Vintage Aircraft Shine at the West Coast Fly-In

A modern Legend Cub on final approach during the 2026 West Coast Cub & Vintage Fly-In. A PA-20 Pacer and J-3C Cub wait on the tarmac.

For more than 40 years, Lompoc, California, hosted the West Coast Cub Fly-In, an event bringing together Piper Cub owners to celebrate these iconic aircraft.

A pair of Pipers orbit Lompoc Airport: A classic Cub with a PA-20 Pacer.

However, in recent years turnout had declined enough that the annual event was reworked to include a variety of other vintage aircraft. July 2026 would be my first time attending the renamed West Coast Cub and Antique Aircraft Fly-In, now in its second year.

The timeless Piper Cub. First flown in 1938, close to 20,000 would be produced by 1947. The Cub is Piper’s second most-produced model after the PA-28 Cherokee.

A PA-18A 150 Super Cub taxies after arriving. The A designation marks the factory agricultural variant. These airframes were outfitted with plumbing, tanks, and dispersal gear for crop dusting and spraying.

We showed up at Lompoc Airport (KLPC), marked by a pair of Cubs flying formation overhead, and found ourselves on a quiet tarmac with only a half dozen Cubs. At its peak, this event used to draw over 100 Cubs. I tried to be optimistic that more would arrive, a sentiment echoed by a volunteer marshaling visiting aircraft.

The Piper J-5A Cub Cruiser was a larger, three-seat development of the classic J-3 Cub, introduced in 1940.

Introduced in 1951, the Tri-Pacer was developed as a tricycle-landing-gear version of the conventional-gear PA-20 Pacer.

Fortunately, a steady trickle of incoming aircraft filled the tarmac by lunchtime with a turnout of 17 Cubs, plus 15 non-Cubs.

This Aeronca 65-TAL is a 1941 tandem-seat light training aircraft that was built for the U.S. Civilian Pilot Training Program.

The Cessna 140 featured a stressed-skin aluminum fuselage and wings, making it remarkably durable, all for a price of $2,995 (in 1946).

The Apollo Fox is a Hungarian two-seat LSA produced by Apollo Ultralight Aircraft, based on a metric adaptation of the Kitfox.

Surprised to see this Canadian RV-14 in attendance.

It took a lot to stand out from all the Cub yellow — and one attendee definitely stood out. A magnificent 1927 de Havilland Gipsy Moth biplane, decked out in Cub yellow and black, appeared in the sky and gracefully joined the festivities.

What a lovely sight, seeing this 1927 de Havilland Gipsy Moth on final approach to join the fly-in. This is thought to be the last airplane piloted by Charles Lindbergh.

This 1927 de Havilland Gipsy Moth served as one of the camera ships during the filming of the 1957 movie “The Spirit of St. Louis.” It was completely restored in 2014.

Once everyone got their fill of burgers and hot dogs, it was time to let the games begin, including the popular flour drop and spot landing competitions.

Pilots eager to show their skills armed themselves with official paper sack flour bombs and headed out to their aircraft.

Vintage planes waiting to depart and participate in the flour drop competition. Both the Gipsy Moth and the PA-12 Super Cruiser had the theoretical advantage of a second person.

The designated flour drop target was a barrel next to the runway and a variety of techniques were employed to get the closest to the target. There were the multitaskers, flying with one hand while dangling the ordnance out in the slipstream with the other, gauging the release point. Others carried dedicated bomb-droppers, sometime from the front seat, others from the back.

This PA-22 Tri-Pacer makes a bombing run on the target barrel during the flour drop competition.

Bombs away! A flour bag begins a one-way trip to terra firma as the pilot multitasks during a flour drop competition.

This was followed by a spot landing in front of judges, with pilots attempting to touch down as precisely as possible on a designated target mark on the runway.

A J-5A Cub Cruiser touches down in front of the judges during the spot landing competition.

It all made for an enjoyable day surrounded by vintage airplanes and like-minded folks.

A Rans S-6S Coyote II kitplane captured during takeoff.

Not all Cub Yellows are the same. A 1946 change in doping materials forced a color change to “Piper Cub J-3 Yellow,” different from the original “Lock Haven Yellow.”

The West Coast Cub and Antique Aircraft Fly-In is sponsored by EAA Chapter 275, Explore Lompoc, the City of Lompoc, and the Lompoc Airport. Next year’s event will be held July 10-11, 2027, so if you’re a Cub owner — or any aircraft owner — come and experience the hospitality of the Lompocans.

Perhaps this is the fly-in version of the “kids table”…kitplanes from this century hanging out together, including an Apollo Fox, Arion Lightning, Van’s RV-4 and RV-7. (All Photos by Hayman Tam)

Established in 1928, Lompoc Airport started as a grass field, became the Naval Auxiliary Air Facility Lompoc during World War II, and later relocated 1.5 miles to its current location.

For more information: LompocFlyIn.com

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