St. Ignatius Fly-In a family affair
A SMALL plane takes off at the St. Ignatius airport Sunday, July 22 during the annual Fly-In.
CLOCKWISE FROM bottom left are pilot James Dawe, Kade Behm, Holly Behm and Shyla Behm. Dawe took the family on a 10-minute helicopter ride to the Mission Mountains and back to the St. Ignatius airport during a fly-in over the weekend. (Photos by Ashley Fox/Lake County Leader)
THE BEHMS from Kalispell lift off with pilot James Dawe during a quick flight to the mountains late Sunday morning. (Ashley Fox/Lake County Leader)
Standing with their backs to the blazing sun, a mother and her two children anxiously awaited for their turn to see the Mission Mountains up close late Sunday morning.
Holly Behm and 9-year-old daughter Shyla and 5-year-old son Kade, all of Kalispell, were in St. Ignatius for the annual Fly-In during the community’s Good Old Days event.
Helicopter rides, which lasted for about 10 minutes, cost $40 per person.
Holly said that the family got to see “awesome waterfalls and buffalo” against the mountains during the ride.
She noted that while it was the first time for the three in a helicopter, she enjoyed the ride.
“You can see every little thing,” whereas on an airplane not much is visible.
Shyla noted how fast a helicopter takes off and lands.“You don’t have to wait a half hour” for takeoff, she said.
Holly added that after passengers are strapped in, “poof, you’re in the air.”
Pilot James Dawe with Inland Helicopters in Spokane, Wash., provided flights, while his student, St. Ignatius resident Stacey Thoft-Plimmer, briefed each group of three people before they took a ride.
Thoft-Plimmer said that about 85 rides were conducted at the Fly-In.
Michael Kuefler, groundskeeper at the St. Ignatius airport, said that the Fly-In has been hosted for 12 years.
Volunteer Jill Valley explained that the Fly-in helps raise interest in aviation.
Kuefler added that during the yearly event, people can visit and see what the local airport has to offer.“This is the public’s airport, and a lot of people don’t know we have an airport here,” he said.
People can “talk to pilots, see airplanes” and look around the different aircraft, Valley said.
In the past, the Young Eagles program, which is on hiatus, was on hand to share more aviation with the community, Valley said.
On Sunday morning, Valley said that more than 600 people were present at a free breakfast at the airport, which included raffles and a rubber duck race.
Proceeds, she said, will go toward next year’s event.
There were 38 aircraft lined up along the runway Sunday, Kuefler said.