By JAVIER VERA
“The world needs more guys like Robbie Vajdos.”
So says Chris Hiatt, a pilot in Castroville, Texas, who brought his “Tiny Stearman” to the 2022 Under The Wire Fly-in, held at the Flying V Ranch Airport (T26) in Louise, Texas, in mid-September.
No doubt Chris is joined in that sentiment by the many pilots and aviation enthusiasts who attended the 33rd edition of the fly-in, which was started in 1989 by Vajdos, known as the “Stearman guru.”
The owner of Vajdos Aviation, a company that specializes in maintenance on vintage aircraft, Robbie started the south Texas gathering after visiting the National Stearman Fly-In in Galesburg, Illinois, back in 1988. He was so delighted by that event he decided to launch a similar gathering to bring together Stearman owners in Texas. Over the years, the fly-in has grown to include the entire general aviation community.
Luckily Robbie has the space to accommodate hundreds of visitors at Flying V Ranch Airport. It boasts a 2,990-foot grass runway, as well as a large grass area that’s used as a “ramp” for aircraft parking, camping under the wing, parking for recreational vehicles, and cars for the visitors who opt to drive in to the event. Entrance fee is just $5, which keeps the event affordable for everyone.
The annual fly-in includes lots of good food, including Texas BBQ, a Hangar Party, a flour bombing contest, and a Stearman fly-over of a local football game.
Chris Hiatt has fond memories of his own flight over a small-town football game during one of the Under The Wire fly-ins with his good friend and Stearman owner Eric Nelson.
“40 years ago, my dad was a crop duster flying Stearmans out of what is now Kubecka Aviation in Ganado, just a stone’s throw away from Robbie’s Flying V Ranch,” he recalls. “I was a difficult teenager looking for trouble every chance I got. To put it simply, Eric Nelson changed my life. He showed me what right looked like and pulled me from the wrong crowd.”
“Fast forward 40 years and Eric let me sit in the front seat in his Stearman as we flew formation over a small-town football game,” said the Army veteran. And while he says he prides himself on controlling his emotions, he adds “I’m not afraid to say my eyes ‘sweated’ a little during that flight.”
Based at Castroville Municipal Airport (KCVB), Chris always wanted a Stearman — and now he has one, sort of. He recently repainted his Super Baby Great Lakes to look like a Stearman with a lot of help from his friends Tim Barrow, Rich Beardsley, and Andy Humphreys of Stewart Systems.
The Tiny Stearman made its fly-in debut at the 2022 event, even participating in a formation flight with a full-sized version.
Besides Stearmans, the fly-in also attracted Cubs, Cessnas, homebuilts, and even a rare Wing D-1 Derringer.
Many of those pilots and aircraft owners are part of the “Under The Wire Family,” who attend the fly-in year after year.
“I hope the event will be an opportunity to fly in and talk to others about their planes, share with pilots, and give extra motivation to those who long to be pilots,” Robbie says. “Some people have told me that they look forward to this fly-in throughout the year.”
Of course, Robbie hopes new people will be attracted to the event as well.
One of the first-timers this year was Joe Fernandez, who has been an aviation photographer for more than 40 years.
“This is my first year at this event, and by far, this is one of the best fly-ins I have attended — not only for its spectacular variety of aircraft, but also for the good reception by the organizers and the public in general,” he says. “I am already looking forward to coming again next year.”
Great pics!!!!!!
A great story about a really great event. I found out about Robbie’s Fly-In about 10 years ago, and have been going there every year since then and taking pictures of the whole event as well. I met Chris Hiatt about 3 years ago and captured some really great pics of his Super Baby Great Lakes biplane, and was happy to capture more of it this year in it’s new paint scheme (and it’s new re-engined and new cowled front end). It was a big hit at the Fly-In. Mike* (MH*)
This is the first time I have made it to the fly in. What a great time. I’ll be back next year in my Cessna 172. N107ES
Robbie is a great guy and friend. We have shared a few meals together. We used to hangar at the same little airport that was recently shut down. Robbie was always happy to give me a hand with my Ercoupe.
The above article didn’t touch on the origins of the fly-in’s name. Originally, the Flying V Ranch airport was bisected by a power line that stretched across the midpoint of the strip.
If you were landing, you had to make sure you were firmly on the ground in time to roll out under the wire. If you were taking off, most pilots would opt to hold off rotating until they were on the other side of the wire. Go-arounds could be tricky, indeed.
Eventually, Robbie was able to convince the local power company that this power line was a hazard to local aviation and they agreed to bury the line. But, by then, the name of the fly-in was well established.
Excellent story on a wonderful event!!