By Bill Stansbeary
The 28th Annual Rocky Mountain EAA Regional Fly-In celebrated our freedom of flight at Front Range Airport (FTG) June 24-25. There was something for everyone, whether your interest is flying, owning/building your own aircraft, or just enjoying a weekend with the family.
This year’s Grand Champion was this 2005 Acroduster 2 SA750 owned by Thomas Shpakow.
For everyone interested in the past, present and future of aviation, aircraft were present from a wide range of time periods. Expert pilots performed solo and formation aerobatics and flybys in a wide variety of real and radio-controlled aircraft for two hours each day.
Bert Sutton, Bruno Many and Doug Nelson, Kirk Simpson and Keith Wenzel, Jerry Farmer, Lee DeMay, Cliff Honeycutt, Mike Hurley, Rocco Mariani, Mark Dennis and Gary Jones provided radio control airplane and helicopter performances.
The Colorado Air National Guard, 120th Fighter Wing, provided an F-16 Fighting Falcon flyby and also made the first public showing of their F-16 in new “Minute Men” paint markings. A Lockheed C-130 Hercules, U.S. Coast Guard, Air Station Sacramento, Calif., demonstrated sea rescue capability, and the Marine Corps, Air Station Yuma, Ariz., demonstrated an F-18.
The title of Reserve Grand Champion went to Jack Cronin’s SNJ-7B.
Civilian performances included Falcon Flight, which made six-aircraft formation flight demonstrations in their RV-type experimental aircraft; Gary Miller, creating smoke circles in his Cessna C-180; Scott McMillan in his Yak-52; and Don Nelson in the Sukhoi Su-26, in a solo aerobatic performance. Bob Carlton gracefully performed “On Silent Wings,” a sky ballet complete with wingtip smoke.
Other entertainment included a solo aerobatic performance by Gary Dawson in his Murphy Rebel/Edge 300; a flyby from Steve Cowell in “Double Vee,” his Tuskegee AT-6; a flyby from Jim McKinstry in a Yak-3M; a T-6 flyby courtesy of AirPower West; and Mark Johnson flying his 1949 de Havilland DH-112 “Venom” jet, manufactured by Pilatus. Mike Bertz also flew the P-51 and Jet Provost in flybys.
Patriotic moments were supplied by vocalists Vern Skari, who sang “The Star-Spangled Banner,” and Renee Willard, who sang “America the Beautiful,” as well as Walter Green, who made a solo parachute jump with the American flag.
A Waco ZTS-6 owned by Carl Buck and de Havilland Chipmunk owned by Jim McKinstry were just two of the many aircraft that performed flybys for the crowd.
The EAA Young Eagles program provided youth (ages 8-17) with the opportunity to go for a ride in an aircraft and add their names to the list of 1,250,000 children nationwide who have already done so. KidSpace (sponsored by the Colorado Department of Transportation-Aeronautics) provided a variety of opportunities for children to get a hands-on learning experience.
For the more serious aviator, the nation’s leading manufacturers were present to show the latest aviation products; many provided factory demonstration rides. Manufacturers of tools, avionics and all type of aviation supplies were on hand, as well as experienced craftsmen who gave workshop instruction with composites, fabric, sheet metal and welding. The seminar tents had a full forum schedule all weekend long with experts in many fields of interest.
Denny Cunningham, the air boss for the show, has been a pilot for more than 35 years. As an FAA air traffic controller, he spent more than 20 years at Chicago O’Hare, worked the tower at Oshkosh for nine EAA conventions, and became the first “gypsy controller” to be selected for tower duty at both Oshkosh and Sun ‘n’ Fun.
Dennis Heap, executive director of aviation at Front Range Airport, was impressed with this Sukhoi SU-26MX aerobatic aircraft flown by Don Nelson.
Aircraft awards are presented annually in various categories. This year, a 1953 SNJ-7B owned by Jack Cronin received Reserve Grand Champion, Thomas Shpakow’s 2005 Acroduster 2 SA750 Grand Champion, and Jim Douglas’ 2003 Hatz Classic the Brad Davenport Award.
First place in antique went to Chris Jacobsen for his 1944 Beechcraft D17S Staggerwing; warbird, Dick Jones, 1949 T6-G; classic, Nicholas Howell, 1946 Aeronca 7AC; contemporary, Howard Morgan, 1964 Cessna 185C; and custom/modern, Bob Carlton, 2002 Alisport Silent-J. Awards were also presented in various homebuilt categories. First place was given to Julian Smith for his 2002 Van’s RV-8 in the kit category; Terry Hart, 1991 Hart Cozy, plans; Bryan Burr, 2004 Lancair Super ES, composite; Eber Crosley, 2004 Van’s RV-8A, all metal; and Jim Douglas, 2003 Hatz Classic, tube & fabric.
For a complete listing of award winners, visit [http://www.rmrfi.org].
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- An N3N-3 owned by Douglas Isern taxis down the runway.
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- This RV-8 flown by Stuart McCurdy participated in Falcon Flight’s six-plane formation.
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- USAF Major Craig “Lobo” Wolf and Lisa Wolf show the Colorado Air National Guard F-16 Fighting Falcon with its new Minute Men markings. The CANG is observing the 50th anniversary of their air demonstration team.
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- Chris Jacobsen’s 1944 Beechcraft D17S Staggerwing garnered a lot of attention and placed first in the antique category.
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- This pristine 2003 Hatz Classic owned by Jim Douglass took home first place in homebuilt, tube and fabric, and was awarded the Brad Davenport Award.
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- An admirer checks out Dick Jones’ T-6, the “Spanish Lady,” which was awarded first place in the warbirds category.
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- With its exclusive retractable twin jet engine pylon, Bob and Laurie Carlton’s Alisport Silent-J twin jet sailplane, awarded first place in the custom/modern category, self-launches and performs an aerial ballet and screamin’ low-level jet aerobatics.
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- Erie resident Bill Prentice is the proud owner of this Beech T-34 (A45).
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- This gleaming Cessna 185C owned by Howard Morgan wowed the judges, who awarded it first place in the contemporary category.
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- Wanda and Lowell LeMay’s experimental RV-4 flew with the Falcon Flight formation demonstration. The LeMays are from Round Rock, Texas.
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- Jim McKinstry’s 1950 de Havilland Chipmunk, which was awarded 2nd place in the warbirds category, flies past the tower.
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- Tom Martino’s Velocity 173 Elite RG experimental aircraft took 2nd place in the homebuilt composite category.
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- Nicolas Howell’s 1946 Aeronca 7AC took first place in the classic category.
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- Robert Till’s 2003 Yak-52 TW came in third place in the warbirds category.