The sights and sounds during the 2026 Midwest Antique Airplane Club’s private, members-only Grassroots Fly-In at Brodhead Airport (C37) in Wisconsin elicited a veritable roll call of aviation rarity.
Flying machines included a Szekely-powered Buhl Bull Pup, Wright-powered Pitcairn Mailwing, Warner-powered Pasped Skylark, Kinner-powered Waco INF, Curtiss OX-5-powered Cirigliano, and Curtiss Wright Junior, and many more.
The weather was simply beautiful and the fly-in flourished — there were 231 airplanes, which included 143 different types.
Here are a few stories from the field.
NC353Y 1931 Buhl Bull Pup
Ron Johnson of Rockford, Illinois, has been flying a PT-22 for almost 50 years — that has to be a record of some sort — but this year, he flew his Buhl Bull Pup to Grassroots. A fun-loving aviator, he enjoyed pointing out its features, such as the small windows in the shoulder-wings.
“There are only two Bull Pups that I’m aware of that are flying with the correct engine — the three-cylinder Szekely engine. It’s 45 hp on a good day, with all three cylinders still attached and cooperating,” he shared.
Ron built model airplanes as a young boy, and he remembers the Berkeley models included an odd-yet-intriguing Bull Pup.
“Then in 1976, I was at Oshkosh, standing in front of a real Bull Pup with a Szekely engine in it, which was pretty cool. I heard about all the excitement of cylinders breaking and flying off at the flange, and connecting rods being released and blowing out the cases, and I said, ‘that’s perfect! I want one of them!’ So I started looking around and ended up buying two projects from a guy in California,” Ron said. “Then I went to Minnesota to look at the one I had seen at Oshkosh.”
It hadn’t flown for years, and Ron bought it.
“I went through the engine and airframe and flew 348Y for a number of years,” he said. “When I finished restoring this one, I sold 348Y to Walt Bowe. He flies it, so it went to a good home!”
Bowe is a well-known collector of vintage aircraft, including a 1918 Curtiss Jenny, the prototype Beech 18, a Grumman Goose, and a Bearcat.
NC11203 1930 Waco INF
Michael Harter hails from Greenfield, Indiana. When he was just a kid, then-owner Bob Frost gave Michael and his father, Ryan, a ride in NC11203, a 1930 Waco INF.
“We were in the front seat together, and I’ve always known this airplane,” he said. “Bob and Bev Frost had it from the late 1970s until 2024. When Bob passed away, I talked with his family and worked out a deal to buy it. I’ll probably always think of this airplane as Bob’s, even though it’s mine now.
“I was 23 with a fresh A&P license when I bought it, and within a few months I had everything paid off,” he continued. “The Frosts flew it locally and never took it to Oshkosh, so I took it there this year just to let people see it. It has a Kinner B-5 and a Curtiss-Reed prop.”
When Michael learned to fly, he transitioned from a Cub to a Champ. That helped him transition to the INF, he said.
“I love the Waco — it’s almost easier to fly than my Champ,” he added. “The INF is the best bang for your buck, because you have a Waco that you can push out of the hangar by yourself, and it’s just so much fun!”
NC36592 1941 Aeronca Chief
When I happened upon Galen Timblin of Appleton, Wisconsin, he was relaxing in the shade beside his 1941 Aeronca Chief. It was his first time flying “Miss Chief” to Grassroots — and his second time owning the Chief.
“I’ve had the airplane four years now,” he said. “The first time I had it for about six years. But I missed the Chief, and when I saw it advertised, I called the seller, and as he described it, my heart raced a little because I knew it was 36592. It was in pieces out in the Phoenix area, and I bought it and restored it a couple of years ago.”
Galen dressed up Miss Chief with a red, white, and gold-accent paint scheme that incorporates a clever cotter pin design, and it has ski fittings.
“I have 1941 Federal SC1 skis with nylon bottoms,” he said. “The world is my runway when I’m ski flying. My wife Kris loves to fly with me, and we enjoy a lot of hours in it.”
N4154 1955 Mooney Mite
Benson Milam of Calhoun, Georgia, loves flying anything he can get his hands on. His friend, Bob Jenkins, Jr., bought a 1955 Mooney Mite last year and turned Benson loose in it. So Benson flew it from Calhoun to Galesburg, Illinois, for the Stearman Fly-In, held Sept. 7-12, and then to Brodhead, which was held Sept. 10-13.
Previous owner Jon Slack, a glider and power pilot, was also at Brodhead.
“I fly for fun, so if it’s fun, I want to fly it,” Jon said. “I bought the Mite and flew it from Los Angeles to the Chicago area, which took just over 17 hours. Then I discovered it had a badly damaged wing spar. Paul Workman did a complete and major repair on the spar.”
When it was time to sell, he said it would have been smarter to part it out because he could have gotten more money for the pieces.
“But after thinking about it, I just couldn’t do that,” he said. “Now it’s a fine example of a Mite.”
Benson and Jon both agree that the Mite is not very comfortable. But that’s not a deterrent for Benson, who grinned and said, “It cruises about 120 mph, and it’s just a fun airplane!”
N45635 1946 Luscombe 8A
The biggest gift that aviation has given Marti Whitmore is, in a word, “confidence.”
When she was a child, she literally had a dream that she could fly like Superman. Then her father bought an airplane ride for her and the hook was set.
“When Alex and I got married, he had an Aeronca L-3, and I learned how to fly in that,” said Marti, smiling. “I was 22 then, so I’ve been flying for 55 years.”
Marti’s other lifelong passion is singing opera. The Whitmores are based at Fulcher Field in Terlingua, Texas, and have attended Grassroots for years.
“Usually Alex and I switch off flying in either the RV-9 or Luscombe, but this time I flew the Luscombe down from our other hangar at Chetek, Wisconsin,” said Marti. “Three years ago, my daughter, Bonnie, and I had a mom-daughter adventure when we flew to the Ladies Love Taildraggers gathering. She had a 15-minute checkout in the Luscombe, and flew most of the trip to Mississippi. Both of our daughters are pilots and they also sing.”
N4159H 1948 Piper Vagabond
There were at least seven Piper Vagabonds on the field, and one enthusiastic caretaker was Bill Sponsler. Bill grew up in aviation, and he first learned to fly in a glider at Sky Soaring northwest of Chicago. He’s now an American Airlines captain.
Bill and his brother, Fred, have had N4159H since 2017, and are based at Landings Condominium in Huntley, Illinois (82IS). He’s flown the Vagabond to Grassroots several times.
“The Vagabond is a fun little plane to fly,” he said, adding with a smile, “but it can be a little bit naughty or sassy on asphalt.”
“I’m 6-foot 2-inches and the Vagabond has the biggest side-by-side cockpit for someone my size,” he added. “It’s probably the nicest flying, too, but I’m biased.”
Kelch Aviation Museum
The Kelch Aviation Museum, now five years old, has become an integral part of the Grassroots Fly-In, opening its hangar doors and welcoming attendees.
The museum recently relocated one of its hangars and construction has started on The Denny Trone Restoration Hangar, which will include the equipment to maintain automobiles, overhaul engines, and restore aircraft from the ground up. It also hopes to launch educational and observational programming, including classes in fabric covering and videos about historic aviation mechanical work, according to a museum brochure.
Notably, the museum stewards are also aviators: Executive Director Pat Weeden grew up in vintage aviation, Creative Director Ami Eckard-Lee did the majority of her flight training in a 1931 Curtiss Wright Junior using a Gosport Tube, and Chief Curator and Events Coordinator Hannah Shickles recently flew the museum’s “Frank Baker” Cub to Hastings, Nebraska, as well as to Oshkosh.
Grassroots Nostalgia
An historical perspective about fly-ins seems apropos: In 1965, an article in “Air Classics” (Vol. 2, No. 2) described fly-ins: “Most of us only appreciate what we have after it is gone. And so it is, or was, in the golden era of the 1930s when aviation became the synonym for adventure, dash, style, and glory. The fly-in is here to stay and make that romantic period of history come alive again.”
The Grassroots fly-in certainly did just that, by imbuing nostalgic aviation with sparkling enthusiasm. The event is facilitated by volunteers from EAA Chapter 431 and the Kelch Aviation Museum, as well as airport owner Hawk-Aire, and is held annually the weekend after Labor Day.
For more information: MAACGrassroots.net
More Photos From The Fly-In
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