Video: Preparing For The Worse

MONROE COUNTY, Miss.(WCBI) – The Monroe County airport was the site of a fly over bombing demonstration today.

While most of us know how to use self service to fill up our cars, Columbus veterinarian, Cecil Boswell is using self service to fill up his Piper Cub at the Monroe County Airport. Saturday morning he joined corporate pilot Aubie Pearman of Pontotoc, also flying a Piper Cub, in an ariel demonstration. They dropped bags of flour trying to hit this barrel.

“We’re having fun man. Fly over bombing is what we’re doing just then. Is this something that is done a lot, kind of a hobby kind of a thing? No this is just something that we’re just doing today, but we enjoy just flying around,”said Plane Owner Cecil Boswell.

“The airplane that we use is a Piper J-3 Cub and you do that because it’s very easy to fly and it will fly very slowly and you can open the door and fly it so it allows you to drop the little one pound sack of flour,”said Aubie Pearman.

Airport Director Wes Kirkpatrick says today event was aimed at showcasing the airport to the community.

“I like the community to know that we have an airport for one and to come out and see what its all about, what we have to offer, how we effect the local economy. How we’re the front door to the county for people who fly in visiting or for business,” said Kirkpatrick.

“These vintage Piper Cub aircraft were built in 1946 and have a very storied history dating back to World War Two itself. The J-3 Cub is a very iconic airplane. It was built during the war and actually there are variants of it that served as a liaison aircraft in the war so most people who are not aviation savvy, they know a piper cub and a Lear jet and a Boeing 747 so all airplanes are one of those three airplanes so it’s kind of an icon,”said Kirkpatrick.

It’s a great plane to learn to fly on.

“The tail wheel airplane gives people a little more trouble. But if you learn how to do it in a tail wheel then you can fly a conventional gear the tricycle gear.”
And both pilots encourage younger people to become aviators.

“There’s fixing to be a pilot shortage and not a lot of young people entering aviation.”There’s a lot of people retiring and I fly professionally and yes there is becoming a shortage of pilots,”said

Pearman may have found a future pilot as he gave a ride to this young boy. It was the first time the kid flew in an airplane.

There were more flights and activities in the afternoon.