A dazzling array of shimmering Swifts adorned the ramp during the 2023 Swift National Fly-In. Held at the Swift Museum Foundation (SMF) at McMinn County Airport (KMMI) in Athens, Tennessee, it was a heartwarming reunion for the family of Swifters.
Beech Party 2023: Celebrating 50 years
“It was another epic event with more than 140 aircraft and more than 800 guests from Japan, California, Maine, Florida, Texas, and many more of our states across the nation,” said Jody Curtis, the museum’s executive vice president.
The magical Grassroots Fly-In
The Midwest Antique Airplane Club’s private, members-only Grassroots Fly-in is held annually at Brodhead Airport (C37) in Wisconsin the weekend after Labor Day. At this scintillating field of dreams, life’s concerns and complexities are literally transcended.
The 32nd annual Fly/In Cruise/In sets records
2023 was a record-setting year for the 32nd annual Fly/In Cruise/In. Held on Saturday of Labor Day weekend every year, the weather was perfect this year. The sky was brilliant blue, and the traffic pattern was humming with all sorts of aircraft, while the well-orchestrated mass arrival of vintage and antique cars, trucks, motorcycles, tractors, and more poured through the gates and onto the grounds of Marion Municipal Airport-McKinney Field in Indiana.
Love at first flight
The Swift’s 76th anniversary was heralded with a patriotic “Spirit of 76” celebration during the 2022 Swift National Fly-In at the Swift Museum Foundation in Athens, Tennessee.
A banner year for bold and beautiful Beechcraft
There were newcomers and old timers at the 2022 event, and of the latter, there were three remaining members of the original Tullahoma Bunch, the group that became the Staggerwing Club, then evolved into the Beechcraft Heritage Museum.
A fun and friendly grassroots fly-in
The Grassroots Fly-In is “a family, fun atmosphere where people not only fly their antique and classic airplanes in, but they fly them throughout the fly-in, said Midwest Antique Airplane Club President Justin Niemyjski. “It’s where guys share rides and let their friends fly their airplanes. You don’t find that happening very often.”
Earning her wings after a 30-year hiatus
Always fascinated by aviation, Gail Franks took almost 30 years to earn her private pilot certificate, but only because she was immersed in another aspect of aviation: Building her own airfield.
Full circle with Dick Willetts and his Comedy Cub Capers
Dick Willetts of Albia, Iowa, is an integral part of air show history, performing his Comedy Cub Capers for 50 years. In 2021, he celebrated the restoration of his beloved Cub at Antique Airfield in Iowa.