The Knox fireworks committee will hold a fundraiser on June 21 to help gather funds for this year’s extravaganza.
The Saturday, July 5 celebration event will be at the Starke County Airport. The gates will open around 6 p.m. CT with the fireworks show at dusk. Several vendors will be available so you can go early and get a snack and listen to some music before the show begins.
A preliminary crash incident report from a fatal plane crash at the Starke County Airport in Knox on July 29 has been released by the National Transportation Safety Board.
A plane flown by James A. W. Evans III of Stafford, Va. was the fourth in a series of five planes that were flying from Fredericksburg, Va. to the Experimental Aircraft Association Airventure fly-in in Wisconsin. A stop at the Starke County Airport was planned for refuel, but was not part of an official flight plan or log. The pilots were going to stay the night near Knox and continue their journey the following day.
The pilot whose single-engine plane crash landed at the Starke County Airport north of Knox Monday afternoon died of massive blunt-force trauma, according to the initial autopsy report. James A.W. Evans III, 68, of Stafford, Va. was en route from Virginia to Oshkosh, Wis. and was apparently stopping for fuel when his plane crashed at the south end of the runway around 3 p.m.. He suffered massive head, neck, chest and internal injuries, according to Starke County Coroner Kris Rannells, who says a final autopsy report will be made after histology and toxicology tests are complete.
The pilot of the single-engine plane that crash landed at the Starke County Airport Monday afternoon has been identified. James A.W. Evans III, 68, of Stafford, Va. appeared to die instantly, according to Starke County Coroner Kris Rannells. An autopsy is scheduled later today to confirm his cause of death. Evans was en route from Virginia to Oshkosh, Wis., stopped in Knox for fuel and crashed at the south end of the runway around 3 p.m.. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.
Personnel from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department and the Knox-Center Township Fire Department are on the scene of a fatal plane crash at the Starke County Airport.
The single-engine plane was coming in on the south end of the runway and went down at approximately 3 p.m. Sheriff Oscar Cowen said that the male pilot is deceased but could not elaborate on any more details as the investigation continues.
After being idle for the last four years, the Breakfast Fly-In and Drive-In event will once again be hosted at the Starke County Airport. Airport Manager Pam Beharry said she was approached by the Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 104 of Valparaiso who said they were willing to come out and give the event a try again this year.
The Starke County Airport is back in working condition, but Airport Manager Pam Beharry says the airport has been crippled. The main hangar door is still damaged and the roof is unstable, and she says they still need to repair their fence as well. Further, she says the destroyed tee hangars prevent them from making money by housing planes, and the only source of income is the sale of fuel.
“I mean, the revenues have stopped. Now our jet fuel is the only revenue coming in right now,” said Beharry. “Oh well – just be thankful nobody got hurt, that’s the main thing.”
The Starke County Airport is still reeling from the damage wrought by Tuesday morning’s storms. Airport Manager Pam Beharry says a number of hangars were damaged and some even destroyed, and five planes were totaled while others were untouched by the 70 mph winds that tore through the area.
Fortunately, Beharry says no one was injured and the planes that did suffer damage carried their own insurance. She says a number of insurance adjustors have already visited the airport, not only to assess the damage on the planes, but also to assess the damage at the airport itself.
There’s not a lot of activity now at the Starke County Airport but Airport Manager, Pam Beharry said a runway extension and the introduction of a different jet fuel will keep the area busy next year.
“We’ll be getting an extension to the 5,001 foot runway,” said Beharry. “We have introduced Jet A fuel for the oncoming turbine operations – turbine as in turbo-prop or jet aircraft. We’ve got a few coming in on a regular basis. We’re just looking forward to a lot of business and improvements coming in the future.”
The Starke County Fireworks celebration is tonight at the Starke County Airport! The gates open at 6 p.m. and there is a five dollar charge per carload. The Starke County Fireworks Committee encourages you to get all of your family members and friends together to attend the fireworks celebration.
There will be several vendors on hand to sell food and other goods, the Starke County Amateur Radio Club will have information available on their organization while members provide demonstrations and a remote controlled plane club will be flying model airplanes. Enthusiasts of both organizations will be available to answer any questions.
The fireworks show will begin at dusk.
The Fireworks presentation at the Starke County Airport went off without a hitch Saturday night. It was a hot day to start off with, but a rain shower came through the area late in the afternoon and it cooled off nicely for the fireworks show at dusk.
Several representatives of organizations showed up early in the afternoon to present some information on their programs.
The Knox City Council, Fireworks Committee and Knox Mayor Rick Chambers invites all to this year’s fireworks display at the Starke County Airport this Saturday, July 2nd.
The gates open at 4:00 p.m. and the gate fee is $5.00. There will be numerous food booths and various clubs selling items for fundraisers. A DJ will be playing music up until the fireworks display at dusk. A Cruise-in will be held on the runway. A BMX Bike demonstration is scheduled, along with a HAM Radio and Airplane Club demonstrations.
Members of the Indiana Wing of the Civil Air Patrol will bivouac at the Starke County Airport this weekend. In all, 150 cadets and Air Force trainers will on the ground and in the air doing search and rescue training. Over 80 aircraft will be at the Airport. Cadets will be staying in tents. There will be a Mess Hall set up to support the effort.
Several citizens of Pulaski County approached the Commissioners with a slide presentation detailing many issues and potentially false figures with the proposed airport expansion project. The presentation also argued the reasoning behind the proposal.
One of the reasons that was given for the airport expansion project was that increasing the length of the Arens Field runway to 5,005 feet would decrease insurance premiums for corporate aircraft. In the presentation, insurance premiums are “based on pilot age and experience, history of claims, expected hours of operations.” Also, the Airport Layout Plan states that the proposed action would have no effect on business or economic activity in the project area or local public service demands.
The Indiana Wing of the Civil Air Patrol conducted a search and rescue exercise this past weekend at the Starke County Airport. Ted Hayes visited the site, and talks with Col. Mark Reeves who was directing the cadets through their exercise.
“We’re running an Air Force training mission,” said Col. Reeves. “The Air Force has authorized us to practice our skills in search and rescue. The cadets are from the age of 12 to 21. They can qualify in all sorts of things. Most of the time they are ground team members. They qualify by doing ground team type stuff, first aid, search and rescue, and line searches.”
The Indiana Wing of the Indiana Civil Air Patrol will be conducting a weekend search and rescue exercise at the Starke County Airport. Approximately 130 Senior, Junior and Auxiliary cadets will bivouac from Friday night until Sunday.
Eight Civil Air Patrol aircraft will be used in the exercise, which will be a staged plane crash. Col. Mark Reeves will be in charge of the training session.
