High-Flying Fun

Chatham Airport gears up for its
 annual open house and fly-in

Whether it’s the mythological Icarus greedily grasping for the sun, a host of angels appearing in the skies over Bethlehem during the birth of Jesus Christ, the Chinese invention of the kite, or Leonardo da Vinci’s fascination with flying machines, humanity’s obsession with the heavens is timeless.

For most of us, the closest we get to soaring among the stars is on commercial airliners. For others—like Chatham Municipal Airport Manager Tim Howard and his colleagues—aviation is a driving force in their lives. 

“Since I was a little kid with his fingers through the airport fence, I’ve loved, loved airplanes,” says Chatham Airport pilot and airplane mechanic Kyle Takakjian, a Coast Guard veteran and retired Truro police chief. “Three thousand feet of roadway gets you 3,000 feet down the road, but 3,000 feet of runway gets you to the world.”

In order to share their love of flight, Chatham Airport staff members, family and friends will host the sixth annual Chatham Airport Open House, Community Day and Fly-In on Saturday, June 8, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. While the original intent of the event was to build a stronger bridge between the greater Chatham community and the general aviation airport—known by the call letters CQX—conversations with Tim, a pilot, and his wife, Christine, uncover an additional motive behind the open house.