Airplanes arrive at Mercer Airport for McDowell County charity effort

Jun. 4—BLUEFIELD — One-by-one, about 10 private aircraft carrying people with a mission arrived Friday morning at the Mercer County Airport and boarded a caravan of vehicles heading for McDowell County and the distribution of food and more to the needy.

Members of the Smokehouse Pilots Club in Leesburg, Va. partnered with the Best You, Best Me organization and ProJet Aviation to bring food and other necessities to McDowell County's people in need. A truckload of supplies gathered in North Carolina was driven earlier this week to the county for distribution at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Powhatan.

The Mercer County Airport was quiet early Friday. Only some visitors, the airport's personnel and a small flock of wild turkeys strutting near the runway's end provided some activity. Airport Manager Jim Pilkins drove out in a van and with a honking horn, persuaded the turkeys to move along.

At 9 a.m., the first airplane, a large Pilatus PC-12, could be heard approaching the airport. Soon it became visible and landed, and others soon followed at regular intervals. As the morning progressed, the airport was hosting an airshow featuring civilian aircraft.

"We came as a group down here in conjunction with ProJet and Best You, Best Me to bring supplies down to Mercer County. We did this last year, and what we did over the last three or four months we raised donations and we had them trucked down here," said Gabe Muller with the Smokehouse Pilots Club, "And we flew down here so we could go to the church and help distribute those goods to the community, so that's the purpose of this and we were able to bring almost 10 airplanes down here with almost 20 people."

The effort started when people with ProJet and Best You, Best Me who have ties to Mercer County and McDowell County decided to reach out and help, Muller said.

"And we all kind of came together to make this happen," he added. "Last year was the first year. This year I think it's almost quadrupled the size of what we did last year. We brought two airplanes verses the 10 airplanes or so this year. It's pretty cool. I love it."

For some the participants with ties to the Mercer and McDowell County area, Friday's event was a chance to visit places where they spent a good part of their lives. One of the arrivals, Russell Greene, said he lived in Jenkinjones, a McDowell County community, for about 13 years.

"And I have been in the DC metropolitan area permanently since 1992," he said. "And it just feels good to come back and help the home place out and, you know, have fellowship with the people of McDowell County. I'm a pilot in Leesburg, which is where our group is from, Smokehouse Pilots. Gabe Muller, the club president, told me about this a year ago when they came down and I just had to be a part of it. This is the first time I've flown as a pilot to the Mercer County Airport."

Julie O'Brien, ProJet's general manager and a Best You, Best Me board member, arrived in the second airplane. Clothes, shoes, household items, toys and more had been collected in Leesburg, Va. Groceries purchased at local grocery stores in the Mercer and McDowell County area were used to assemble food boxes for about 300 families. O'Brien estimated that each box should last a family for three weeks to a month.

One red airplane that stood out among the interesting varieties of aircraft on the tarmac was a vintage Howard DGA-15.

"Now that's the definition of arriving in style," Harry Moore, a former Mercer County resident who's now a member of Smokehouse Pilots Club, said as the airplane came down the runway. "That's incredible."

Built in 1943, DGA stands for "Damn Good Airplane," said pilot and owner Bill Hargreaves of Lovettsville, Va. Well-maintained, the rugged aircraft operates at a 2,220-foot runway and "does great."

Moore, who dressed as Uncle Sam for the occasion, said the volunteers came on their own time and expense. They flew to southern West Virginia rather than drive to save time.

"So many people are busy these days, but to take a day off and fly down at their own expense is impressive," he said as the caravan to McDowell County got underway.

— Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com

Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com