Breakfast On-The-Fly at Granite City Days [VIDEO]

ST. CLOUD - Pancakes, airplanes and classic cars drew thousands of people to the 21st annual Civil Air Patrol Fly-In/Drive-In Pancake Breakfast.

The event took place on a chilly Sunday morning at the St. Cloud Regional Airport. Even though the event was colder than most years, the hot pancakes and sausage helped keep event goers warm.

Families were able to tour airplanes, helicopters and check out some classic cars all in the name of raising money for the Civil Air Patrol.

The Civil Air Patrol is a lesser known auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force.

Alyssa Thielen is a Cadet Staff Sergeant with the Civil Air Patrol. She says the patrol helps people learn life skills at a young age.

"Our cadet program is from (age) 12 to 21. During that time you learn our core four values. We called it our good friend IVER which is Integrity, Volunteer Service, Excellence and Respect."

The Civil Air Patrol is run by volunteers. Thielen says that's why events like this are so important.

"It is actually really important because this is one of our largest fundraisers of the year. This is where we get a lot of our money to pay for our uniforms and programs that we want to do throughout the year."

Even though the event was at the airport, planes had to share the spotlight with some classic cars from around Central Minnesota. One of the most notable cars there was a piece of St. Cloud history, a car built by Pan Motor Company, one of just five in the area.

If you would like to learn more about the Civil Air Patrol or how to get started in the patrol follow the link below.