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Plans have changed. That’s the word from organizers who were working to set up a school supply airdrop at the Farmville Regional Airport this coming weekend. Due to multiple issues, the group has decided to scrap the plans and try again some other time. 

The idea was a creative one, bringing a number of small aircraft to the airport, both to deliver needed school supplies for nearby Cumberland County and to show off a bit for any spectators watching as they land. 

“I want to thank Cumberland County Public Schools for their tireless work to give the next generation a future they can hope for,” said Andrew Crider, one of the event’s organizers. “I would also like to thank the pilots who had expressed interest in flying in. This is obviously not the outcome that we had hoped for.” 

Basically, Crider said, there was a two-fold issue causing problems, a combination of maintenance and last minute scheduling challenges. 

“There were scheduling conflicts with aircraft availability, which created a number of withdrawals,” Crider said. He added that other planes had to go in for some unexpected maintenance, which further reduced what at one time had been a fairly large crowd of planes. So as a result, after a planning call with Cumberland County Public Schools, Crider and his group decided to abandon the idea and try again at a later date. He emphasized that the supplies already donated would be delivered to Cumberland schools as promised. It would just be through road vehicles, rather than through the air. 

“I apologize to the people of Farmville that we were unable to assemble a public event that met our aviation safety standards and expectations,” Crider said. “Donations collected will still be delivered to Cumberland County public schools and the aviation community will be working in the future to continue its support for the next generation of students.” 

What is Farmville Regional Airport?

For anyone just joining us, Farmville Regional Airport is located at 130 Wedgewood Drive, just five miles northwest of town. During its time in operation, the airport has housed July 4th fireworks and other public events, law enforcement training, agricultural spraying and search and rescue training operations. While it’s for private airplanes, it’s similar in many ways to the airports you’ll find in Charlottesville, Richmond and Roanoke, just a bit smaller.