MACHIAS — The sign-in book at the Machias Valley Airport terminal building sheds a new light on the airport’s use, and shows that more people are finding Machias a convenient stop as they fly the skies of Maine.

There are no signs pointing airport visitors to the sign-in book. Some notice it while stretching their legs inside the terminal building, or while awaiting the arrival of Ken Hatt to top off their plane’s fuel tanks.

Hatt and Earl A. Edgerly Jr. of Woodland estimate that for every pilot who signs the airport’s log book, five planes arrive at Machias Valley Airport.

Edgerly is operations officer for the St. Croix Composite Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol, which uses Machias Valley Airport as a staging base for meetings and training.

At least 32 pilots have logged their arrival in Machias since July 2. Aircraft used include a Piper PA-30 that arrived from Merritt Island, Fla., on July 11, and a Cessna C182 that flew in from Jacksonville, Fla.

Most pilots arrive in single-engine planes carrying family and friends from distant points to spend some time Down East. A woman pilot carrying another woman and a young girl arrived in her Cessna C182 near dark on July 2.

She had left Norwood, Mass., two hours earlier and was on her way to St. Johns, New Brunswick. Hatt refueled her plane, and Gene Rier — who was attending a meeting at the airport that night — arranged transportation into town for the overnight guests.

The visitors ate supper at a Machias restaurant and spent the night in a local motel. The woman said at the time that she originally thought about pitching a tent behind the airport’s lone hangar.

Also logging in was Art Hicks, who flew his Pitts Special aerobatics plane into Machias from Bar Harbor before returning to his home base in Portland. Other pilots have come from North Central State airport in Pawtucket, R.I., and from Norridgewock, Waterville, Dexter and Rangeley.

One pilot landed his small Cessna in Machias on July 18, while en route to Cordova, Alaska. Five weeks earlier — on June 12 — Don Nickerson arrived in a 1947 Aeronca Champ after a two-week flight from Valdez, Alaska. He lives in Wesley.

Not signing the book were aerial spray pilots who refueled their planes and helicopters while dusting area blueberry barrens in July, and a student pilot who flew in Thursday on a solo cross-country training flight.

The Maine Forest Service also uses the airport as a refueling point while on aerial fire watch. At least one fire patrol stop was logged in July.

Hatt donates his time at no cost to the airport or town to fuel transient and permanently based planes, and provide any help he can to visitors who fly in. On Wednesday, he spotted a low-flying plane circling on approach to the airport and drove out to see if it was a pilot in need of fuel or local transportation. It turned out to be a locally based pilot.

But after refueling a four-seat Cessna on Saturday, Hatt drove its pilot and passenger into town for supper when they were unable to restart the plane. After supper, the engine had cleared itself of a flooded carburetor, and pilot and passenger were soon on their way back to Waterville.

The lack of available tie-down space and ramp parking for transient aircraft is a major problem for the Machias Airport Committee. There are 17 planes permanently based at Machias Valley Airport, and there are no tie-downs available for transient aircraft.

MAC is studying proposals for airport improvement and expansion, including plans to make the airport as a county-owned and operated facility. The committee will next meet at 7:45 p.m. Monday, Aug. 6, at the airport terminal building.

Since last August, at least 170 planes have stopped at the airport. The fewest number of monthly arrivals, five, was recorded during the brutal cold of December. Six were recorded in January and six in February.

July arrivals topped 28, and at least four out-of-town planes stopped on Aug. 4.