If past years are any indication, Sunday promises to be an exciting, fun-filled day for local plane and car enthusiasts.

That's when the county's annual breakfast fly-in and cruise-in will take place at Lancaster Airport.

It's organized by the Lancaster chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association, an international flying club with more than 170,000 members worldwide. The "experimental" in its name refers to the many EAA members who've built their own flying machines.

The daylong event is open to everyone and is designed to encourage young and old alike to take an interest in flying. It will be held at the Airways hangar at the airport.

Jack Henderson is president of the 44-member local EAA group and is in charge of putting things together. In a recent telephone interview, Henderson said they are working on getting a World War II show plane from the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum in Reading.

"It could be anything from a T6 Air Force trainer to possibly an R4D twin engine transport job or a B25 bomber," he said.

An exhibition jump by "The Little Red Baron," Brownstown parachutist Steve Lapp, is scheduled for 10 a.m. And 8- to 17-year-olds will be able to register for free "Young Eagles" airplane rides with an EAA pilot. Eighty-four youngsters signed up for the event last year.

Henderson said a concern for amateur pilots this year is the cost of aviation fuel, which has rocketed to $5 a gallon, up from $3.90 a year ago.

"It's becoming so expensive I've cut back on the number of hours I fly," Henderson said.

He said more and more amateur pilots are looking to buy one of the lightweight sports aircraft with their smaller economical engines that burn half the fuel to go the same distance as a conventional single-engine plane.

This was confirmed by John Calla, the local dealer for Evektor SportStar, who will be displaying one of his planes at the fly-in. He said the European-built sports aircraft also are attractively priced under $150,000, which is less than half the cost of a popular amateur plane like the Cessna 172. Yet they can get you as far as Chicago, Maine or South Carolina on a single tank of fuel.

What's the appeal of flying one's own plane? Calla should know. He's been flying for 30 years and teaching others for more than 20. He said he simply loves it.

"I've always wanted to fly, ever since I was a little boy," he said. "I enjoy the freedom that comes from being up in the air and being able to go wherever I want to go. It's exciting, it's thrilling, it turns me on."

There also will be a cruise-in for cars and bikes organized by classic-car devotee Ped Abreu. Abreu plans to have a brass band and a bagpiper to add to the fun.

There's no charge for any of the day's activities except $5 for the pancake breakfast from 8 to 11 a.m. If it rains Sunday, the event will be held Monday.