Honor Flight Riders
Flight Dates are:
Flight #69, Monday, September 16, 2024
Flight #70, Wednesday, October 30, 2024
CMHF will be departing from the Courtyard Marriott approximately 2:00 am. returning that evening to the Courtyard by Marriott.
Central Missouri Honor Flight will be conducting its 69th flight on Monday, September 16, 2024 Travel times have changed significantly from previous flights. We will be arriving back into STL from Washington at 6:15 pm through Terminal 2 (Southwest)
We will be arriving back in Columbia at approximately 9:30 pm at the Courtyard Marriott.
STAGING AT: 7:00 pm at Firefighter Memorial, Kingdom City, MO
Central Missouri Honor Flight Escort
USA, USN, USMC, USCG, USAF – WWII, Korea, Vietnam
Kingdom City, Missouri
We are asking EVERYONE RIDING to attend the Ride Briefing due to critical announcements and safety issues being implemented!!!
This is a Monday night ride. We will proceed to the on ramp and as the buses go by, we will pass them, and lead them back to the hotel.
There will be Police escort to the hotel and this is a night ride at Highway speed the estimated time of arrival to Kingdom City is 9:00pm (2100hrs)
For those volunteers, guardians, Honor Flight Riders and others supporting The Honor Flight, we respectfully request that you make hotel reservations at the nearby Holiday Inn Express or other local hotels. Courtyard Marriott is only able to offer a limited number of discounted rooms for our traveling veterans. Recently, we have learned that a number of you have been reserving rooms from this room block, innocently, not knowing that there are only 10-15 of those discounted rooms available for most flights. Veterans designated for this flight will not be told of our recommendation until their pre-flight briefing and that those veterans driving some distance should stay at the hotel prior to and after the flight The result is that discounted room availability, intended for veterans, is no longer available by then. We appreciate your understanding
PRIMARY STAGING DETAILS:
Primary Staging Time:* 7 P.M. Fire Fighters Memorial
I-70 & Hwy 54
5584 Dunn Drive
Kingdom City, Missouri – 65262
Reed Hickam
Ride Leader at Central Mo Honor Flight Riders
573-514-0123
Tips for Riding in the Honor Flight Escort
Arrive Prepared.
Arrive on time with a full tank of gas. Check the Central Missouri Honor Flight website for upcoming flight dates and times. As commercial air flight times vary, so do our arrival times at Kingdom City inbound to Columbia. Bikers should arrive at the designated times and stage on the parking lot of the Firefighters Memorial (NW corner) of I-70 and Hwy. 54 interchange at Kingdom City. Ride leaders will conduct riders briefing.
Staffing.
There will be two ride leaders coordinating the escort with law enforcement and the bus(es) carrying the veterans. There will also be five safety riders positioned throughout the escort monitoring the escort and watching for safety issues. All designated personnel will be visible by vests. Please adhere to their efforts to maintain everyone’s safety.
Start of Escort.
Approximately 20 minutes prior to arrival of bus(es) carrying veterans, Ride Leaders will move escort onto westbound entrance ramp to I-70. As bus(es) pass under the HWY 54 overpass, the bus(es) will slow to 50mph. The Highway Patrol will lead the escort off the ramp, reaching a road speed of 60 mph. Bus(es) will remain in right lane so that escort riders may pass in the left lane.
Ride in Formation. The staggered riding formation allows a proper space cushion between motorcycles so that each rider has enough time and space to maneuver and to react to hazards. The leader rides in the left third of the lane, while the next rider stays at least one second behind in the right third of the lane; the rest of the group follows the same pattern.
Avoid side-by-side formations, as they reduce the space cushion. If you suddenly needed to swerve to avoid a hazard, you would not have room to do so. You don’t want handlebars to get entangled.
As You Pass the Bus(es), remain observant of the road and riders ahead. While it is tempting to look into the bus windows, it is more important that you maintain your safety and spacing. If you wish to salute or raise your arm upward in honor of the veterans and feel you can do that safely, feel free to do so. Do not stand up or reduce your speed – you have bikes coming up behind you.
If you fall behind, do not accelerate rapidly to catch up. This can create what is called a “rubber band effect” where multiple bikes find themselves rapidly increasing and decreasing speeds, posing significant safety hazards. Simply maintain your speed – the gap WILL close on its own – don’t push it!
Upon Approach to Hotel, the procession will slow – be patient. Motorcycles will pass through receiving area at hotel entrance and park in lot immediately north of the Courtyard Marriott Hotel (between hotel and Zimmer Broadcasting).
Should You Have Further Questions, please contact Honor Flight Riders Leaders Reed Hickam @ (573) 514-0123.
