DOWAGIAC — Local families will have a chance to see some incredible aircraft — and the people piloting them — during the Dowagiac Municipal Airport’s annual fly-in Saturday.

The public is invited to come out to the event, hosted by the local Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 1028, from 7 to 11 a.m. at the airport, 710 W. Prairie Ronde St. In addition to viewing the arriving aircraft, visitors may enjoy a pancake breakfast served by members of the Dowagiac Lions Club.

The airport has hosted the fly-in for the last several decades, and has attracted amateur pilots from across Michigan and northern Indiana to its landing strip over the years, said Airport Manager Oscar Azevedo.

“Pilots like a reason to get out and fly on the weekends, and the fly-in does just that,” Azevedo said. “It’s something for the pilots to do, to reunite with old friends and acquaintances, make some new friends and check out some different airports.”

Azevedo said he expects pilots hailing from as far north as Alma, in central Michigan, to Fort Wayne, in northern Indiana. Visitors can expect to see a wide range of aircraft from throughout aviation history — last year, pilots flew in on aircraft as old as 1938-era biplane to a modern 2016 gyroplane, Azevedo said.

“Around 20 percent of the pilots are new visitors,” he said. “You always get to meet new folks every year. Even those are returning often come with new planes.”

As always, the public will be invited to speak to the pilots, many of whom will be willing to show off how their planes operate and even allow people to hop inside the cockpit, Azevedo said.

For many of the visiting pilots, Saturday will mark their first visit to the airport since construction finished on its new $600,000 terminal building, which opened its doors in January. Azevedo said he will be giving a tour of the new facility to several of the visiting pilots, who may use design cues from the building while developing plans for new terminals of their own.

The airport manager could not provide an estimate on the number of pilots who will be touching down in Dowagiac Saturday, as the number can vary wildly depending on the weather conditions, not just locally but throughout the region.

“Regardless of the weather and airplanes, we always draw a large crowd who just come for the breakfast,” he said.

Admission to the airport grounds Saturday is free.