Apr 27, 2009 --- Historically, the month of May has been a month of firsts in the aviation world. On May 22, 1906, the U.S. Patent Office grants the Wright Brothers a patent for their 1903 flying machine. On May 25, 1910 Orville and Wilbur Wright took a short flight at Huffman Field in Dayton, Ohio. This flight was the only time they were in the air together! May 20, 1927, Charles A. Lindberg left Long Island's Roosevelt Field in a single engine plane, The Spirit of St. Louis, and wouldn't touch ground again until he reached Paris, France. This record setting flight proved not only to be a fight with the elements and a test in navigation, but also a long battle against fatigue. Lindberg landed 33 hours and 30 minutes after leaving New York.

During the week of May 20, Rich MacIsaac, manager of Northampton Airport in Northampton, Massachusetts will hopefully join these legends in the pages of the National Aeronautic Association's record books.

MacIsaac will attempt to be the first pilot to take off and land at all 39 of the public use airports in Massachusetts, all in one day! "I am hoping this will bring awareness to aviation in Massachusetts. There are so many great little airports in the state and lots of places to see," MacIsaac said. He got the idea after reading about two pilots from Wisconsin who planned for months to accomplish the feat of landing at all 104 public, paved airports in the state of Wisconsin. In addition to jumping into their Cirrus with their favorite flying buddy for the day, the two also managed to raise over $12,000 for the Children' Hospital of Wisconsin! (Go to Progaviation.com to read their whole story!)

MacIsaac is going to tackle this aviation challenge in a 2008 Flight Design CTLS, a plane that is owned by Joe D'Aguiar of Belchertown, MA. D'Aguiar leases the CT to the airport for training, scenic flights and rental purposes. Northampton's CT is a top of the line model with a glass cockpit, great visibility, 112 kt cruise, 4.5 gph fuel consumption. As head flight instructor at Northampton Aeronautics, MacIsaac hopes to gain some well-deserved exposure for the CT as well as inspire people to train. "Whether you are completely new to aviation or have flown aircraft before, a Sport Pilot License may be for you," says MacIsaac. This license allows for easier and lower-cost access for enthusiasts wishing to participate in the joy of flight!

While attempts at this record have been made in the past, nothing has been documented as an official record. The NAA requires that an independent observer, who must be present to document each landing and the time of the flight must have a commercial certificate with an instrument rating. A sanction application also has to be submitted and approved prior to recording. "My plan is for us to leave at 7am, weather permitting, and it should take about 10-12 hours to complete," says MacIsaac. "Maybe down the line, this flight will inspire others to try to visit all 39 airports. Maybe well even have to start a club and call it The 39ers!"

In addition to calling attention to the Light Sport program, Northampton Airport will be flying to for food to help the Northampton Survival Center through this event. The Survival Center is an emergency food pantry which provides low-income individuals and families in 16 Hampshire County communities with free food, clothing and household goods "We will be collecting monetary donations as well as non-perishable foods for the center's Kids' Summer Food Program. During the summer months, this program provides breakfast and lunch foods to children who receive free or subsidized meals through their school," says the airport's Marketing Manager, Holly Lurgio. People can come in to the airport and choose a leg of the flight to sponsor. Each leg is assigned a dollar amount or a number of non-perishable food items that correlates with the mileage of that leg. Among the foodstuffs requested are tuna, peanutbutter, rice, cereal, juice,soup, pasta, powdered milk, beans, canned veggies, mac and cheese, canned fruit and canned tomatoes. Each person who donates will be entered into a raffle to win a Northampton Airport hat and tshirt! "We feel it is important to reach out and support the communities that have been so supportive of us," says Lurgio,"and this seems like a great way to start!"

Below is a list of the airport MacIsaac will be visiting on Wednesday, in order:

• NORTHAMPTON
• WESTOVER/CHICOPEE
• WESTFIELD
• GREAT BARRINGTON
• PITTSFIELD
• NORTH ADAMS
• TURNERS FALLS
• ORANGE
• GARDNER
• FITCHBURG
• STERLING
• MARLBORO
• MINUTE MAN
• BEDFORD
• LAWRENCE
• PLUM ISLAND
• BEVERLY
• BOSTON LOGAN
• NORWOOD
• CRANLAND
• PLYMOUTH
• MARSHFIELD
• PROVINCETOWN
• CHATHAM
• CAPE COD
• HYANNIS
• NANTUCKET
• KATAMA
• MARTHA'S VINEYARD
• FALMOUTH
• NEW BEDFORD
• MYRICKS
• TAUNTON
• MANSFIELD
• HOPEDALE
• SOUTHBRIDGE
• WORCESTER
• SPENCER
• TANNER HILLER