There's a chill in the air, hinting that the leaves will soon be turning color and the 2011flying season will soon wind down. Time to buy more cleaning supplies and prepare for annual season (which for us, lasts from November through February). Like usual, we hope to wrap up the Texan quickly so we won't miss out on any perfect weather flying days in the winter.
Until the snow falls, I want to fly. So tell me, what fly-ins are left in 2011 that folks need to attend? Time to share!
This year's Fly Iowa was a full Saturday at Newton with a fly-in breakfast, airshow, carshow, and car race - all open free to the public.The chilly weather didn't seem to hurt a great turn-out of thousands. Here are some pictures from the day.
We flew to Newton (in the T6) in formation with Matthew & Amy Sawhill in their RV4
An interesting WW2 John Deere tractor tank - only 2 ever created.
Amy and I claimed the best seats in the house for the airshow - Craig Sommerfeld's golfcart!
A flyover by the rare B-52 was just one of the acts in the airshow.
It was my first visit to the Newton racetrack. Very, very impressive setup!
We flew home in formation with Craig Sommerfeld in his T-34 Beech Mentor.
We're back from the National Stearman Fly-In safe and sound and with very dirty airplanes. We had a great time, but there's no place like home. Some highlights of the week include:
- A near-record turn-out of 138 Stearmans
- Tons of other warbirds and aircraft, including a Ford TriMotor, C-130, P-51 Mustang, RVs, Yak, T-6s, Cubs, and a cool Maule
- Swapping out a fuel gauge in under a minute (trust me, it was impressive)
- Rod Hightower's update on EAA and current aviation hot topics
- Completing the Poker Run and ending up with a hand of an Ace, King, Nine, Seven and Four
- Making an admirable attempt at flour bombing (there's always next year)
- Watching the airshow of some of the country's best Stearman acts (including John Mohr, my all-time favorite)
- Doing my first splash and dash in a Lake (LOVED IT!)
Here are a few photos from our week.
Flying over the Galesburg airport in formation with Dan and Diane's Navy 66
A name fitting a ride plane: No Bucks, No Buck Rogers
John Mohr puts on an amazing airshow!
60+ Stearmans flew out to the Wolford Farm Strip for a great picnic lunch provided courtesy of the Wolfords and their generous friends.
The weather didn't cooperate, so we didn't make it to Blakesburg. Now, our fingers are crossed for blue skies ahead for the Stearman Fly-In in Galesburg. The fly-in lasts until Sunday morning, and all aviation enthusiasts are welcome to attend! I won't have my trusty netbook with me, so no blog updates until next Sunday night. Have a great week, and hope to see you in Illinois!
RSS Feed