by Jim Bildilli
Published in Midwest Flyer Magazine December 2023 Digital Issue
MT. VERNON, ILL. – September 7-9, 2023, marked the fifteenth anniversary of the Midwest LSA Expo. The Expo is an annual event held at Mt. Vernon Municipal Airport (KMVN) located in southern Illinois.
Airport Director Chris Collins, his staff and a large group of volunteers, ensure that the event goes smoothly. This year’s crowd was one of the largest in the history of the event. The airport easily handled the extra crowd and aircraft with its two runways, ILS, a spacious ramp and an excellent FBO.
The main runway (05/23) is 6,496 x 150 feet with a crosswind runway (15/33) at 3,146 x 100 feet. For some of the LSA aircraft, a parallel turf strip to the main runway was available.
The event was certainly family friendly with a free camping area provided for both primitive (read as tent) and the “glamping” crowd (like me) who like to “plug in” their trailers and motor homes. For the “non-LSA-interested” attendees, the city was hosting the 47th anniversary of the Cedarhurst Art and Craft Fair with live music, good food, and as they described, a “plethora of artisans with unique offerings.”
Those of us who remember airshow performer, Charlie Wells, and his Pitts Special, probably heard him saying that “the greatest fear of flying is starvation.” And if you’ve flown enough, you can certainly understand the meaning of that phrase. However, that certainly isn’t the case at KMVN with the “Bonnie Café.” It’s one of a very limited number of restaurants where the town’s residents actively frequent the facility. They are open seven days a week from 6 AM until 8 PM, specializing in buffet-style dining, and have reasonable prices with discounts for seniors over 55.
There were 31 exhibitors with several providing demonstration flights. With the excellent weather, there were a record number of demonstration flights held over the three-day event. With the large facility and the relatively uncrowded airspace, the Midwest LSA Expo provides an excellent opportunity to try out an aircraft you’ve considered buying!
The FAA’s Wings seminars started each day at 11:00 AM and continued until 2:30 PM. Friday’s afternoon seminar presented by Steve Goetz of Southern Illinois University went two hours longer and covered the preparation for taking the Sport and Private Pilot checkrides.
Steven Bateman’s presentation covered AOPA’s “Flying Club Initiative.” FAA Safety Team members Nick Loftus and Clive Adams covered “Transitioning to Experimental, Homebuilt or LSA.” Bob McDaniel lectured on “Mixing it up in the Traffic Pattern,” and Dan Johnson provided insight into the proposed mosaic changes to the current LSA regulations. Dan reminded his audience that the comment period is more than halfway over, and if you have any comments or suggestions, it was time to submit them. If you are not familiar with the proposed changes, he suggested that you go to his website www.bydanjohnson.com where you can find a link to Roy Beisswenger’s USUA/LAMA Study Guide and also a video.
If you missed this year’s Expo, do yourself a favor and plan to attend in 2024… you will find it fun and interesting.
