FAIRHOPE, Ala. — An Eagle Scout from Atlanta will be the featured attraction at the 3rd Annual Fairhope Festival of Flight on May 17 at H.L. “Sonny” Callahan Airport.

Alex “Gabby” Land, 18, one of the youngest aerobatic pilots in the world, will compete in the World Championships this year on the U.S. National Team in the advanced and unlimited aerobatic categories.

He has been flying since he was 7 and flying aerobatics since he was 12. He received his pilot’s license on his 17th birthday and now has over 900 hours in 10 different types of aircraft.

“This year will be a very good one for children to attend because of Gabby’s appearance,” said Rod Platt, a spokesman for the event.

The event is being held on Armed Forces Days for the third year in a row.

“We have settled on staying with this day every year as a way of paying tribute to all the men and women in the various branches of service”, said Chuck Zunk, chairman of the Fairhope Airport Authority.

The Festival of Flight started in 2006, drawing a crowd of about 6,000, with last year’s event growing to approximately 15,000 people, Platt said.

“I think the word is getting around that we put on quite a show,” said King Palmer, the executive director of this year’s event. “The addition of aerobatic acts in 2007 really got us noticed, and this year we moved to another level by putting our active military aircraft participants in the air.”

Committed for this year’s event are a pair of U.S. Air Force A-10 Warthog ground-attack jets, Marine Corps Harriers, a Navy F-18 Hornet, Marine Corps C-130, and a variety of Army and Marine Corps helicopters, including an Apache and a Cobra.

As a special nod to the Vietnam era, there will be an AD-5 Skyraider and OV-2 and L-17 spotter planes. A heritage flight is anticipated by examples of all Navy training aircraft from the Stearman through the latest T-6.

“It’s an impressive sight and memorable experience to see and hear these historic aircraft,” Platt said.

Other vintage aircraft expected at the festival include the B-25 “Yellow Rose of Texas,” an F-4U and P-51.

“It’s just not the same to see them in a movie or on TV,” King said.

There will be continuous activity throughout the day with four scheduled aerobatic acts and formation flying.

The Baldwin County Economic Development Alliance will utilize the 2008 Festival of Flight to showcase potential aviation-related manufacturing sites to key recruiting allies as well as to prospective new aviation companies.

“The Festival of Flight gives Baldwin County the opportunity to show potential suppliers what we have to offer them,” Baldwin County Commissioner David Ed Bishop said. “The Festival also gives the public a chance to come out and take part in the air show and enjoy the vintage planes, but it also gives them a chance to connect with these companies and understand what they do. The goal is to bring companies in that will build Baldwin County and provide jobs and not just any jobs, but good paying jobs for our residents.”

The Alliance has been working as the sales and marketing arm for the county since 1994.

“With the recent announcement of the Northrop Grumman/EADS KC45 Tanker contract award across the bay in Mobile, we are excited about the continued growth of the aviation industry in the Fairhope area”, stated Zunk. “We want to show everyone that the Fairhope Airport industrial area is a great location for suppliers with a very supportive public.”

The Festival of Flight committee that helped organize the event consists of Chuck Zunk, Charlie Bassett, Ron Humphrey, King Palmer, Alex Robinson, Sherry Sullivan, Ray Reeves, Aimee Egbert, Karen Glover, John Matus, David Bagwell and Platt. The event is being sponsored by Teledyne Continental Motors Inc., Fairhope Public Utilities, Baldwin County, Northrop Grumman, Baldwin County Economic Development Alliance, Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce, The Grand Hotel, Alabama Municipal Electric Authority, Riviera Utilities and WHL Architecture.

“We will have quite a few members of the armed forces on active duty with their aircraft this year,” Platt said. “It’s an opportunity to meet some active duty service men and women and thank them for their service.”

The Festival of Flight will be at Fairhope Airport on County Road 32 east of Fairhope from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. For a detailed listing of activities, visit the event Web site at www.fairhopefestivalofflight.com. The event is free, but there will be food and beverages for sale.