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Blakesburg 2004

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  • Blakesburg 2004

    Blakesburg 2004 was well attended and had great weather. Light winds, comfortable nights in the tent, and over 300 Antique and Classic planes. This year's them was to honor the Livingston brothers from Waterloo, Iowa. John set many records and won many races in the early years of aviation and together with "Bite" Livingston had the largest Taylorcraft dealership west of the Mississippi. Waco's and Taylorcrafts were the featured planes this year and the Waco that John used to win one of the Air Tour races was on hand. They allowed me to park my Taylorcraft in front to represent "Bite's" plane. His actual Taylorcraft wasn't able to attend.

    SixteenTaylorcrafts were at the show:

    NC22606 Mike Jones from Illinois
    N24306 (a father and son, but I didn't catch their names)
    N29506 Richard Williams from Iowa
    N29624 Carl Carson from Iowa
    326034 A very nice L-2 (I think from Minnesota)
    N39911 Lee Bowden from Iowa
    N39986 Frank DeLouis from Iowa
    N43645 Ray Cook from Illinois
    N43759 Helen Brennan from Ohio
    N59SG Steve Givens from Indiana (clipped wiing)
    NC94953 Jim Zangger from Iowa
    N95350 Chuck Powell from Kansas
    N96080 Barney Johnson from Illinois
    N96386 Jean West from Illinois
    N96466 Bob Ladd from Iowa
    N96841 Elmer Marting from Iowa

    Friday evening presented a beautiful clear and calm opportunity for a five ship Taylorcraft formation photo shoot! Myself, Lee Bowden, Elmer Marting, Mike Jones, and Helen Brennan were able to get in tight enough for Gilles Auliard to get some nice shots with the airport in the background. Ted Miller from Santa Rosa, California flew the Stearman photo ship with Gilles who is from Newington, Connecticut.

    Paul Poberezny was there a couple of days enjoying the "grass roots" nature of this fly in. He gave a short talk about the new Sport Pilot ruling and there were other forums as well. People enjoyed touring the museum, buying parts from the fly market and visiting the vendors with their merchandise. Food was excellent, provided by the local Hy-Vee grocery store catering.

    No accidents or incidents this year so Bob Taylor can relax for another year! It's a very enjoyable event and anyone with a Taylorcraft is especially welcome!!
    Attached Files

  • #2
    Fly in photo

    That sure is a great photo. Hopefully next year I'll be able to get NC27660 to several of them. This year was spent sorting "Manu Sina" out, and getting comfortable with flying something that has more rudder than anything I had ever flown. She is the sweetest ship I have EVER flown, I guess I saved the best for last.
    Attached Files

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    • #3
      nostalgia!

      Thanks for the post and picture Jim!

      Windsock looks just right and that row of airplanes does too.

      Looks like the kind of gathering everyone would enjoy.
      Jim Hartley
      Palmer,Alaska
      BC12-D 39966

      Comment


      • #4
        Jim,

        Thanks for posting the note. My sweetheart and I did not see our Taylorcraft listed in your 16 names, but we did see it in the middle of the photo, so I know we were there. Ours is the only open cowling Lycoming powered Taylorcraft in the picture (NC24396). We enjoyed the show and saw a lot of airplanes that we don't normally see, and met some nice people. We left Saturday noon and went to the Mount Pleasant Thrashers Reunion, another perfectly wonderful event.

        We were unable to camp under the wing, because there were two of us, and a 1940 BL-65 does NOT have enough power to lift me and my wife and the kitchen sink. We stayed at the Marriot Fairfield Inn and found some of our old friends from Brodhead. I highly recommend that place to those of you that don't camp. I also highly recommend renting a car from Ottumwa Ford. A very pleasant experience.

        I hope to get to Brodhead tomorrow, for a one day visit.

        See ya.

        Bob Waldron
        1940 Taylorcraft BL-65 NC-24396
        Stillwater, MN
        Bob Waldron
        1940 Taylorcraft BL-65
        SkyHarbor airpark Webster, MN
        eMail address nc18681 then an @ sign then HOTMAIL . Com

        Comment


        • #5
          Thanks for correcting me. I took photos of all the Taylorcrafts and I obscured the lower half of your numbers with the elevator and couldn't read it well enough! Sorry about that. I did the same thing at Brodhead and counted sixteen again. Someone thought they saw a four place but I didn't catch it.

          N18336 an original A based at Brodhead
          NC22606 Mike Jones
          N24090 Mark Hanna
          N29831 Gene Lemle
          N39223 Joe Weberr
          N39911 Lee Bowden
          N43645 Ray Cook
          N44305 Pana Iron Store
          N48389 L-2 Miami Aviation
          N5609M Sandra Biggest
          N61895 Dean Kromwall
          NC94953 Jim Zangger
          N96440 Don Claude
          N96713 Almost the correct number but not quite!
          N96841 Elmer Marting
          NC9809M Ace Robert Gehring

          How could anyone expect any better weather two weekends in a row?!! Over 300 planes at Blakesburg and 268 at Brodhead.

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