The Eye of Kris

The MTUG Fall Fly-in on Saturday was a great success! The weather was awesome, and probably could not have been much better for this kind of event. We had about 30 planes when I took a quick count at one point, but some had already come and gone, so it's hard to say how many were actually there. I believe there were well over 50 pilots registered by mid-morning.

The mix was pretty diverse, with a lot more GA (General Aviation - meaning non-ultralight) planes than I expected. We had several genuine WWII-era planes that were very interesting to see, as well as some replicas that looked old, but weren't. We also had a group of PPG (Powered Para-Glider) pilots. These guys basically strap a engine and propeller on their backs, and fly with a big para-glider fabric wing. They were fun to watch and got a lot of attention from the visitors.

I left my house at 6:00 AM with Mary's dad to drive down to the airfield. There was already a lot going on by the time we got there, with several planes in the air and most people enjoying breakfast. Later in the morning, Mary and Owen drove down and they stayed until mid-afternoon, and then headed home with Mary's dad. I stayed until just after sunset.

I did get to fly for a little while, in an ultralight called an X-air (second from the left in this photo). It's a lot like the Flightstar (first one on the right) that I had my first ride in several months ago. I spent most of the time on the ground, though, helping direct planes coming in to park, as well as attending the seminars and visiting with friends that came out. A couple from my Sunday School class was there, and one of my co-workers brought his wife and their son. I also continued to get to know more of the club members, and figure out who has what experience and where all the knowledge and skills are.

We did have one "incident", but no one was hurt. A pilot had just landed and tried to turn sharp off the runway to go down the taxiway. He was still moving a little fast, and probably should have just continued to slow down and then doubled back, but he thought he could make the turn if he hit is brakes hard enough. He ended up putting the ultralight up on its nose, and damaged one of the propeller blades. We had to tow it off the taxiway, but another pilot was able to bring him a spare blade and he got it fixed by the end of the day and didn't have to tow it home.

I took some pictures, but in retrospect, not the right ones. I kept trying to get a photo that would encompass the whole event, showing lots of planes and people, but it was too spread out. Most of them ended up being far too wide without a lot of detail. I should have just taken more individual photos of the planes and pilots themselves. I also wish I had gotten someone to take me up in the air during the middle of the event, so I could get a picture of the airfield when it was full. By the time I got to go up, most of the planes were gone.

The sun wore on me a little, and my legs were tired from walking all over the airfield, but I had a great time. By the time I got home, I was wiped out and went straight to bed. I can't wait to do it again next year.