The Mid-Atlantic Aviation Coalition ( MAAC), a general aviation advocacy organization based in New Jersey, has found a way to get more aircraft out of the hangars and into the air. They call it the “New Jersey Airport Challenge.”
There are 46 general aviation airports in New Jersey. The object of the challenge is to establish a competition to get pilots to fly to as many participating airports as possible.
The competition will run from July 1 to Sept. 17 when a fly-in picnic will be held at Somerset Airport where winners will be awarded prizes.
The grand prize is a $300 IFR course donated by Sporty’s Pilot Shop of Batavia, Ohio.
MAAC held its first Airport Challenge last year. “So many participants asked for the event to be repeated,” said MAAC president Mike Stoddard, ” we decided to make it an annual event.
It helps pilots build time, gives them a chance to visit airports they haven’t been to before and it helps bring more traffic to the state’s airports and increase gas sales, MAAC officials said. “It’s a win-win situation,” said Stoddard.
When participants fly into a participating airport they ask for a card signed and dated at the airport. Last year’s winners visited every one of the 28 participating airports.
“Everyone is guaranteed to win something,” Stoddard noted, pointing out that among the awards were 75 gallons of aviation gas.
All participants went home with special MAAC mouse pads as reminders of the landmark flying event. The Mid-Atlantic Aviation Coalition is the sponsor of the New Jersey Aviation Conference.
For more information: 732-968-6908
