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Back when I lived in California, I visited a few airshows, and they always had rows and rows of little airplanes, each with a paper sleeve on the propeller that said "this airplane is [x] not to be judged", and some basic information: year, model, etc. They were airplanes in which attendees flew in, coincidentially serving as one of attractions.

Tucumcari was not like that at all: I was the only man who flew into it! When I asked for a registration form, officials did not know what to do with me. It was unexpected and disappointing, as I hoped for some networking. Ultimately, I did talk to other pilots. In pilot's lounge, I met Mike "Spanky" Galloway, who was a last-minute stand-in act. He has a day job, and travels on business in his Bonanza -- a type of travel that's getting rare these days.

Mike flew the opener, and also went up one more time. He is a serious aerobatic competitor at the international stage, but I just do not have the eye trained to appreciate aerobatics. The most impressive act for me was the "Jelly Belly", the true barnstormer flying. It flew a routine that is usually called "it takes a lot of talent to fly this badly", landed on top of a carrier truck, and had Bobby Unser (Jr., I think) stop the airplane by putting hand on spinner.

CAF also was an act to remember, because they brought out their Zero (pictured). Not sure if Mr. Wonderduck saw it in flight, but now I have.

The flight back was almost as uneventful as the flight there. KSAF now has a radar, and the tower issues transponder codes, which is unusual for a Class D field. I was apprehensive about the weather the day before, but in the event all I saw were a few scattered clouds, and broken ceiling at around 9500 feet. I slept badly for nothing.

UPDATE 2012/08/05: Kent Pietsch is hurt in a crash after the airshow near Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Posted by: Pete Zaitcev at 07:45 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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