Bring your aviation curiosity to the Lincoln Regional Airport on Saturday, May 21. In celebration of "International Learn To Fly Day", the Lincoln Light Sport Center will have their instructors and staff out front and center on the flight line to answer questions, provide introductory flights, and explain the entire process of what it takes to get into the skies.

Sharing the spotlight with LLSC, the monthly Lincoln Aircraft Display Day will showcase classic, historical, and modern aircraft for the public to enjoy.

The coffee will be ready at 8:00 am and we don't stop until the pot is empty or 12:00 noon, whichever is later!

For questions about learning to fly, contact the authorized flight training companies at Lincoln:

Lincoln Light Sport Center (www.lincolnlightsportcenter.com)  916-543-3303 or

Tim Decker, CFI (www.timdeckerairshows.com) 916-300-4259

Additional "Learn To Fly Day" activities are being held at the Auburn Municipal Airport as well. Click HERE for information.

For over a decade, Paul Freeman has worked to document airports that have been closed, redeveloped, or neglected. His immense efforts are presented on the website "Abandoned & Little Known Airports" and reflect 1,479 facilities spread across the entire nation.

Paul's task began as a personal tribute to his father's support of his aviation interests. "As a pilot, a particular interest of mine has always been the abandoned airfields that dot the landscape of much of this country." reflects Paul. "Both for their potential safety value to a pilot in an emergency, and also for their sometimes fascinating history, this particular topic has always held my curiosity. When I'm a passenger on commercial flights, I've always found myself looking out the window, constantly looking for airfields below. When I fly as a pilot myself, I've always tried to land at as many airports as possible, to learn a little about each one."

Over the years many individuals have sent in photographs and descriptions of shuttered airports to be cataloged. The first few entries grew to hundreds then over a thousand. As more people became aware of the project it drew more visitors. While each additional viewer made the collection more popular, it also added to the cost of maintaining and operating the site. Occasionally someone would toss a few bucks toward Paul as a token "thanks for the effort" gesture.

Recalling the famous and oft mis-quoted line: "Those who cannot remember the past, are condemned to repeat it", the California Pilots Association (the LRAA's parent organization) has stepped up to become the site's first official sponsor. CalPilots' mission is that of being an airport advocate for facilities within the state's borders. Without airports, where would aviators fly? Keeping Paul's website operating is an important part of the Association's purpose of promoting awareness of the devastation that aviation infrastructure has suffered.

CalPilots is issuing a challenge to the pilots' associations in every state to match its sponsorship of their respective section of the "Abandoned & Little Known Airports" website. An energized population is essential to staving off threats that seek to close many remaining airports. As impressive as the website is, keeping it from becoming larger is an important goal because sadly, each entry is an epitaph for an aerodrome.