I went to the “Wheels and Wings” thing this weekend. I saw a few beautiful cars, a few nice bikes and some pretty good looking gals! But what impressed me the most was the almost panoramic view of the mountains surrounding the Mena Intermountain Regional Airport.

If I was rich, I’d have paid $25 for a short airplane ride over and around those mountains. But, I not. And I didn’t.

I’m just wondering - - - Why don’t we ever have a really good air show? Like a military invitational? What with the A-10’s at Ft. Smith, the C-130’s at Jacksonville and the B-52’s at Bossier City. Now, that would be a real air show!

Or even a sailplane meet? Maybe a bunch of ultra lights? Even an EAA fly-in? Why not? - - -

Has anyone of the Airport Commission, or Chamber of Commerce ever considered such a thing? Has the City Council? After all, the airport belongs neither to the Airport Commission nor the Chamber of Commerce. It belongs to the City of Mena. Maybe the Advertising and Promotion Commission would be interested.

Oh, I forgot, they’re too slippery and stiff about paying for things like billboards and fireworks!

And, again I’m wondering----- What happened to the military exercises that used to be conducted here in Polk County? “Operation Coronet Century” I think they were collectively called. Those exercises brought a lot of revenue into the county. And the troops, (exemplary, they were) in their idle time, did a lot of volunteer work to help make our little spot on this globe a bit nicer. As I recall, those exercises came at the invitation of county officials. Doe’s anyone know about that? Are they no longer welcome? Do those maneuvers no longer exist? If so, tell us.

If the so called “powers that be” are so interested in retirement and recreation, as opposed to industry,
consider this: a lot of retired folks fly, thanks to the new sport pilot certification. A lot of retired folks fulfill their lifelong dreams by building their own airplanes. Some of them have sailplanes. Some of them can afford to come and retire here in Polk County to live out their dreams.

The City of Mena owns over 660 acres around and about the Mena Intermountain Regional Airport. If the City of Mena is not interested in developing that acreage by recruiting industry for the benefit of the working folks of Mena and Polk County, then let them put some of that unused, and non-taxed property up for sale.

Break that property up into lots. Sell it at auction! Collect the revenue! Collect the taxes! And get to work on the streets!

If the City of Mena persists in recruiting retirees to Mena, then develop a Fly-in community at KMEZ! ( the reference designator for Mena Intermountain Regional). Then I say again, sell that unused property, turn it into a fly-in community and start collecting taxes! If they can afford $1 million planes, if they can afford $1 million homes, then they can afford to pay their fair share of taxes !

You don’t even have to annex that property. The city already owns it!

Now, don’t get me started on the issue of the City of Mena’s plans about annexation! I’ll leave that for someone else . But, I reserve the right to comment!

IMO, $25.00 isn't bad for a plane ride over our mountains, especially this time of year with all the color. My son and his G/F did, and flew over our house and took a nice pic, which costs a fortune when the people who do it for a living charge you for their pic. So it was a deal!

Now you're talkin! :thumb:

:scratch: :scratch: I must be getting double vision. :scratch: :scratch:

I thought that $25 was a pretty good deal. The pilot had a pre-planned flight pattern and I asked him to fly out to Cherry Hill so I could get a picture of the house. He told me, "No Problem!" Sure was a nice thing to do.

Considering this event was a fund-raiser, and that the planes and fuel, as well as the time of the pilots were all DONATED for the event, I'd say that $25 is fair.

Our pilot flew in from Little Rock just for Wheels and Wings. I'm grateful we have this kind of entertainment available to us here in Mena.

JM2CW


Thank you to everybody there for pulling off such a great event! Sure had a good time! :D