Fullerton Airport welcomes public for Airport Day

Brendan J. O’Reilly grew up in Whittier and first visited Fullerton Airport when he was 6 years old, with his dad. Soon after, they returned for Airport Day and O’Reilly’s passion for airplanes grew.

Today, he oversees Airport Day in his capacity as manager of Fullerton Airport, operated under the city’s Public Works Department.

“I credit this airport with starting my passion for aviation, so [I] definitely want to share that with others and especially with the kids,” O’Reilly said. “There’s so many things to get kids into trouble these days. They got to have something to look forward to and to learn about or to aspire to.”

Fullerton’s Airport Day is a free, open house designed to let local families and individuals see the workings of the municipal airport and possibly inspire future careers in aviation, along with educating about other city departments. This year’s event takes place Saturday, May 31, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and is slated to offer exhibits, displays, plus food available for purchase. Airplane and and helicopter rides will also be available for a fee.

“It’s an opportunity to showcase all the other departments in the city that do vital stuff, like Public Works fixing streets and sewers, and they take care of all the water systems, landscaping,” O’Reilly said. “They bring out trucks, like those big vector trucks that clean out rain gutters. And the kids … absolutely love that stuff.”

He said the Fullerton Police Department also attends with SWAT demonstrations and often with their K9 unit too. The Fullerton Fire Department brings out a large fire truck and opens it up for children to tour.

“It’s just a very good, little family event,” he said. “We love to see kids out here, so we market to all the local schools. … Last year, we had tons of families with kids, running around and very excited — so it’s a lot of fun.”

Airport Day opens Fullerton Airport to the public for education and entertainment.

(Courtesy of the city of Fullerton)

O’Reilly said Fullerton College’s Drone Lab will also attend Airport Day with drones on display as well as demos with their robotic dogs. The International Plastic Modelers’ Society will have model airplanes on hand to teach children how to put them together.

“I built a lot of models as a kid because I was fascinated with airplanes and helicopters,” O’Reilly said. “That’s always a really cool thing, too.”

The airport, which was officially founded in 1928 — but dates back to as early as 1913 when crop dusters used the site as a landing strip — houses various organizations, flight schools, public safety agencies and private aircraft owners that fly out of there. Orange County Fire Authority, California Highway Patrol, Anaheim Police Department and Mercy Air ambulance all fly out of Fullerton Airport.

“We have two chapters of Civil Air Patrol here on the field, so the cadets meet every Tuesday night here at 6 p.m.,” O’Reilly said.

“Mostly Airport Day is just a chance for the public to come in and see all the stuff that goes on here really because just the layout of this airport, you don’t really get to see much from outside the fence.”

Fullerton 99s

Cameron LaFont, chairman of the Fullerton 99s, part of the larger Ninety-Nines nonprofit, said their local chapter was founded in 1974 at the Fullerton Airport.

“The Ninety-Nines were founded in 1929 when a group of women pilots desired to convene in order to support each other and the advancement of aviation, and to create a central office to keep files on women in aviation,” she said. “They struggled to establish themselves and grow but in 1931, Amelia Earhart was elected the first president and the group selected the name Ninety-Nines to represent the 99 charter members. It has been a growing organization ever since.”

The Fullerton 99s is one of the organizations housed at Fullerton Airport who will also be part of Airport Day.

(Dennis Umeda)

LaFont said this year at Airport Day, the Fullerton 99s will be offering short intro plane flights in General Aviation Aircraft for a donation of $50 per person. The funds raised go to support their scholarship fund. They offer two aviation training scholarships totaling $3,974 that they award each year.

“We will have four to six aircraft that will make many flights that day, introducing young and old to the amazing thrill of flight in a small aircraft,” LaFont said. “All pilots start off in small aircraft and it’s our hope that we will ignite the passion for aviation in a young person or two that day. We will also be at our booth educating the visitors about our organization.”

Aviation Explorer Post 445

The Aviation Explorer Program is also housed at Fullerton Airport and will be represented at the event. Tim Lloyd, advisor for Aviation Explorer Post 445, said the program offers hands-on activities and networking with aviation professionals in various careers. The program is for those ages 14 1/2 through 21 who are interested in a career in aviation or who enjoy airplanes. Aviation Explorer Post 445 has been part of the Fullerton Airport for more than 15 years.

“Participants experience firsthand what it’s like to be a pilot, aircraft mechanic, flight engineer or air traffic controller,” Lloyd said. “They learn about the educational requirements for a career in aviation and receive tangible advice on steps they can take to prepare and position themselves for a successful career in the field of aviation.”

Aviation Explorer Post 445 members will be answering questions about aircraft on display during Airport Day.

“This event is important because it showcases a wide variety of aviation career opportunities, as well as having aviation as a hobby,” he said. “We’ll have private pilots giving rides as well as police and fire aircraft and pilots. The Aviation Explorers are experienced young people who know their way around an airplane and can ensure people enjoy the airplanes and at the same time protect the airplanes from damage.”