NextStop Blog

Pilot Brian Kissinger (in the cockpit) after setting a new World Aviation Record at St. Louis Downtown Airport on July 4, 2012.

It’s shaping up to be another busy Saturday around the Bi-State area.  If you love airplanes or want to learn more about aviation, then St. Louis Downtown Airport is the place to be.  The Fall Fly-In at the historic Curtiss-Wright Hangar 2 runs from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. tomorrow (Oct. 6) and is hosted by the Greater St. Louis Air and Space Museum and the Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 64.

You will have the opportunity to tour the Greater St. Louis Air and Space Museum and to meet cancer survivor and pilot Brian Kissinger who set a World Aviation Record at the airport on July 4th.  You will also have a chance to meet Zenith Aircraft President Sebastien Heintz and see a variety of homebuilt aircraft on display. If you would rather be in the air flying above St. Louis, you can buy a ticket to take a ride on a 1941 Waco biplane or a T-6 Texan Warbird. Or you can keep your feet firmly on the ground and have your picture taken in the cockpit of a McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II fighter and your children can pose for photos in a mini F-117 Stealth fighter.  They can also try their flying skills in a computer flight simulator or in a 3-axis moving children’s flight simulator.

Of course, there will be food available. You will be able to buy a pancake breakfast or a barbeque lunch depending on when you get hungry. There is no charge for admission and parking is free. Just drive to Hangar 2 which is located at 2300 Vector Drive at St. Louis Downtown Airport in Cahokia. The airport is owned and operated by Metro/Bi-State Development Agency.

Metro is one of the sponsors of another great community event tomorrow in Forest Park. You can take MetroLink or MetroBus to the Forest Park-DeBaliviere MetroLink Station and then hop on the Forest Park Trolley ($2 all day fare) or walk over to the Missouri History Museum to take part in the 3rd Annual Sista Strut.  Proceeds from the 3K Breast Cancer Walk in Forest Park will be donated to three St. Louis area non-profit organizations: The Breakfast Club, The Black Women Breast Cancer Survivors Project and The Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center. The walk kicks off at 10 a.m.

If you would rather be on the river, the Mississippi River that is, tomorrow morning is the last cruise of the year featuring a riverboat tour of the new Mississippi River Bridge and the historic Eads Bridge. The tour is rich in history about the Eads Bridge which is a national historic landmark and offers some fascinating insight into the ongoing construction of the newest bridge on the river. If you miss the boat Saturday, you’ll have wait until next spring to see the bridges from this unique perspective. Metro owns and operates the Gateway Arch Riverboats.  You can take MetroLink to the Arch-Laclede’s Landing Station and walk over to the riverboat area or park in the Arch Parking Garage or on the riverfront near the riverboats. Boarding begins at 8:30 a.m.

St. Louis loves baseball so how about a little vintage baseball under the Gateway Arch? It’s taking place tomorrow from noon to 6 p.m. and it’s free and open to the public. Local teams will play ball the way it was played in the 19th century. There will also be hands-on displays of vintage uniforms and equipment plus logo tracing and coloring plates from past and present St. Louis Cardinals team logos. The closest MetroLink station is Arch-Laclede’s Landing or you can park in the Gateway Arch Parking facility. You take also catch the 99 Downtown Trolley to the Old Courthouse and walk a block east to the Arch.

Whatever you decide to do tomorrow, have fun and don’t forget your jacket because a fall chill is definitely going to be in the air.