Erie is expecting heavy traffic for the April 8 solar eclipse, and not just on our roads

Not all of the tens of thousands of visitors expected in Erie for the total solar eclipse on April 8 will come by car.

Erie International Airport officials are fielding calls from private pilots considering flying to Erie for the occasion.

"We've been getting inquiries for probably a couple months and people calling to give us a heads up that they might be coming," said Grayson Patterson, owner of North Coast Air, which provides fueling and other aircraft services at the airport.

"As of now, about 20 people have called in advance to say they plan on coming," airport Executive Director Derek Martin said Tuesday. "We're having a meeting today to make sure we have space available for the aircraft."

How many planes the airport can accommodate depends on their size and other variables, Patterson said. Based on inquiries so far, those planes could be single-engine aircraft, small jets and even a Boeing Business Jet, a private plane as large as a 737 airliner, Martin said.

Whether their owners include celebrities or major news or scientific organizations isn't known.

"For most people who have their own airplane, privacy is important," Patterson said. "They like to be under the radar, pardon the pun."

Pilots don't have to make reservations to use airport facilities, and how many actually will choose to land in Erie on April 8 isn't known.

"It will come down to what the weather will be like that day as far as where they want to view it," Patterson said. If it's likely to be cloudy or foggy in Erie, pilots can land at another airport in the line of totality for the eclipse.

But maybe not in Cleveland, where the NCAA women's Final Four championship on April 7 and the Guardians' home opener on eclipse day will also draw crowds.

"Cleveland's airport hasn't promoted the eclipse," Martin said. "There are a lot of other things going on."

Neither will there be any eclipse-related events at Erie International Airport, though pilots flying in could choose to watch from the airfield as the moon blocks the sun.

"Some airports have hosted events on the airfield during past eclipses, especially smaller airports," Patterson said. "At Erie, the airport will just be the gateway to the city, where so many terrific eclipse events are planned around town."

Contact Valerie Myers at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie PA might be destination for pilots charting course for eclipse