Crosswind Aviation Welcomes Santa to Gillespie County Airport

Photos and Story by Kate Stevens

On Saturday, kids of all ages welcomed Santa to the Gillespie County Airport in Fredericksburg, Texas for the annual Santa Fly-In. In addition to meeting jolly St. Nick, hot chocolate and cookies were available, as well as caroling with the Fredericksburg United Methodist Church Chancel Choir. The event was presented by Crosswind Aviation.

*Crosswind Aviation owner, Gwen Fullbrook.*

Crosswind owner, Gwen Fullbrook, is an avid supporter of aviation education in Gillespie County and said the goal of this event is to attract visitors to the airport grounds in order to bring more awareness to aviation in addition to holiday cheer!

The event was first held in 2020 with an attendance of 500. Attendance last year increased to 1500 and the numbers for this year are yet to be tallied.

*Santa greeted children as he sat in the Waco 1942 WW11 trainer – call sign North Pole Heavy.*

Kim Stevens

Kim Stevens is the publisher of State Aviation Journal, which he founded in 2009. A longtime commercial-rated pilot, he was introduced to state aviation in 1992 as Director of the Nebraska Department of Aeronautics, later serving as Deputy Division Director for the Arizona Department of Transportation's Aeronautics Division. From 2013 to 2018, he was Director of Communications and Operations for the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) in Washington, D.C. Relocating to North Carolina, Kim worked for the Raleigh-Durham International Airport for two years and now concentrates solely on the Journal. Prior to his aviation career, Kim spent a decade in the newspaper and magazine business.