Fly-In

Pop flew up from NJ for the weekend to attend the 18th annual Yankee Ultralight Flyers fly-in at Sanderson Field in Greenland, NH. Joni flew down to NJ to attend a certification class. Sam spent the day with Nanni and Bubbie. Henry, Pop, and I went to the fly-in on Saturday, arriving just after Noon.

There was a decent crowd of gawkers and a fair number of planes. There were 2 vintage spotter planes from the Korean War era that were being used for airplane rides and for Boy Scouts earning their flying eagle merit badges. They flew almost continuously during the 2-1/2 hours we were there.

There was a table set up with kid activities and items. Henry got a paratrooper parachute toy, a foam glider, and a Tootsie Pop. There were a few events scheduled just for kids and in the evenings there is a candy drop along the runway. For adults, there are technical sessions and FAA safety programs as well as some vendor presentations.

The event runs for a week, with the public invited on the weekend. There were campers and tents around the shaded pond and more tents on the far side of the runway. For pilots staying over, they have a camp fire every night and a cook out. Over the weekend, they had a BBQ / sausage vendor come who served Henry and me a cheese burger and sausage (pepper and onions of course).

Most of the planes are registered and certified private planes, but there were a couple true ultralights (less than 250 lbs, 5 gallon gas, 50 knot max speed, single seat, no FAA registration or pilot license required). I did overhear one pilot mentioning that due to health reasons he could not keep up his FAA certification so he was flying his ultralight exclusively. I counted over 30 planes as we walked down from the parking area to the field. There was a plane taking off or landing every couple of minutes.

The grass runway is quite unique – it has a pretty steep hill at one end that the planes taxi up under power, turn and then race down for take-offs. When the wind shifts it is not quite as dramatic launching from the far end of the field. The runway is 2,000 feet long, so most of these lightweight planes are airborne in less than half that distance.

The weather was ideal – sunny and mid-seventies. There was a mild breeze which helped to keep the visitors cool, but challenged the pilots landing to crab and side-step when the wind came across the runway.

Henry and I wandered around looking at a few planes, but mostly he wanted to sit under the large canopy tent watching the crowds (“I see Granddad!” was a favorite cry) or walk along the edge of the pond. He cut me off after I had visited about half the planes, declaring that I couldn’t look at any more.

When it came time to leave, we headed off to Middleton, MA to visit Richardson’s Dairy Farm. Click the link to see an old posting from 2007 – Henry is almost 2 and Joni is pregnant. We had ice cream, visited the cows & chickens, and watched the mini golf games before heading back to Reading.