AOPA's regional fly-in in Chino, California, took place over the weekend and it was, by all accounts, a successful day. Despite low cloud conditions slowing the fly-in traffic in the morning 329 airplanes flew in for the event and a minimum of 2,300 people attended the show. There is no official count since the event is free, but the minimum attendance number was based on the number of lunches served by the 13 food trucks that were parked in the food court — adding some local culture to the event.
There were several presentations throughout the day, including one by aviation humorist Rod Machado who packed the sizable main stage tent. AOPA's president Mark Baker spoke about the drivers license medical initiative, the study of 100LL fuel replacements and the importance of keeping the nearby Santa Monica Airport in operation, three important issues that the organization has been deeply entrenched in.
AOPA's vice president of communication Katie Pribyl said the event drew a record number of aircraft displays and exhibitors for AOPA's newly conceived regional fly-in concept. This was the fifth such event and there are two more to go before the year-end: the AOPA Homecoming in Frederick, Maryland on October 4 and the final event in St. Simons, Georgia on November 8.
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