Welcome to Antique Airfield in Blakesburg, Iowa, home of the Antique Aircraft Association (AAA). The organization, whose motto is “Keep the Antiques Flying,” hosted its 70th national fly-in Aug. 29-Sept. 4, 2023, and I was here to take it all in.
Antique Airfield
Picture of the Day: Riding out the storm
Bob Grimm submitted this photo and note: “This Cabin Waco is patiently waiting for a summer storm to pass to go on its way. Ma Nature is always the boss! Taken Sept. 2, 2022, at the Antique Airplane Association fly-in in Blakesburg, Iowa.”
First-ever Blakesburg Bendix challenges pilots
For the Blakesburg Bendix, pilots estimated how long it would take them to fly from Hastings Municipal Airport (KHSI) in Nebraska, making stops at Crete Municipal Airport (KCEK) in Nebraska, Red Oak Municipal Airport (KRDK) in Iowa, and Greenfield Municipal Airport (KGFZ) in Iowa, with Blakesburg, Iowa’s Antique Airfield the end of the race during the 2022 Antique Airplane Association Fly-In.
Picture of the Day: Airplanes everywhere
General Aviation News photographer Megan Vande Voort captured this photo of a pilot wearing a T-shirt with an airplane on the back taking his own photos of airplanes at the 2022 Antique Airfield Association’s annual fly-in in Blakesburg, Iowa, over Labor Day weekend.
Antiques make their way Back to Blakesburg
While this year’s fly-in was not the biggest, “it certainly was one of the best,” says Brent Taylor, president of the Antique Airplane Association, “with good weather, a great crowd with many new faces, as well as familiar ones, lots of flying, plus an outstanding variety of aircraft.”
Picture of the Day: Spit and polish
General Aviation News photographer Megan Vande Voort went “back to Blakesburg” for the 2022 Antique Airplane Association annual fly-in at Antique Airfield (IA27) in Iowa, which was held Aug. 30-Sept. 5. On opening day, she captured this Staggerwing getting cleaned up before the show.
Back to Blakesburg: Welcome home!
“No other fly-in I know of can boast the aircraft that were continually hauling rides, including a Swift, Waco UPF-7, Staggerwing, Stinson SR-5, and a Lockheed Vega. Add to that such activities as a Town Hall with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association President Mark Baker, two FAA Wright Brothers Master Pilot and one Charles Taylor award presentations, Hans Nordsiek with The Storyteller presentation for kids, as well as our usual activities, and you can begin to see that numbers don’t always tell the whole tale.”
A Stearman on steroids
Bill Clifford and Ace Prechtl of Long Island, New York, co-own Serendipity, a 1940 N3N-3 that Ace restored several decades ago. According to Bill, the the N3N is “just a wonderful airplane — the controls are all balanced so it handles great, it flies straight and level so nice, and it’s fully aerobatic. It’s an incredible airplane!”
An antique fair-weather flyer
Iowa’s Mark Lancaster owns just one of nine Fairchild Model 24-Js on the FAA registry. He reports the antique airplane is “just fun and simple flying!”