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Scenes from the Arlington Fly-In

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Vintage designs, homebuilts, flying mini-vans and everything in between were represented at the Arlington Fly-In, held the second week of July at Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) in Washington State.

Piper aficionados celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Cherokee with the designer of the aircraft, Karl Bergey, shown here with Wade Sullivan of the Cherokee Pilots of the West Coast. Bergey noted that designers and engineers worked around the clock to get the plane from drawing board to ramp ahead of schedule. Photo by Meg Godlewski

The 43rd annual event featured more than 150 exhibitors, a full schedule of workshops and forums, and an air show each afternoon. Some of this year’s attractions included “Maid in the Shade,” the B-25 Mitchell bomber from the Arizona Wing of the Commemorative Air Force, which replaced the B-17 “Sentimental Journey,” which was unable to appear due to engine trouble. Other aircraft of note that attended the fly-in included a fully restored 1928 Boeing 40C, a full-scale reproduction of a 1933 Stinson Model O, and a DC-2.

Coinciding with the Arlington Fly-In this year again was the West Coast Cherokee Fly-In. Karl Bergey, designer of the Piper Cherokee, attended the event and was the keynote speaker on Friday night.

Next year’s show is slated for July 11-15.

The Arizona Wing of the Commemorative Air Force was well represented with its B-25 “Maid in the Shade.”

 

The one-of-a-kind Boeing Model 40 was there, and people flocked to it like bees to honey.
The Museum of Flight from Seattle had its DC-2 open for display.
The Museum of Flight from Seattle had its DC-2 open for display.
Michael Ohler is the owner of a silver and blue Cessna 170B, while Bob Babler just finished the construction of an RV and was finally able to fly to the Arlington show rather than drive in.

 

You meet all sorts of old friends at the Arlington show. Don Passow stopped by to say hello. Passow, an aircraft mechanic during World War II who still flies today, carries a photo of his Lake Buccaneer in his wallet. He's also proud to note that he's one of the longest subscribers to General Aviation News, reading the paper since the “Jack Brown days.”

Among the more popular attractions this year were the radio-controlled models. Throughout the event there were demonstrations of RC aircraft with helicopters being the most popular. In the warbird area, a RC tank battle drew a crowd.
Don and Sharon Hall from Anacortes, Wash., brought their newly built Rans S-19 to the show. The Halls, both pilots, built the airplane together.
Roger Starr from Canby, Ore.'s 1946 Fairchild had a spot of honor next to the red barn in the vintage parking area. Several of the vintage airplanes on display came from the Skagit Aero Education Museum in Concrete, Wash.
Van's RVs were represented well, including this RV-8 owned by Dave Marcum of Rio Linda, Calif., which sported a World War II paint job complete with airbrushed machine guns.
One of the more unusual airplanes on display was the Wickham Model B, a twin-engine design that reminded many people of a “Baby Aero Commander.” Other Wickham designs, or pieces of them, were side by side, making it the first time that Wickham's very rare airplanes have been in the same location.

 

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