest to landing on a selected spot on the runway. Normally, those events start between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m., depending on when there’s a “lull” between when the pilots land and when they’re getting ready to depart. Pilots typically try the activities on their way out of the airport. 

Streeter recommends that spectators who want to watch arrivals come to the field between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m. because the event should be over by noon.

The fly-in is free and has been running for at least about 20 years, said Streeter, who wants to give the public a chance to see the airport and this part of Weston County infrastructure that “their tax dollars are going for.” One woman he’s spoken with said she’s lived in the area “all her life” and never knew that Newcastle has an airport.

Streeter said the event used to take place in the spring, but considering it usually got “weathered out,” organizers began moving it toward the fall, while dodging other airports’ fly-in events. In the past, some “pretty cool airplanes” have been on the site. A man used to regularly come with some World War II fighter planes, and the BlackHawks, which are busy this year, have also previously come. Pilots don’t tend to give advance notice regarding whether they will attend, but Streeter has heard from a pilot in Sheridan, one in Buffalo and one in Casper who are interested in coming this year.

“A lot of times, it’s hit and miss,” he said. “Sometimes people can get away on that weekend. Other times, it’s tough. So we don’t really know. Some years, we have a really good turnout. Other years, not quite so much, but that’s just kind of part of the ballgame.”

This year, people will be able to see where the airport is building its new hangars, Streeter said. As the News Letter Journal previously reported, the airport received grants from the Federal Aviation Agency and the state to purchase an eight-unit hangar. When the construction is finished, the airport will have 16 hangars. The ones the airport is building this year are single-stall, and the others are multi-stall.

Streeter said he has typically been the one to fund the breakfast, but sometimes airport board members have contributed. On occasion, if the airport budget has funds left over, the board has spent some money on the event as well. People who attend are also welcome to make a donation.