BLAKESBURG —
For the nearly 300 aviators that flew into Blakesburg this weekend, it’s about the beauty of the fly in and the chance to reunite with old friends.
Aviators began flying home from the 41st annual AAA APM Invitational Fly-In this weekend. The Antique Airfield is home to both the AAA and the Airpower Museum (APM).
“Considering the weather and the presidentail TFRs in the state, our turnout was pretty good,” Brent Taylor, executive director of the AAA and chairman of the fly-in, said of the approximately 290 airplanes that showed up at the fly-in.
The weekend is like a family reunion, Taylor said, as aviators come back year after year to reunite with friends, watch the planes fly and hang out.
Taylor said aviators attended from Seattle, California, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania, among others. Due to Hurricane Isaac, though, aviators that usually fly up from Florida were unable to attend this year.
George Winheim, of Keosauqua, has been attending the fly-in with his wife, Pat, for the last 11 years.
George has had his pilot’s license since 1971 and was hooked on the fly-in when his brother-in-law took him flying 11 years ago.
“He took me flying one weekend and I was hooked again,” George said. “It was such an enjoyable evening. It was cool, calm. I came home and told my wife we’ve got to have an airplane.”
After finding an airplane with an open cockpit, a Starduster, the Winheims started attending the fly-in.
George said he was interested in aviation since he was a little boy.
“The models I would make back then, in the mid-50s, were the Korean war jets, the F84s,” he said.
But the best part of flying is the trip, he said.
“To the pilot, it’s the destination; to the aviator, it’s the trip,” he said.
Pat noted that some pilots come to these fly-ins to be aviators for a weekend, since most now type their flight plan into computers, which control the flight.
George’s grandchildren in Illinois also have the treat of their grandfather taking them for rides in the Starduster, he said.
The furthest he’s flown this plane has been to Lockridge, Penn., he said, to the 75th anniversary of the Piper J-3, as well as a trip to Osh Kosh, Wis. in 2003.
While George said he does aerobatics from time to time — much to the chagrin of his wife — he’s a fan of the slower, simpler tricks, rather than the large ones put on by air shows.
“It’s like comparing ballet to breakdancing,” George said.
Local News
Related Photos
-
George Winheim, of Keosauqua, hopped in his plane, a Starduster, Sunday morning. Winheim has been attending the fly-in for the last 11 years. Chelsea Davis/The Courier
Nearly 300 airplanes make trip to annual Blakesburg fly-in
- Local News
-
-
To the Skies
OTTUMWA -- Ottumwans will turn their eyes to the sky this weekend as hot air balloons float above the city. The 36th annual Ottumwa Pro Balloon Races kicked off Wednesday night with carnival rides, Ottumwa Shrine Club's barbecue pork dinner, Ottumwa
-
Pheasant population outlook 'dismal'
OTTUMWA — Hunters may have some trouble finding pheasants this fall. Pheasant numbers are expected to decline this year, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. "Following a harsh winter, which is what we had, combined either singly or
- Keosauqua council to consider hotel renovation project KEOSAUQUA — Owners of a Keosauqua business have approached the City Council in regards to a major project involving the Hotel Manning. John and Sonia Stookesberry have owned Village Cup and Cakes for the past 10 years and started Starwest Cable in th
- City to purchase radios, antennas OTTUMWA — New communications equipment will soon sit atop the Memorial Park water tower. At its meeting Tuesday night, the City Council approved the emergency purchase of new radios, antennas and related equipment to be secured on the water tower. Af
-
New communications tower assembled
OTTUMWA — Ottumwa's newest 250-foot structure was constructed in just more than four hours.
-
Storefronts to get a big facelift
OTTUMWA -- A fresh set of facades in one city block could build momentum for the revitalization of downtown Ottumwa. The city has received conditional approval for a $500,000 grant from the Iowa Economic Development Authority's downtown master facade
-
Tenco productivity increases thanks to new equipment
OTTUMWA — There's nothing like good partners who team up and improve the world around them. Tenco Industries and John Deere Ottumwa Works have teamed up to improve the way Tenco workers handle all the containers they receive for recycling and other
-
Date set in Pam Ward retrial
A date has been set for the retrial of former Ottumwa Transit Authority Director Pam Ward.
-
SLIDESHOW: Communications tower assembled
Crews assembled the new 250-foot communications tower Tuesday in just more than four hours.
-
Body of Fairfield boy recovered
FAIRFIELD -- Authorities in Montana say they have recovered the bodies of a grandmother and two grandchildren after the car they were in rolled into the Clark Fork River, including that of a Fairfield resident. Authorities were called Friday after a
- More Local News Headlines
-
