A Day in the Life at Baugh Flight Park

By Don Lowe in collaboration with Caleb & Michelle Baugh

Baugh Flight Park Fast Facts

Contacts: Ernie Baugh, Owner & Certified Flight Instructor at 417.825.5353 and Caleb Baugh, Certified Flight Instructor at 417.850.9260

Physical Address: 6079 Incline Rd., Reeds, MO  

Website: here

Facilities: Includes powered parachutes (PPC) hangar, flight park tower, south runway (1,800 feet going east to west), north runway (2,200 feet), and 30’ x 80’ community building

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The fog is lifting, and the sun is almost up as the hangar doors open at Baugh Flight Park near Reeds, Missouri, which is about 20 minutes southeast of Carthage. It’s 6:30 a.m. and a picture-perfect time for a powered parachute (PPC) to take flight.  

Most mornings, it’s Caleb Baugh, along with his brothers Dan, Ty and Israel lending a helping hand at the flight park. Sometimes, there’s a student or two excited to start their flying lessons. This morning, Caleb is teaching his son, Grayson, how to fly.        

Caleb and Grayson top the fuel and oil, then walk around their aircraft, while ensuring every nut and bolt is securely tightened. Next, they lay out the chute and check the lines as they go through the pre-flight process and get ready to take off.  

Early mornings and evenings are the most ideal window for flying, and Caleb says, “You can usually fly for about two or three hours beginning at daylight. Then, before sunset, you usually get two or three hours up in the air.”      

While the younger father-and-son Baughs are preparing to go airborne, across the road, 77-year-old Ernie Baugh, owner of Baugh Flight Park and uncle to Caleb, Dan, Ty and Israel, steps out of his front door. The gravel crunches quietly beneath Ernie’s golf cart as he makes his way from his house to the main building at the flight park.  

The flag at the top of the hill from the flight park is hanging motionless with no wind. Ernie’s golf cart comes to a stop, and he listens to all the sounds that are beautiful to his ears.      

Down in the field, you can hear an engine hum as it comes to life. The propeller is whirring, and the trailing parachute begins rustling about with so much anticipation as this awe-inspiring aircraft is about to start ascending upward.      

Baugh Flight Park has been operating for nearly three decades in this small Southwest Missouri community. As for how it all began, Ernie says, “An engineer that I worked for tried to talk me into flying one of these ultralights.      

“After a year of him begging me, I said, ‘Get me a chute, teach me how to use it and I’ll go up with you.’ He looked at me and said, ‘A chute? It’s a parachute. I said, ‘Parachutes can’t fly.’ He met with me, and it all started right there.”      

It didn’t take long for Ernie’s newfound hobby to grow wings, and he says, “The Good Lord had already afforded me the opportunity to have the property. Then, I just had to do some landscaping to get a runway and build the hangar.”  

By 2007, Ernie had become a certified flight instructor (CFI) and began training new pilots, while also welcoming anyone interested in flying along for a ride.  

“I’ve known some of the pilots for 30 years,” he says. “Most of them I’ve trained or had a hand in training.”      

Ernie’s eyes light up and his voice carries an unmistakably boyish tone every time there’s a chance to share what this passion is all about for him, and he says, “The biggest thrill – and every one of those pilots will tell you the same thing – is taking somebody up who has never flown in anything and letting them see everything.”      

It seems this is a unique flight park that’s not commonplace across the country, which gives Ernie more reason to beam with pride at what he has built here. When asked if there are other similar facilities in this region, he says, “I don’t know of any. Most of the pilots just go to a public airport and fly off the grass. But this is a PPC-specific airpark.”      

While Ernie loves it too much to step away completely, these days it’s Caleb who is busier giving the flight lessons, and he says, “So far this year, there are 10 students. Next year could see many more as Dan, Ty and Israel plan to become CFIs and carry on Uncle Ernie’s dream as well.”      

Providing insight on the lessons, Caleb says, “Earning a Sport Pilot Certificate involves more than just knowing how to fly an aircraft. If you want to become a pilot with us, you’ll need your own plane. We usually have some for sale, but you can find them online as well.    

“You’ll need to receive and log at least 10 hours of flight training with a CFI, and two hours of solo flight. You’ll need study materials or take a ground course, pass a written exam with your local Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) testing center, and take a ‘check ride’ with a designated pilot examiner (DPE). It’s a rigorous process but one that helps ensure safety and confidence when a solo pilot takes to the sky.”      

Making this adventure safe is an integral part of the entire process, and Caleb says, “At the top of the list of skills to learn is safety. Understanding hazards and risks, preparing for emergency landings and studying the effects of weather are among the topics that will be studied and quizzed in detail.      

“Students will learn such things as how to carefully plan a safe flight, how to instruct their passengers on safety, and how to identify power lines and towers, as well as areas to avoid.”    

While there is work that goes into it, the exhilarating exuberance of it all begins when your aircraft takes flight. Ernie says, “You’re not up there having to fly the thing every minute you are in the air. Once you get up there, you just let your feet hang down, cross your arms and just enjoy the ride.”      

And that’s what many pilots do on their way to Baugh Flight Park’s annual fly-in during the second week in September. Pilots from across the country pre-flight their aircraft, climb aboard and take flight as para-planes begin their migration here for a weekend of free rides, good food and swapping stories.      

Following the fly-in, flight lessons begin again. Folks near and far will find the Facebook page or website, get a phone number or send an email to secure their spot and begin the process of becoming a licensed pilot. Students bring their RVs or book an Airbnb for a week or two to start their training.  

Early mornings or late afternoons, you’ll find Caleb and his brothers gathered around the table sharing knowledge and offering encouragement, while students continue their training. Ernie will drop by to hand out ice cream and give a pop quiz, and other local instructors or the DPE might join the conversation and share a laugh or two.      

When asked how long it takes to obtain a license, Caleb chuckles and says, “Well that depends on a lot of things. Every day the weather is different. If you come down to train and the wind kicks up, you’re grounded until it dies down enough. Mostly it comes down to the student. How much did they study? And when does it click?      

“There are so many factors and no set standard. We have students in and out quick and then some who need more time. Most of our students study hard and are done in less than 25 hours but the number of days it takes to get those hours is dependent on the weather and scheduling conflicts.”      

Generally averaging only about 30 miles per hour, Caleb says, “Flying a powered parachute is not about speed, distance or any prestige that comes with it. It’s all about perspective. It’s about seeing the world from above and looking down on familiar roads that wind through the countryside.      

“It’s also about holding on to the sense of wonder that first lifted my Uncle Ernie into the air all those years ago. Flying PPCs is about family, friendship and the pure joy that comes from sharing the sky with others.”      

At Baugh Flight Park, the adventure that awaits is truly contagious. There’s so much happening with the pilots that are here to train, as well as lots of family and friends coming out just to watch these powered parachutes in the air.      

Today, this patch of Missouri ground has become much more than just a private airstrip – it is a place where the Baugh family’s love for aviation is kept alive.      

Most people leave with a sense of awe and wondrous amazement. And for three generations of the Baugh family, that’s the reward that makes it all worthwhile for them time and time again.      

Baugh Flight Park truly is a community where everyone is welcome, and it is a place where shared joy for flying creates a bond that transcends generations.  

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