There doesn’t seem to be a great number of Stits Flut-R-Bugs flitting about the skies today, but one did join the field of flying machines this past Labor Day at the Antique Airplane Association fly-in at Blakesburg, Iowa. At age 85, owner/builder John Banes of Fairfax, Iowa, no longer flies, so his private pilot/homebuilder son, […]
Hayden’s storied Spokane Parasol
A silver Heath Super Parasol shimmered in the late summer sun as it flew by Antique Airfield. Its 20-year-old owner/pilot, Hayden Newhouse, felt the breeze ruffling through his hair, and couldn’t help but smile as he listened to the Continental A-40 humming happily along and the wind whistling through the Parasol’s wire-braced wing struts. Gazing […]
Back to Blakesburg and back to basics
The weather was so delightful this year that there were a record number of airplanes — close to 400 — that flew to Antique Airfield at Blakesburg, Iowa. Aircraft from 37 states were in attendance, and Classic Aviation of Pella, Iowa, stayed busy pumping fuel from its fuel truck, selling more than 3,000 gallons. The fly-in started on Wednesday, Aug. 31, […]
Wartime memories of a B-17 engineering officer
Note: This article has been excerpted and adapted by the author from her book “My Father, My Friends ~ Memories of World War II,” which is based on her interviews with World War II veterans. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, native Iowan and farm boy Chester Peek knew his life was headed in a […]
The Classy Cabin Ace SJ
When this small aircraft flies overhead, the questions start flying as well. What kind of airplane is that? Is it an antique? Well, it does resemble one, with its angular windshield, outrigger gear, large spoked wheels, and square-shaped rudder — but it isn’t. This classy Cabin Ace SJ (N486N) is a special blend, concocted by […]
The Brilliant Bentzen Sport
“We’re all astounded at what this Bentzen Sport can do,” says Rob Bach of Pell Lake, Wisconsin, adding, “Bill and Ken Bentzen were engineers and brothers; they only built one plane — and they built it perfectly.” Though the airplane is 54 years old, it’s a fresh face on the flight line today, with an intriguing history. The […]
The playful Pober Pixie
Evoking the open-air feeling of sport plane flying from the 1930s, the single-seat Pober Pixie, with its parasol wing and open cockpit, is a playful and happy-spirited flying machine. NX321PX was completed by co-owners Rick Gritters and Tom Vander Linden of Pella, Iowa. Designed by Paul Poberezny in 1974, the Pixie’s appealing appearance is similar […]
Keeping the antiques flying, year after year
Sunny Iowa skies, homemade pies, one-of-a-kind airplanes, and colorful aviators all mixed together this past Labor Day to create the special type of ambiance for which Antique Airfield is known. Known by most as just Blakesburg, it’s the kind of fly-in where pilots don’t need radios. Red and green flags control the air traffic, and neatly-mowed […]
Back to Blakesburg
Though the weather was sizzling hot in Iowa during Labor Day weekend, hundreds of aviators, friends, and families enthusiastically made the annual pilgrimage “Back to Blakesburg.” The Antique Airplane Association had its genesis in 1953, when founder Robert Taylor placed a classified ad in Flying. The first annual fly-in was held in 1954 at Ottumwa; […]