Sporty’s Ninth Annual Fly-In went off without a hitch last Saturday despite the all-day threat of thunderstorms. About 100 aircraft made the trip to Ohio’s Clermont County Airport (I69), coming from as far away as Virginia, Maryland and Michigan.
“We’re thrilled with the number of attendees, especially from the local community” says Sporty’s President Michael Wolf. “Despite the weather, the airport was a busy place and we were able to provide several first flight experiences as part of International Learn to Fly Day.”
Attractions included dozens of commercial exhibitors, free seminars, shopping at Sporty’s retail shop and, of course, Sporty’s signature free hot dogs.
At noon, Wolf telephoned the winner of Sporty’s 2013 Airplane Sweepstakes. Christopher Boyle of Arcata, California, is the winner of a brand-new Legend Cub. Boyle’s boss had been contacted by Wolf earlier and arranged for Boyle to come to work on Saturday to be surprised by Wolf’s phone call, with fly-in guests listening on speaker phone.
“When Christopher realized the Saturday work was a ruse, he seemed almost as excited about not having to work on Saturday as he was in winning the Legend Cub,” said Wolf.
Boyle will be traveling to Batavia to take delivery of the Cub within the next few weeks and fly it back to California.
Free seminars were once again popular, with presentations on Flying with the iPad, hosted by Sporty’s Vice President Bret Koebbe, as well as seminars presented by Garmin, Aspen Avionics, ForeFlight and NFlightcam.
As part of International Learn to Fly Day, Sporty’s Academy provided several introductory flights to aspiring pilots.
“Throughout the day, there was a pleasant buzz of activity in the Exhibit Tent,” said Wolf. “It’s a fun day for our customers, our exhibitors and our own staff who enjoy this busy day at our airport. And I’m lucky to be the one to inform a customer that he has won a brand-new airplane.”
Next year’s fly-in is scheduled for Saturday, May 17, 2014.
For more information: Sportys.com