Chris Price flying his 1929 Curtiss-Wright Travel Air 4000 antique biplane at Le Sueur Municipal Airport. — Chris Price flies by in his 1929 Travel Air 4000.

Oh, what a delightful, multifarious array of airplanes alighted at Le Sueur Municipal Airport (12Y) in Minnesota in early June 2026. From rare to common, large to small, Marginal Aviation’s First Ditch Fly-In seemed to have ’em all.

Gathered airplanes included a gaggle of four handsome 1940s Howard DGA-15Ps, the singular and spectacular 1935 Pasped Skylark, two storied Travel Airs, 10 pretty Wacos, the second-oldest airworthy Fly Baby, a Corvair-powered Pietenpol, two perky Vagabonds, a venerable Tiger Moth, a variety of Luscombes, Pipers, and Cessnas, noble Navions, a couple of diminutive Culver Cadets, two hearty Twin Beeches, Stearmans, Stinsons, and a Mullicoupe … well, you get the idea.

(L-R) A Mullicoupe, Howard DGA-15P, and the Pasped Skylark.

N4629T is a 1965 Fly Baby 1-A owned by Forrest Lovley, and is the second oldest one flying.

Marginal Aviation officials tallied a record-breaking 136 airplanes flying during the 2026 event. A record 2,700 gallons of fuel was sold to keep them all flying throughout the long weekend.

Pilots appreciated the 50-cent per gallon discount extended by the City of Le Sueur for the event, as well as the city council’s support for the grounds.

A Stearman taxis out from the fuel pump – fuel was discounted during the fly-in.

Equally important was the abundance of savory homemade meals available to satiate the appetites of aviators and friends. That “hands-on” food prep was no small feat, but cheerful and indefatigable volunteers more than met the challenge.

N3195G is a North American SNJ-5 registered to the American Airpower Heritage Fly Museum of Texas.

Speaking of volunteers, there was a virtual army of them, efficiently handling myriad other fly-in aspects. Gratitude and graciousness permeated the atmosphere.

The singular 1935 Pasped Skylark graces the Le Sueur skies.

“Airplanes from both coasts and 15 states were flying at Le Sueur this weekend,” shared Marginal Aviation’s Vaughn Lovley. “There was a general tone of amazement at how much this event has grown. There’s a good mix of airplanes and people who are new to the fold and are active participants. An example is the Rezich family — they flew their 1929 Travel Air D4D they restored and it was cool watching them fly it. Even with the influx of traffic, this was the smoothest fly-in we’ve done.”

(L-R) The Rezich’s 1929 Travel Air D4D, Tom Peterson’s 1939 Tiger Moth, Glenn Larson’s 1938 Ryan SC-W.

Around The Field

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Michael Carlson of Rockford, Illinois, has owned his 1955 Cessna 170B since 1990.

Michael didn’t grow up in an aviation family. He caught the bug from his friend, Mark Clark. So for his high school graduation in 1969, his parents made him an offer he couldn’t refuse: They’d pay for two-thirds of his flight lessons in a Cessna 150, if he’d pay for the rest.

Michael Carlson has owned his 1955 Cessna 170B since 1990.

“I took my check ride about two weeks before I went to college,” he said. “I did want to fly professionally, but the opportunity really didn’t open up. I envy the guys who did because they fly along at 37,000 feet or so, looking down on how big the world is and realizing how small we are. That is cool stuff!”

Michael said he’s flown his 170B “to central New York, Cleveland, Ohio, Charleston, South Carolina, the panhandle of Florida, and to Mount Rushmore, which was pretty neat to see!”

“We really enjoy this fly-in because the people are absolutely terrific,” he added. “They do a great job running the event; it’s easy going and works without a lot of drama.”

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Ralph Lutes of Shipshewana, Indiana, bought his 1943 Howard DGA-15P in Casa Grande, Arizona, last August.

Ralph Lutes recently acquired his 1943 Howard DGA-15P.

He’d owned a Howard project since 1979, but never had time to work on it.

“Eventually I realized that I better just go buy one that flies,” he said. “It was owned by a foundation and they eventually decided to just put it together, sell it, and let the new owner paint it. I want to improve some of the fairings and the position of the crankcase breather before I paint it. So I’m here gathering information from other Howard owners.”

Ralph started flying ag planes when he was 18 years old.

“I was involved in ag aviation for 45 years and retired from that in May 2025,” he said. “I also flew for a 121 carrier for 32 years. We flew the DGA up here on the warm side of a cold front and it was real bouncy and turbulent, but after we passed through that into smooth air, it just sailed along straight and level.”

“I brought my PA-12 up here last year and it was a good time,” he continued. “It’s a great fly-in. You can just kick back and relax, and gain knowledge from people — and that’s what’s fun!”

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This 1938 Ryan SC-W has been in Glenn Larson’s family for 74 years, and it’s the first airplane Glenn ever flew. His father, Brad, acquired it as a basket case in 1952, and restored it over the span of 10 years. It won the Bronze Age Preservation Award at the 2010 SUN ’n FUN.

Glenn Larson with his 1938 Ryan SC-W — it’s been in his family for 74 years.

Glenn shared its early history: “During World War II, it was used as an antisubmarine dive bomber from the eastern United States coastal waters down to the Florida coast. The doctor who owned the SC-W at that time named it Honey Child, and he loaned it to the Civil Air Patrol. It was once flown by Gen. Jimmy Doolittle, and this airplane was featured in the Hollywood movie ‘Wake Island’ as a Japanese Zero. It was also owned by the Warner Aircraft Engine Company as a business plane.”

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Chris Price grew up in California, and when he was just 18, started the 10-year build of a Heath Parasol. He’s been very active in antique aviation ever since.

Brimming over with enthusiasm and possessing the soul of an old barnstormer, he’s frequently seen with a smile on his face when flying his Travel Air or myriad other antiques.

Chris Price with his 1929 Curtiss-Wright Travel Air 4000.

Based at Brodhead, Wisconsin, he flew three hours and 15 minutes in his 1929 Curtiss-Wright Travel Air 4000 to arrive at First Ditch.

“It’s about a 98% original airplane, but some of the real wearing parts — like the tail skid — have been refabricated off the original drawing,” he said. “I have 31-inch Alaskan Bushwheel tires on it, which aren’t too much of a departure from the 29-inch Goodyear air wheels it would have had.”

Chris Price flies by in his 1929 Travel Air 4000.

“My airplane’s a little quirky,” he continued. “It doesn’t have an electric starter, so it takes two people to get it started. I flew from Brodhead to Platteville because I have a friend there who will help me prop it. Then I made it here nonstop.”

He likes First Ditch for “Marginal Aviation’s 1978 vibe — I can sum it up as being a wholesome family event that is ‘time stamped’ and hasn’t changed from its beginnings. There’s no one here showing off — they’re just bringing their magnificent machines here. It’s just a pure fly-in where you can see rare airplanes flying!”

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Mike and Sasha White were relaxing by their 1935 Waco YOC-1 they’d flown in from Mallard’s Landing near Atlanta. It was their second trip to First Ditch. Last year, they arrived in their Glasair.

“We met Vaughn Lovley at Triple Tree, and he invited us up here,” Mike said. “We knew our friends, the Wilsons, were going to be here, and we had the time of our lives and got to meet a lot of other Waco folks.”

Mike and Sasha White flew their 1935 Waco YOC-1 in from Mallard’s Landing near Atlanta.

The Whites, who previously owned a Stinson 108, saw the Waco advertised online.

“But the ad disappeared, so I called the owner in Bay City, Michigan, and asked whether it was still for sale — and it was. Mark Staudacher is a longtime Waco club member and everybody in the community knows this airplane,” said Mike. “Sasha and I flew up there and went through the airplane and the logs and made a deal. A couple of weeks later I went up and did an owner-assisted annual with Mark. I took it home last November and we’ve flown about 60 hours since then.”

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Jim and Eileen Wilson arrived in style, as usual, in their much-beloved 1936 Waco YKS-6, which they flew from Cross, South Carolina. NC16598 was flown by the Civil Air Patrol out of Grand Isle, Louisiana, in the early 1940s to help guard the coastal area.

Eileen and Jim Wilson are regular attendees in their 1936 Waco YKS-6.

Jim grew up under the traffic pattern of a small airport, watching Cubs and Champs flying right over his house. As a pre-teen, he bicycled to the airport where he spent copious amounts of time. He learned to fly in a J-3 Cub and earned his private private certificate when he was 18.

The Wilsons have owned the Waco since 2000 — thanks to Eileen, who told Jim to buy it. Their Waco’s wings have carried them to Alaska, led them on barnstorming tours in Ohio and Indiana, and frequently take them to Triple Tree Aerodrome in South Carolina.

Jim enjoys encouraging the up-and-coming generation to “get their hands dirty” in aviation. He leads by example. He recently completed an extensive and exquisite restoration of a 1928 Speedwing Travel Air (NC6479) that was once flown by Pancho Barnes. Jim is also the creative and talented editor of Antique Airways, the newsletter of the Carolinas Virginia Antique Airplane Foundation.

Jim and Eileen are among attendees who appreciate the low key, “old home week” feeling at First Ditch, where old friends and memories blend together with new ones.

For more information: MarginalAviation.org