Weighted on a scale the show's pros were abundant, but it had a few cons, not the least of which being that the setup is horrible for a photographer. The sun was in front of the crowd the whole time, and apparently Grimes' grass strip is aligned relatively east-to-west because the sun seemed to move from one side of the crowd to the other, without ever affording good photo ops. The static display area was virtually empty, as all of the aircraft that would take place in the flying display (which constituted almost everything on the field) were parked behind the roped-off area. Of course, one could easily drive out to the museum and check out the 1931 Bird CK (which was giving rides; I might've taken one had I a companion with me but I didn't have the $90 to go by myself on hand) or the Winstead up close on any regular weekend, but I'd have liked the aircraft to be open for close-up viewing before the flying started. Most of the flying took place at quite a distance from the crowd, and most of the aerobatic performers held a 500ft waiver, so even without the sun, photographing the aircraft in flight was difficult. I understand having a safety margin, but I think the crowd could at least be moved a tad closer to the runway for takeoffs and landings, since the aircraft are so small. However, any negatives were more than canceled out by the uniqueness of the acts, the rarity of the aircraft and the gargantuan efforts of the museum volunteers who made this a great event, and the fact that I did not sit for one single second in line trying to get in or out was the icing on the cake.
The weather was very nice; temps hovered at about 80-ish, without much humidity and the sporadic light breeze. The sky stayed cloudless all morning, and remained so well into the show. As the show progressed, a few high-level cirrus and stratoform types started moving in, but nothing even remotely threatening to the show. Now, if only that sun had been BEHIND us...
The show got off to its start prematurely with a trial flight of the museum's replica 1930 Great Lakes Sport Trainer, which had been down on a mechanical prior to the show. There was a recording of the National Anthem played; the crowd was very devout even though the recording (and overall audio for the entire show) was difficult to hear at any distance from the announcer's stand. The Great Lakes went up again with a gorgeous 1930 Fleet Model 7, which is similar to the Finch trainer and has a semi-concealed five-cylinder radial engine not unlike the Ryan PT-22 (although it lacks the distinctive bitey sound of the latter). The Great Lakes is built for aerobatics, so it was no surprise to see it diving and weaving around the sky as it dropped a falling ribbon and attempted to cut it several times before the ribbon hit the ground, but it was quite unexpected and pleasantly surprising to see the Fleet doing the same! The Fleet is a much larger aircraft than the Great Lakes (or at least it appears to the eye to be), and its wings are quite straight, compared to the Pitts-like aerobatic wing of the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes went on to perform a solo aerobatic routine, nothing of the sort you'd see by a top-name performer in a Sukhoi or MX-2, but certainly not shabby considering the age and power of the aircraft.
A certain gentleman, playing the character of a somewhat wacky Professor, made several appearances throughout the day. In the first, he strapped wings and a tail to his tandem bicycle in his perpetual attempt to build a flying machine. Needless to say, the vertical penetration of said machine was nonexistent! The museum sent a trio of its older monoplanes up for a comical air race in which the pilots had to fly without their pants! Fortunately, their boxers were none too revealing. The three aircraft taking place were rarities indeed; a 1932 Pietenpol Air Camper, a 1932 Taylor E-2 Cub - to which someone 'forgot' to detach a cinder block tying the plane down - and a 1936 Aeronca C-3 Master, between the three of them a grand total of 117 horsepower! The sound made by the Aeronca is starkly reminiscent of a two-stroke lawnmower. Anyway, the race was invaded by a drunkard at the controls of a Piper Cub (no, not a real drunkard, just a new take on the classic "Flying Farmer" routine)!
There was a very short glider demonstration, using a Schleicher Ka-4 Rhonleche (1930s era glider) towed aloft by a pickup truck, followed by a fantastic aerobatic display by a Citabria. If someone could fill me in on the pilot's name, please do, because I had a very hard time hearing the commentary. The Citabria may look like a souped-up avant-garde Cub, but in the air it's quite a performer. This display was not nearly as precise as those you'd expect from the guys flying Extras and CAPs, no doubt owing to the Citabria's mere 150 horses worth of power and standard carburetor that doesn't like being inverted for too long.
And lo and behold, back came the crazy Professor to try again, this time strapping a rocket to his bicycle! Some nifty fireworks came about, but alas, a bird he did not become. Speaking of "Bird," one of the participants in the next act was indeed the museum's glorious 1931 Bird CK biplane. Joined by the Fleet 7 and the museum's 1971 Great Lakes Trainer, the aircraft were attempting to hit a series of orange party balloons set aloft by some museum volunteers! I know the Bird hit at least one, and I'm quite sure the other two airplanes scored. The immaculate 1926 Winstead Special was up next, with a fearless lady riding the wings. They didn't do any aerobatics, and I have to admit personally being an aviation nut I was more interested in the airplane than the antics. The next performer was another modern aerobat, Jerry Wells in a Pitts S-2B. Like the Citabria, the Pitts put on a great display that could've really benefitted a lot from a smoke system. I saw some faint traces of the stuff from the Pitts, but not a nice fluffy stream like most airshow-goers are accustomed to.
Next up was one of the most involved pieces of aerial comedy I've ever seen. The Professor came back to show center, this time in something that looked like it would actually fly! It was, in fact, the museum's 1970 Breezy. Anyway, he taxied it to show center to show it off, when out of nowhere, a bank robber-turned-car thief came blasting his way into town in the Ford Model A that he stole from the museum! A chase was on by the "Grimes Police" in another classic car, and lasted to show center where the robber jumped out of the car and stole the plane while the Professor was preoccupied talking to the announcer. The villain flew the Breezy around with about as much grace as the earlier-mentioned drunk farmer in the Cub, but caused enough concern between the Sheriff and the Professor that they decided to shoot it down! Well, the Breezy ended up in the cornfield (all staged, of course) and the convict escaped pursuit, only to be caught by a hook being trailed from the Great Lakes Sport Trainer and dragged about through the sky! Mind you, this was just a dummy being pulled by the plane; I could just see the lawsuits coming in if that were a real person! Anyway, the Great Lakes pilot apparently decided to lose the ballast and drop the convict, who fell to the ground but somehow or other managed to survive and run past the crowd in victory. All of this was staged by museum volunteers, and they did a great job!
The show concluded with another aerobatic performance by the 1930 Great Lakes replica, and a jump to the modern age with Charlie Schwenker in an Extra 300, this time with a surface-level aerobatic waiver. The Extra obviously outshone the Great Lakes in terms of types of maneuvers, but it's not every day that you get to see a 1930s-vintage aircraft (albeit a replica, but a darn good one) snap-rolling, or doing anything more than flying straight and level (if it flies at all), for that matter! Charlie's routine in the Extra was a fitting end; I think this guy is going to become a fairly big name, at least in this region.
On outdoor static display were a grand total of three airplanes. One was the museum's partially-restored JN-4D Jenny, which exists as a skeleton. Another was a Der Jaeger D.XII, a small biplane painted with German markings. Thirdly was the museum's fantastic replica of a 1917 Rumpler C.V scout airplane, named "Brunhilde" (special points to the museum for naming their plane after a Valkyrie!). The museum's web site lists the Rumpler as in airworthy condition; it'd have been nice to see in the air. Maybe some other time. A few other airplanes were on the ground but did not fly, including a Cessna 120 (maybe a 140, but I think it was a 120) and a 172, something that looked like an Aeronca, and an Ercoupe. In addition, the museum's Cessna 140 and 195 could be found inside the hangars, which were open.
Overall, I give the show high ratings for entertainment value. It was just one of those events where one could really enjoy themselves, without fighting crowds, without having to worry about suffering a heat stroke before the main act came on, and without paying too much. It goes to show that sometimes the greatest treasures aren't always the shiniest. Anyway, here are some photos. More to come!
Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment
Thanks for putting this event on our map.
