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Vintage Fly-In

Publishing date: 09.10.2007 06:01

This last weekend, Jack and I attended a vintage aircraft fly-in at Kichheim unter Teck, Germany.

Close up of a nose cone.

The fly-in occurred at the Hahnweide grass field located just down the road from our town. Apparently, this is a major event for the town of Kichheim unter Teck. I was really surprised at both how many planes and people were there, and at how many planes were flying at all times. There was some sort of demonstration or aerobatics going on at all times, as well as planes landing and departing. All of this was happening on a relatively small strip and within a small valley within the hilly German countryside.

Although the weather was very overcast, we were lucky and did not get caught in any rain. The cloud cover was high enough that the planes could still fly and be seen. However, the previous day's rain made the pedestrian and parking areas quite muddy. The crowds, the grass strip, the vendors, a fervent announcer, and of course all of the old planes really gave the event the authentic feel of an old-time barnstorming show.

Biplane taxing for takeoff.

Red Piper Cub.

Sky full of biplanes.

I really enjoyed all the old planes and hardware, although with the crowds and barriers, you could only get so close. One treat was a working, original Blériot XI monoplane. This model of plane made the first successful crossing of the English Channel and the Alps in the early 20th century. I didn't realize it at the time, but I discovered later that Jack has a book about Blériot's channel crossing. The picture of the plane I took is almost identical to the illustration on
the front of Jack's book.

A very rare original Blériot XI.

Other crowd favorites were the Junkers Ju 52s. The Ju 52 is a workhorse three-engined, German-made cargo plane from the WWII era. There were Ju 52s in both civilian and military trim in attendance. We parked our car in a field just beyond the end of the field, and one of these large planes thundered just over us as we were getting out of the car.

Ju 52 shutting down the engines.

Ju 52 on takeoff.

Ju 52 on takeoff, flying overhead.

Jack's interest in the planes didn't last too long, and the crowds didn't help. It was difficult for Jack to see anything. He was more interested in the vendor operated mini-quad rides. It was a classic poor judgement call, my caution vs. my pride in Jack's confidence. He made a strong sales pitch, demonstrating on a static quad that he could operate the steering. I was impressed by the cute 50cc quad design, each with an automatic starter and clutch. Although there were no helmets available, the small course seemed safe enough with low speeds and an inflatable barrier. So, I caved to buying a ticket, and Jack negotiated several laps successfully -- before falling off! Fortunately, he fell in soft mud at low speeds and hurt nothing more than his pride. Through all his tears, and my guilt, I knew the airshow day was essentially over for us. All that remained was a concilatory ice cream and a discussion about how we would spin this story to his Mother and Grandmothers.

Jack on a 50cc quad.

Jack's favorite part of the airshow.

In spite of the overcast day, I will still able to capture a few decent pictures.

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