Back to Blakesburg: Welcome home!

The field of flying dreams was alive and well during the 68th Antique Airplane Association/Airpower Museum‘s (AAA/APM) Invitational Fly-in this past Labor Day in Blakesburg, Iowa.

Just imagine a 1933 Lockheed Vega and a 1943 Beech Staggerwing joining up for fly-bys over Antique Airfield (IA27) – where else might one behold such a sight thundering by? Or a 1942 Noordyun Norseman cozying up to the Vega on the flight line and a 1956 Piaggio Royal Gull with tents neatly tucked under each wing, as well as the usual colorful rows of airplanes. 

The Vega was once owned and restored by AAA Founder Robert L. Taylor. It was flown back to Blakesburg by Antiquer of the Year recipient Kelly Mahon. Now owned by Scott Glover, owner of the Mid America Flight Museum in Mount Pleasant, Texas, the Vega was voted the Antique Grand Champion, and received the Butler Brown People’s Choice Award, and the Robert L. Taylor Legacy Award.  

The initial count for aircraft this year was 212, a little lower than usual, but that didn’t faze AAA President Brent Taylor.

“Big isn’t always better, and the 2021 AAA/APM proves that,” he said. “With weather issues, we only had about two-thirds the normal amount of aircraft, but those that showed up were outstanding. And once the weather cleared on Saturday, the flying was continuous until dark.”

“Plus, no other fly-in I know of can boast the aircraft that were continually hauling rides, including a Swift, Waco UPF-7, Staggerwing, Stinson SR-5, and a Lockheed Vega,” he continued. “Add to that such activities as a Town Hall with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association President Mark Baker, two FAA Wright Brothers Master Pilot and one Charles Taylor award presentations, Hans Nordsiek with The Storyteller presentation for kids, as well as our usual activities, and you can begin to see that numbers don’t always tell the whole tale. We had a large influx of new members and aircraft from across the country, including families with children, and all seemed to enjoy our ‘By-the-Members, For-the-Members’ style event that puts the emphasis on flying and enjoying watching antique and classic aircraft.”

Around the Field

Australian Denzil Charles, who was at Blakesburg for the first time in 2021, agrees.

“I think it’s a fantastic event because there’s a whole bunch of airplanes here and this close-knit community has come from all corners of the country,” he said. “Everyone is having a good time and supporting each other, which I feel is the spirit of the whole thing. It’s like a time machine — it takes you back to a simple sort of time where you’re not worried about the world’s problems.”

“I always imagined that all the stories I’d read about fly-ins in this country were embellished, but to find out the stories were true is fantastic,” he continues. “Really, words and pictures don’t convey the fun and the friendships that are made here. Flying might not be as free here as it was 50 years ago, but America is still by far the best country in the world in terms of availability, opportunity, and freedom to hop in an airplane and go flying. It’s literally why I packed up and moved over here!”

Denzil is a mechanic with the Mid America Flight Museum. 

A 1941 Waco UPF-7, owned by Dan Wilkins, spent a lot of the time at Blakesburg up in the air.

Dan gave 27 rides in his Waco at Antique Airfield, and all told, he’s given about 100 rides during the five years he’s been attending the fly-in.

“I believe that if I’ve been blessed to have such an airplane, I’ve also been given a responsibility to share flight with people who appreciate going for a ride in a classic biplane. That’s really my mission with this airplane,” he says. “Countless people, who are pilots, have said to me, ‘you have no idea what this means to me to fly in this.’ But I think I do. I know what it’s like to be wishing and drooling — I started out with a Cessna 150 as a kid.”

“I also want to spread the word that general aviation is a good thing, for I believe that we have to protect what we have, or it will disappear,” he continues. “We have to be good ambassadors for general aviation — be responsible and have people feel it’s safe and a worthwhile activity.”

As a bonus, NC32141 was voted Classic Grand Champion at the fly-in.  

Across the field was Roger Miltenberger of Sergeant Bluff, Iowa, who is taking flying lessons and looking forward to transitioning to the Marquart Charger his father started building from plans back in 1977. N162GM was voted the Homebuilt Grand Champion.

“It took him 13 years to build it, so it first flew in 1990. He flew it for seven and a half years, and passed away in 1998,” Miltenberger notes. “In 2010, it went into the Mid America Museum of Aviation and Transportation in Sioux City, Iowa, where it sat until earlier this year. My good friends, Bob Grimm and his son, Dallas, got it back in flying condition. Dallas flew “The Red Girl,” as we call her, about seven hours before we brought it back to Blakesburg. It used to come here a lot.”

“I was inspired to learn to fly when I had the opportunity to take ownership of this airplane and get it out of the museum,” he explains. “My first flight in it with Dallas was very emotional for me, because my father fabricated everything by hand on the airplane. He didn’t build it to be a static piece sitting in a museum. It should be flying. It makes me really happy that it’s back in the air again.” 

Also at this year’s show with a new-to-him plane was Jim Fase, who has always had a love of aviation. He recently bought N50162, Bud Playter’s “Outlaw II” Stearman.

“Bud is the man with bib overalls, no shirt, and a long beard – he drove the people hauler around the field here for years, and went to the national Stearman fly-in for years as well. This was Bud’s baby for 35 years. It was his Friday night sunset cruiser,” Fase shares. “I’m happy to bring it here. I love the grass airstrip, and there’s good management and good food here. Really, I come for the people at Antique Airfield — this is a community that you don’t find in the golf or yachting world. You come here to recharge, with everybody that loves and comes together for antique aviation. That spirit is irreplaceable!”

Another new airplane owner at this year’s fly-in was Tyler Sorensen, who bought his 1971 Pitts S2A at Herron Airport (7G1) in West Virginia two days before Blakesburg.

He and he and his father, Danny, stopped by on their flight home to Salt Lake City.

“Dad has about 900 hours in a Pitts, so I’m in the front seat on this flight. This Pitts is serial number 2004 and has its original paint, and a 200-hp IO-360. I’m also building a Sorensen BF9-2 Phantom Sport which is a dual control version of my dad’s airplane,” Tyler reports. “This is our first time at Blakesburg and we love it — the history of it, it’s great. A good chunk of the cool airplanes I’ve always wanted to see are here.”

Russell Williams of Seattle has been attending Blakesburg for years, and frequently shares evening rides in his 1938 Ryan SCW, which was voted the Classic Sweepstakes winner.

“My inspiration to give rides was Addison Pemberton. He was flying rides in his Stearman Speedmail, and I thought that was a good idea, so I started giving rides and it’s fun. I usually I give rides to 20 or 25 people during the week.” 

Williams got into vintage flying after he was bored with flying Cessna 150s around the Seattle area.

“I was living downtown on Lake Union, which has a seaplane base, and all day long I could see seaplanes flying. So I went over there and got a seaplane rating in a Stinson 108 on straight floats. I thought that was pretty fun, and then I got a tailwheel endorsement in a Champ up at Harvey Field, and that was a lot of fun too. I ended up buying a Stinson in North Carolina, and flew it all the way back to Seattle.”

Since then, he has acquired several antique planes and projects. He treasures his rare Ryan because it’s pretty and a good conversation starter, which lets him meet a lot of people.

Another Blakesburg veteran is Rosie Duckworth, who has volunteered at Antique Airfield for about 20 years, and her passion for aviation is almost tangible.

“Our Michigan Chapter (of the Antique Airplane Association) revived the Dave Warren Coffee House in 2011, and funds from that enabled us to replace the roofs on the Air Power Museum buildings as a tribute to all the people who come here. We completed that last year, and now we’re going forward with other projects for the museum.”

It was Rosie’s late husband and Piper PA-12 pilot, Rick, who first brought her to the fly-in.

“Antique Airfield is my field of dreams, and it is the field of dreams for so many that come here,” she says. “It’s about the people first, because everyone has the same goal of keeping the antiques flying. We’re just a stepping stone for the next generation, and there are a lot of families with young children who come here.”

Rosie’s interest in aviation piqued when she saw a warbird airframe being restored.

“What’s underneath the skin is probably more important than the outside of the airplane, just like people,” she muses. “Knowing how much time and effort that it takes to do a restoration makes you realize that it’s like a masterpiece, a work of art. We don’t always appreciate that when we see them flying, but every aircraft that lands at Antique Airfield is special.” 

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