Winterville pilot to take part in historic DC flyover

The storied history of general aviation will be on full display over the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on May 11, and it will be the pilots flying over our nation’s capital that will bring the celebration to life.

Taking off from Frederick (Md.) Municipal Airport that morning in the National Celebration of GA DC Flyover will be Cliff McSpadden of Winterville in a 1941 Waco UPF-7 aircraft.  McSpadden will be one of the hand-selected pilots to fly down the Potomac River, over Washington’s Independence Avenue and right by the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial. The event will commemorate 85 years of general aviation since President Roosevelt signed National Aviation Day into law in 1939, and showcase the value that general aviation has provided to the nation and local communities since.

General aviation comprises all aviation in the U.S. with the exception of scheduled airlines and the military.

The National Celebration of GA DC Flyover will be broadcast live on AOPA’s YouTube channel with commentary from longtime AOPA Live This Week host Tom Haines and noted journalist Miles O’Brien.

This special event will take place over one of Washington, D.C.’s most restricted flight zones, Prohibited Area P-56, something that’s never been done with general aviation aircraft since September 11, 2001. The Flyover is being closely coordinated with 11 interagency partners, including the FAA, Transportation Security Administration, Secret Service, and Capitol Police, and has the support of Congress.

The more than 60 aircraft, comprising 20 different “chapters,” will tell the story of general aviation in the United States, from those in the Golden Age and representing general aviation after World War II to the GA trainer era, vertical flight, backcountry flying, seaplanes, corporate and business aviation, technically advanced aircraft, homebuilt aircraft, airshow performers, and other examples of general aviation aircraft that support public service missions.

The event will also showcase technological advancements that have greatly advanced general aviation’s safety record. The general aviation industry enjoys the safest record ever due to better aircraft, navigation systems, flight training, and better, more engaging ways to stay proficient.  General aviation aircraft fly over 26 million flight hours each year, including about 30 million takeoffs and landings, and even with this increased flight activity, the general aviation accident rate has fallen to the lowest in history.

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