Less than 2 weeks to go until the Let Freedom Fly International Airshow! May 25-26 in Pierre, SD will be a landmark Memorial Day weekend as we honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our freedom. Who better to help us honor those valiant warriors than US Congressman Sam Graves (R-MO), who will be flying a P-40 Warhawk from the Dakota Territory Air Museum! This event is going to be a spectacle like no other, and we can't wait to see you there! 

In Congress, Sam serves as the Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. As Chairman, Sam leads the Committee as it has jurisdiction over all modes of transportation – our aviation system, highways and bridges, transit and rail transportation, pipelines, and maritime and waterborne transportation. Sam’s role in transportation is critical as he works on behalf of Missouri’s 34,000 highway miles and 10,400 bridges in need of maintenance and repair as well as the 6th Congressional District’s two major rivers – the Missouri and the Mississippi.

Congressman Graves is an accomplished pilot. In a 2020 interview with AOPA, he shared where his love of aviation started: “I grew up on my family’s farm in Tarkio, Missouri, and I’ve always been fascinated by different forms of transportation. I was really fortunate that the airfield sits in the middle of our farm—Gould Peterson [Municipal] Airport. In fact, Gould Peterson was my uncle, a B–24 pilot killed in World War II, and the airport itself was built on the family’s farmland.

“Growing up, my brother and I would pump gas, wash planes, or do whatever work we could find around the airfield, and we were always mooching a ride in one of the airplanes. That’s what started me on my way to becoming a professional pilot with an ATP [certificate].”

When we asked him his favorite airplane, he said, “whichever plane I’m flying at the moment—that’s my favorite.” You can read the full AOPA Article HERE.