Since before Icarus dipped his first pair of wings, man has envied the ability of the bird.
The local Experimental Aircraft Association #1378 has Icarus beaten handily on technology.
The EAA held a meeting at Smithville Municipal Airport Saturday, with food, live music, good company and plenty of home-built mechanical birds that need not fear the sun.
According to Wayne Hubbs, President of EAA #1378, the enthusiast built beauties are are a marvel of grass-roots ingenuity, and a great deal of good, old-fashioned craftsmanship goes into the creation of these machines.
“I actually design and sell a part for the gyrocopters,” Hubbs told the Review. “The factory part was adequate, I’m sure, but many people feel that the original part is too flexible, so I designed a replacement machined from 6061 T-6 aircraft aluminum, which is much stronger than the original.”
Roth Terrell,  a member of the Airport Board at Smithville Municipal, who flies the Cirrus SR-22 owned by Regal Craft Kitchens said that the facility is great for the enthusiast, but that the commercial services at the airport are top notch as well.
“People should be aware that their tax dollars are not going to waste out here,” Terrell said, “The airport is basically self-sustaining, and it is a valuable asset to our community. Many local industries use the facility, Federal Mogul has a large, three-engine private jet that they bring their executives in on, Zelenka Nursery flies in and out, Foutch Industries has a turbo-prop plane at the airport that he uses for his business, there is a lot of local commerce connected to the airport, and many new businesses look at the local facilities when they are considering investing in a city,” Terrell concluded.
Hubbs said that EAA #1378 is also active in the community, sponsoring the Warm Wings program, which provides needy children with coats during the winter season.
“We raised over $2700 last year,” Hubbs said, “We bought 75 coats, 24 complete outfits, 40-some pair of shoes. We had a little over 220 dollars left, which we donated to Lighthouse Christian Camp.
“J.C. Penney sold us $2,000 worth of coats for $800, which helped tremendously,” Hubbs continued.
“We went to the schools and found out which children needed the items, and bought the coats and clothing in their size, specifically for the child.”
Anyone wishing to donate or assist with the program this year may contact Wayne Hubbs at 597-1129.
Smithville Municipal Airport, built in 1974, is located at 338 Airport Lane in Smithville.
The Runway Length is 4,100 feet, and it is 75 feet wide with an asphalt surface, lit with a Medium Intensity Rotating Beacon
The facility offers Avgas/autogas 100LL and all major and minor repair work on site.