Submitted Photo Dave Hinz, President of the Great Lakes Flight Center, is seen with one of his company’s Cessna 152 aircraft. “Discovery Flights” in Cessna planes will be available as part of the Dunkirk-Fredonia Rotary Club’s 59th Annual Fly-In Breakfast on Sunday, July 26, at the Dunkirk Airport.

One of the area’s most unique experiences is planned for later this month. The Dunkirk-Fredonia Rotary Club’s 59th  Annual Fly-In Breakfast will be held on Sunday, July 26, from 8 a.m. until noon at the Chautauqua County/Dunkirk Airport, located at 3389 Middle Road, Dunkirk.

The annual event is a well-established community tradition that has drawn up to 1,200 patrons annually. Private plane owners from a three-state region have been invited to attend the event, and many of them are expected to bring their planes and show them off to local residents.

“Discovery” airplane flights will be available, for a fee, from the Great Lakes Flight Center. In addition, local squadrons of the Civil Air Patrol will offer free short opportunities to sit at the controls of their two ground-based flight simulators.

Headed by president Dave Hinz, the Great Lakes Flight Center operates flight schools at the Dunkirk and Jamestown airports. A Discovery Flight is a 30- or 60-minute flight in a two-seat Cessna 152 or four-seat Cessna 172. It is an introductory flight lesson for aspiring pilots or aviation enthusiasts, and serves as a hands-on preview for individuals considering obtaining a pilot’s license or as a special experience for those seeking a bucket-list adventure.

The Civil Air Patrol (CAP) is the official civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force. Founded in 1941, CAP volunteers originally flew coastal patrols to search for German submarines. Today, the organization has over 56,000 volunteers nationally, with members distributed across 500 local squadrons. The CAP’s mission falls into three broad areas: emergency services, youth development, and aerospace education.

There are 50 CAP cadets, ages 12 through 18, collectively, in the two Chautauqua County squadrons, NY-351 and NY-402, based at the Dunkirk and Jamestown Airports respectively. During the fly-in breakfast, CAP cadettes from both units will be parking cars, directing aircraft traffic on airport taxiways, and assisting with the free flight simulator demonstrations.

The menu for the all-you-can-eat breakfast includes pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage, juice, coffee, tea, and milk. The cost is $12 for adults and $6 for children ages 3-12. Children two and under are free. Breakfast will be served from 8 a.m. to noon or until sold out. Tickets and more information are available at tinyurl.com/2026FIB. Breakfast tickets will also be available at the door, as will Discover Flights tickets. A small arts & crafts/vendor fair and the Rotary club’s “famous” basket raffle will also be part of the event.

Major event sponsors for the breakfast include Brooks-TLC Hospital System, Inc., DFT Communications, and the Cattaraugus County Bank.

The Chautauqua County Airport in Dunkirk, also known as the John J. Nalbone Sr. Field, is one of two airports owned by Chautauqua County; the other airport is located in Jamestown. The Fixed Base Operator at both airports is Centric Aviation, Inc. Both the county and Centric Aviation are helping to make the fly-in happen.

The Dunkirk-Fredonia Rotary Club has more than 30 members and is completing its ninth full year of operations as a merged club. Prior to 2017, the annual fly-in breakfast was a project of the Dunkirk Rotary Club. The Dunkirk-Fredonia Club is part of Rotary International, the largest and oldest service organization in the world. There are 33,000 Rotary Clubs in 200 countries, with more than 1.2 million members worldwide.

The annual fly-in breakfast is the club’s largest and most complex annual event. Co-chairs of this year’s event are Jody Falkner and Jefferson Westwood. Net proceeds from the event enable the Dunkirk-Fredonia Rotary to award scholarships to local high school seniors, award grants to area non-profits, and to support Rotary International initiatives, including clean water, maternal-child health, and the eradication of polio worldwide.

More information is available by emailing  dunkirkfredoniarotaryclub@gmail.com  or by calling (716) 672-9688.