Meet your favorite aviation YouTube stars at July fly-in

By GRANT BOYD

The first ever Aviation Content Creator Awards (ACCA) is slated for July 17-19, 2020, at Stearman Field (1K1), 20 miles northeast of downtown Wichita, Kansas.

The event, expected to host more than 30 well-known aviation YouTube personalities, is bolstered by a fly-in, where pilots and aviation enthusiasts can gather and meet their favorite YouTube personalities.

With the cancellation of most fly-ins this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this fly-in promises to be one of the largest so far in 2020.

The tentative attendee list is headlined by eight channels, most of whom have more than 200,000 followers each: FlightChops, Aviation101, Just Planes, AIRBOYD, blancolirio, Trent Palmer, Cory Robin, and Mike Patey.

Many will be familiar with these YouTube channels, which cover everything from commercial airline safety to flight training scenarios. Some readers may also be astute enough to know that the last three individuals are part of “The Flying Cowboys,” a backcountry STOL flying group that will have at least half of its members in attendance. 

Dan Gryder, the event’s organizer, notes that this aviating desperado group has something big in store for the weekend.

“We’re going do an off field landing in a crazy historic site that Cory Robin and I talked about,” he said. “They’re going to go out and land at this place that’s never been landed at before while being filmed.”

While their landing spot won’t be publicized until the event, one can only speculate where their beefy tires will set down in the Air Capital of the World, home to Cessna, Beechcraft, Learjet, Stearman, Travel Air, and many others. 

The fly-in’s timeline leaves room for lots of other interesting aviating opportunities.

Friday, arrival day, is set for what could be classified as “fun, fly around time,” with several unique aircraft — a turbine aerobatic helicopter, Stearman biplanes, a Lockheed Electra, and many others — being available for the YouTubers to create fresh content.

Saturday morning begins with content creator specific workshops and ends with a private creator meeting, as well as the awards ceremony.

The event runs through Sunday, so it’s expected that some may straggle around that day to continue mingling with fans and flying planes.

Who else is set to be at the event? Gryder notes in an interview on blancolirio’s YouTube channel that he expects about 30 YouTubers to show up — many more than expected.

“We started this with the intention of getting 10,” he said.

Joining the headliners are: Mark Patey, Premier 1 Driver, 310 Pilot, What You Haven’t Seen, Baron Pilot, Niko’s Wings, Guido Warnecke, FloridaFlying, SoCal Flying Monkey, Fly With The Guys, The Finer Points, Experimental Aircraft Channel, ErikJohnston, Martin Pauly, Kevin Quinn, Just Plane Silly, Franklin Poole, RedDevilSquadron, FlyWire, BruceAirFlying, Glenn Hancock, Bearhawk Life, Parr 4 the Course, Hug Aviation, and more.

With Kansas having relaxed most of its COVID-19 related restrictions and with Oshkosh not taking place, the fly-in is expected to be among one of the heavier attended aviation events this summer. Kansas has been “open” since early June. A fly-in held at Stearman Field early in the month drew roughly 50 aircraft and 1,000 people. 

Boasting a 5,106-foot paved, lighted runway and an adjacent 2,000-foot grass strip, the public-use residential airpark is no stranger to hospitality, as it hosts several large events each year.

Helping boost attendance is the Stearman Bar & Grill for food and beverage needs. Other vendors also frequent events, including biplane rides, souvenirs, simulators, as many others.

Additionally, there will be “primitive” camping available at the event, in the grass area near the runway, according to Gryder. 

Wichita is a short drive away and has many other eating and lodging options, as well as several museums that showcase aviation history of some facet. Whether it be the Kansas Aviation Museum, the Exploration Place, the B-29 Doc Hangar and Visitor Center, or the Cosmosphere in nearby Hutchinson, there is no shortage of opportunities to create a memorable weekend full of camaraderie and aviation. 

For more information check out the Stearman Field Bar & Grill Facebook page.