by Robbie Culver
Fly-ins offer a special, unique experience no matter where they are, and no matter who runs them. This past fall, I was fortunate to attend a very special and unique fly-in, one with a down-home Midwest look and feel, and the kind of camaraderie and fellowship we need so much more of today. The event definitely refreshed my deep love of aviation and the people involved in it.
Antique Airfield, Blakesburg, Iowa
Hidden among the cornfields and rural highways in Blakesburg, Iowa – near the town of Ottumwa – lies a small grass airfield, where each fall hundreds of antique aircraft owners and fans gather to “keep them flying!” The 2300-foot north-south grass strip is “challenging” and definitely requires pilots to be on their best game when arriving, departing, or merely operating on the airport grounds.
Antique Airfield is a beautiful, quiet country airport that, one week each year, hosts what is for all intents and purposes a very large family reunion. A dedicated core group of volunteers works for the better part of the month of August to prepare the site, and their efforts showed. The facilities are basic, yet comfortable, and the environment rural, but not rustic. The site also hosts a museum dedicated to American airpower. It was as if I was transported back in time, to an America from 60 years ago or longer, except my cell phone worked. Sometimes.
The Antique Airplane Association (AAA) runs the fly-in, and it is open to members and guests only, due to insurance and liability concerns. However, anyone may join AAA, and the on-site registration allows for fly-in attendees to join on site.
I have rarely experienced such a true piece of Americana as I have at this fly-in, and the event truly reminded me of an era that seems long gone in America, yet much to my surprise, is alive and well. In an age of economic uncertainty, where cynicism and apathy seem abundant, it was refreshing to find something that felt as if it was a part of our national heritage that we forgot we had. My friends, the golden age of aviation still lives, and quite strongly, in Iowa.
According to Wikipedia, the term Americana “refers to artifacts, or a collection of artifacts, related to the history, geography, folklore and cultural heritage of the United States.” What I found at the annual Antique Aircraft Association Fly-In was as true red, white and blue Americana that cannot easily be found today.
What magic lay hidden in the fields of Iowa? Homemade ice cream – real homemade ice cream – and, yes, homemade apple pie. Antique airplanes, most with loud round engines. Labrador retrievers that knew to stay off the runways, but were delighted to sit next to a stranger for some good old ear scratching. Friendly people. Good conversation. Old fashioned Midwest values.
Over 360 aircraft attended, most of them antiques, almost all of them actively flown, many with passengers to experience the treasured moments old aircraft offer. From all corners of America, not just the Midwest, old aerial steeds carried their caretakers, low and slow, to Iowa to park on the grass and share with friends and family the common threads of aviation.
Dave Denton and Tom Farmer flew a Call Air A-2 from Silom Springs, Arkansas in a flight that took over 6 hours due to weather and wind. The trip normally takes 3.5 hours. Dave loved to talk airplanes and aviation, and was quick to start a conversation over breakfast. Tom was content to sit back, listen, and observe the aircraft and people nearby. Both were a pleasure to meet and chat with.
Ted Miller flew his 1943 Stearman from Santa Rosa, California, all the way to Blakesburg. Ted stated he makes at least two long cross-country trips each year in the Stearman, but it was apparent talking to him that his idea of a long cross-country is a hard core epic journey many pilots, including this reporter, can only dream of. Ted stopped in western Kansas to visit, and spent nearly a week wandering low and slow across America to get to the event. He flew the aircraft on to the Stearman Fly-In at Galesburg, Illinois, and to the Midwest Antique Airplane Club GrassRoots Fly-In in Brodhead, Wisconsin, prior to heading back to California.
The AAA dates back to the same year the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) was founded, 1953. Antique Airfield was established in 1970 on a private family airstrip. In early 1971, the AAA moved from the nearby Ottumwa airport to the current site. Since then, the fly-in has relocated several times, eventually ending up back in Blakesburg. The airport is privately held, receiving no federal, state, or local assistance to operate.
For those fans of antique aircraft and an age in America that seems to have vanished, a visit to the AAA Fly-In is a must-do item. Put it on your bucket list, schedule your vacation now, but get to Blakesburg while the gettin’ is good! The event runs the week before Labor Day weekend every year, and once you go, it will be on your annual list of events to return to (www.antiqueairfield.com).
