Small-town airfield alive and well

Sunday, August 25, 2019
Isaac and Jane Knight watch as a plane makes it's approach to Shawnee Field.

On any given weekend, if the weather is pleasant and the winds are slight, there is a place where magic still exists. Just past Switz City along Highway 54, you can drive by and witness the marvels of men and women in their flying machines. In a world of jumbo jets and tight security, this is a place where literal grassroots aviation takes place.

It's not a conspicuous airfield.

Situated on a gravel lane, the hangars are more like pole barns and the runway needs a weekly mowing. You won't catch a plane to the other side of the world, but it will inspire your imagination to faraway places. The airplanes here hark back to a simpler era. Small, single-engine, often fabric-covered aerial wonders take to the sky from the short grass strip. A stroll around the grounds can be had without the invasive TSA experience.

Where you find an open hangar you will find a friendly face, someone you may have never met before, but will talk to you about flying like they're a lifelong friend.

It was this very place that showed me the magic of flight. Making a weekly pilgrimage with my grandfather to watch planes come and go, listen to the animated conversations between old pilots and first experiencing the sight of the world from the lofty perch of an old Cessna with my grandfather behind the controls, this place put me on the path of a lifetime pursuit.

After a military career of flying to all points of the globe, I found myself back at this wondrous place with my own children. As they walked up the rusty steps of what vaguely resembles a control tower, a lone aircraft made his approach to the green and pasture-like runway. Their excitement permeated the air, mixing with the drone of the engine and the smells of the nearby farms.

They were treated to the hospitality of Mike, who has forgotten more about aviation than I will ever know with a tour of his hangar-turned-workshop, complete with a nearly 70-year-old plane sitting anxiously behind the doors. As we wrapped up our visit and loaded into the car, I could see the all-too-obvious signs in my son's eyes, that of being smitten with this amazing world of aviation.

Anyone who visits this small airport out in the sticks will undoubtedly walk away with the same feeling.