Rick Compton parks his plane. Olivia Hajicek | Collegian

The Hillsdale Municipal Airport hosted a pancake breakfast and fly-in on Sunday to commemorate Patriot Day, the anniversary of 9/11. 

The Hillsdale Exchange Club sponsored the event, which also featured helicopter rides, a cruise-in for classic cars, and a raffle to support the Jonesville American Legion Post 165. 

While spectators stood nearby, pilots landed their planes and parked them on the grass for people to admire. 

Airport Manager Ginger Moore said the highlight for her was having friends fly in.

“I love it when my friends fly in from other places, and one of my good friends that I taught how to fly, he flew in in his little airplane from the Detroit area,” Moore said. “It’s always good to see people, especially people I taught how to fly, and see them now coming to these kind of events all by themselves, flying by themselves.” 

During the morning, the line of small planes parked on the grass kept getting longer as more and more pilots landed. Moore said around 20 planes flew in. 

One pilot, Rick Compton, flew in from Battle Creek, about a 35-minute flight. He said it was a perfect Michigan fall day — foggy on the ground but clear in the sky. 

Compton’s plane was a Taylorcraft BC-12-D, the same type his dad taught him to fly when he was young. His dad was a helicopter pilot in Vietnam and then an air traffic controller stateside. Compton also served in the Army and now works as a pilot for Ameriflight, a cargo airline. Compton said his family is new to the area, but his wife heard about the event and they decided to come. 

Hillsdale resident Vicky Hayes said she knows a lot of people in the community and enjoys seeing all the familiar faces. Her husband, Parke Hayes, was a founding member of the Exchange Club, and she still comes to the fly-in every year.  

“It’s good for the Exchange Club. It’s good for the community. It’s good for everyone to recognize why we celebrate the Patriot’s Day,” Hayes said. “It’s a part of history, and that’s Hillsdale — historic Hillsdale.”

There were also many young people at the event, including Bostynn and Braeleigh Blake, who came with their grandmother. Ten-year-old Bostynn said they had come to the fly-in before, but this would be their first time doing the helicopter ride. Nine-year-old Braeleigh said she was nervous, but Bostynn said she was excited to fly in a helicopter, although they had been on a jet before. 

Jeff Francis, the president-elect of the Exchange Club, said the organization will put the funds raised at the event toward making improvements to the Waterworks Park on Lake Baw Beese. 

“We’ve committed to upgrading all the equipment out there,” Francis said. 

Moore said the Exchange Club served breakfast to more than 800 people. 

While the Patriot Day events started in 2015, the tradition of the Exchange Club having a fly-in goes back to the 1970s. 

Mike Nye, who was behind the food tables making pancakes, has been a member of the Exchange Club since 1974. 

“We’ve had a lot of people die for our freedom,” Nye said. “And 9/11 was just one of those events where people died for our freedom. And so we need to honor them and remember them.”