BACKTRACKING
Would I Stear(man) You Wrong?
By Terry Hogan
Time flies faster than a
Stearman. Another year has flown
by. It is about time to peer upward.
It is time to listen for the drone of approaching Stearman. The Stearman are returning. It must be September. It must be
Galesburg. It must be the annual
Galesburg Stearman fly-in. The
fly-in is the week of September 7-13, 2009 with the peak of activities for us
ground-pounders being on Saturday (12th). There is a detailed schedule on the Internet.
All things considered, this year
has been unkind to many of us. Jobs lost; benefits cut; and new economic
uncertainties pop-up like in “whack a mole”, but we have no clubs. It is
possible that the Stearman turnout might be down this year. It wouldn’t be surprising. The economic downturn probably washed
to the shores of Stearman owners too.
But even if fewer Stearman dot our
skies and temporarily drown out the hum of mosquitoes, it is too good of a show
to miss. Just think about the
Stearman fly-in for a moment. Why
should you come? It’s in your back
yard. It’s cheap. It is living history, with the Stearman
playing a key training role in WWII. The Stearman pilots are friendly and proud
of their planes. One doesn’t take
baskets of old parts and various pieces of “this and that” and recreate a
biplane for profit. It is an act
of love. It is an act of
dedication to history. Some might say it started out of ignorance of how
difficult it would be. But at the end, there it is. A work of art. A work of love. Once it lifts off the ground, the love is returned. Life is
added.
I’ve been lucky enough to fly a few
times in a Stearman. It was a
unique experience for me. I cannot describe it any more effectively than exhilarating. Remember the “first time”? (You know what I mean). Could you find the words to adequately
describe that? It’s the same with
your first Stearman flight. You
just have to experience it for yourself.
It is also not uncommon for a few
other types of planes to fly-in.
My favorite fighter of all times is clearly the P51 Mustang. It is an amazing plane. There is an old saying that “form
follows function”. The Mustang
could be Exhibit A in support of that saying. The Mustang was designed,
constructed, and flown for one purpose.
In that realm, it has a pure pedigree. I don’t know if one will arrive
this year. I’m sure it is not a
cheap plane to fly. But I sure
hope so.
And that brings me to another
point. About a year ago, I was in
Washington, D.C. I had time to
spend a couple of hours at the National Air Museum. It is well worth the visit. But no plane sitting (or hung from the roof) in a museum can
compare with one “in the wild”.
Whether it is the sight and sound of Stearmans or a lone Mustang, the
experience seriously overshadows the silent shell in a museum. There is no comparison.
If you have children or
grandchildren, take them to the fly-in.
What do you want them to remember about you, years later: They
took me to see real biplanes flying through the sky. It was wonderful. (You
could do worse).
When I read this draft, I fear I sound a bit like the county
fair barker trying to separate you from your weekly allowance to see the
wonders of the world – the bearded lady, the two-headed cow, etc. I’m neither a barker nor a shill. I’m
just a Stearman “wannabe” that makes a 600 mile round trip by car to see and
hear planes that barely escaped death by decay and neglect.
I hope to see you at the Galesburg
Airport. I’ll be there…the old
gray-haired guy taking way too many photos.
Come on out. Would I Stear(man) you wrong?
Published Schedule of Activities*
Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009 |
9 AM-4
PM: Art in the Park, Standish
Park Arboretum, downtown Galesburg. Juried fine art and craft fair featuring
painters, sculptors, potters, weavers, basket makers, and jewelers. 10
AM-6 PM: Narrated tram rides along Stearman flight line for general
public (weather permitting). $1 per person. |
Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009 |
7 AM.-11
AM.: Galesburg Noon Lions Club
Fly-In All-You-Can-Eat Breakfast at Jet Air hangar, Galesburg Municipal
Airport. Open to the public. Food charge. |
* Extracted and modified from http://www.stearmanflyin.com/events.html.
Visit site for full schedule.
9/10/09