Record crowd at Air Park for spaghetti night

FALLBROOK – One hundred people showed up at the Fallbrook Air Park for a spaghetti dinner and guest speaker Aug. 12. It was the largest crowd in the event’s 12-year history.

The event, put on by the Friends of the Fallbrook Community Air Park (FFCAP), draws mainly nonaviators from the general Fallbrook population.

“The idea is to showcase aviation and the Air Park to the general public,” Tom Wilson, FFCAP secretary, said.

Besides the noodles and marinara sauce, the dinner included a handful of aircraft on display, some of them flying in from as far as Upland and El Cajon. But the biggest draw was retired Air Force Lt. Col. Ron Dyckman, who gave a presentation on his time as an SR-71 command and instructor pilot.

One of fewer than 100 pilots to have flown the “Blackbird,” Dyckman’s insight into the 2,200-mph reconnaissance plane that was retired in 1999 is an increasingly rare treat for aviation enthusiasts.

Proceeds from the spaghetti night dinner support FFCAP’s Young Eagle program, where children ages eight to 17 are given introductory airplane rides at no charge.

The next Young Eagles rally at the Fallbrook Air Park will be Saturday, Oct. 7. All the available flying slots for children are already filled for this event, but sign-ups for the next rally in spring 2018 are available. Plus, there will be plenty of landings and takeoffs to witness.