Site Logo

Pilots take to the skies, show off on the ground

Published 9:30 pm Friday, June 7, 2019

By Brian Mazurek

From right, Wes Jones, Jake Pritchett, Austin Robinson and Jay Kircher pose for a photo in front of a Eurocopter MH-65 Dolphin at the 19th annual Kenai Peninsula Air Fair in Kenai, on Saturday. The four are part of a U.S. Coast Guard Search and Rescue Team based out of Kodiak. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)
1/4

From right, Wes Jones, Jake Pritchett, Austin Robinson and Jay Kircher pose for a photo in front of a Eurocopter MH-65 Dolphin at the 19th annual Kenai Peninsula Air Fair in Kenai, on Saturday. The four are part of a U.S. Coast Guard Search and Rescue Team based out of Kodiak. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)

From right, Wes Jones, Jake Pritchett, Austin Robinson and Jay Kircher pose for a photo in front of a Eurocopter MH-65 Dolphin at the 19th annual Kenai Peninsula Air Fair in Kenai, on Saturday. The four are part of a U.S. Coast Guard Search and Rescue Team based out of Kodiak. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)
From right, Wes Jones, Jake Pritchett, Austin Robinson and Jay Kircher pose for a photo in front of a Eurocopter MH-65 Dolphin at the 19th annual Kenai Peninsula Air Fair in Kenai, Alaska on June 8, 2019. The four are part of a U.S. Coast Guard Search and Rescue Team based out of Kodiak, Alaska. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)
Janneth Martos, left, and Bethany Martos, right, take a selfie in front of Tim Martin’s 1942 Grumman G-44 Widgeon at the 19th annual Kenai Peninsula Air Fair in Kenai, Alaska on June 8, 2019. Janneth and Bethany are visiting Alaska from Mexico and Spain, respectively. Martin has attended the Air Fair for 5 years and flies down from Anchorage every year to participate in the Poker Run, where pilots are tasked with stopping at several airports around the peninsula to pick up tickets and potentially win prizes. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)
A Boeing KC-135 sits on display at the 19th annual Kenai Peninsula Air Fair in Kenai, Alaska on June 8, 2019. The KC-135 was built in 1963 and is used by the 168th Alaska Air Guard for mid-air refueling operations. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)

On Saturday, the Kenai and Soldotna Airports hosted the 19th annual Kenai Peninsula Air Fair. The event started in the morning with breakfast at the MARC hangar of the Soldotna Airport and registration for the Poker Run, where pilots flew to at least five different airports on the peninsula, picking up tickets at each location that were exchanged for a set of playing cards. The pilot with the best poker hand from their playing cards was given first pick out of a number of prizes given away at the Kenai Airport that afternoon. The Air Fair also featured static displays of aircraft from several military branches and private owners, a performance from the 9th Army Band and a military appreciation event.

You Might Like