​Food Truck Fly-In Returns to San Martin Airport

If your travels take you south of San Jose, California, on October 17, you may want to pay a visit to San Martin Airport (E16) for the Food Truck Fly-In.

The annual event is organized by the South County Airport Pilots Association (SCAPA), a chapter of the California Pilots Association. Admission and parking are free.

San Martin Airport is located 23 miles southeast of San Jose Mineta International Airport (KSJA) and 13 nm northeast of Watsonville Municipal Airport (KWVI). 

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According to fly-in spokesperson Niki Britton, they are expecting 15 food trucks this year.

The SCAA’s mission is improving community relations, participation in any planned growth, enhancing flying safety, and promoting fellowship among pilots and aviation enthusiasts.

Britton said the Food Truck Fly-In facilitates all these goals as it brings pilots, aviation enthusiasts, and the general population to the airport to enjoy live music, aircraft demonstrations, static aircraft displays, skydiving, vintage cars, and a radio-controlled (RC) airshow.

Expect to see pilots in attendance ready to answer questions about their aircraft and aviation in general.

For pilots who have been out of the cockpit for some time and want to return, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) will be presenting a Rusty Pilots seminar. There is a separate charge of $89 to attend the seminar.

There will be lots of kid-friendly activities, including STEM, a jump house, flight simulator, and scavenger hunt. There are also plans to have a tethered hot-air balloon.

Visit the Museum

The San Martin Airport serves as the home of the Wings of History Air Museum. During the fly-in admission to the museum is free. 

The museum sports an eclectic collection of aircraft, including a replica of the 1903 Wright Flyer, a Pietenpol Air Camper from the 1920s, and one of the rarest exhibits in any aviation museum—a ground trainer known as a “Penguin.”

The 1917 Breese Penguin was designed with stubby wings and a 28 hp engine. The combination of stubby wings and low horsepower was intentional as it was supposed to be a single-place ground trainer, primarily used by the U.S. Army during World War I to teach air cadets how to taxi an aircraft. However, as some cadets figured out, if they got it up to full speed and hit a bump, they would get a few seconds of air time.

The show gates open at 10 a.m. PDT and close at 4 p.m.