Event
CD Wendell Maakestad sums up this first time event:
"The Warbird Funfly on Saturday, July
17 was a big success. This was the first invitational event
at the Skyhawks new RC Airfield. There were 17 registered pilots,
at least 30 airplanes, and over 100 spectators in attendance.
Out of town flyers from Des Moines, Davenport, Nevada and Radcliffe
attended. The parking lot was nearly full.The spectators were
entertained by a 12 foot wingspan B-29 doing touch and goes,
B-17’s dropping bombs, Spitfires flying in formation, a
quarter scale P-47 and many other exceptional scale warbirds.
There were always airplanes in the air in spite of a strong
crosswind. Many of the pilots commented about our beautiful
flying site and how well the event was organized. Several people
inquired about our runway. They are considering purchasing the
same material for their club’s runway.
Wade Wagner, Cedar Rapids Parks Commissioner,
and his family were in attendance for a couple of hours. He
commented about how impressed he was with the club’s participation
with the Parks Department in the development of our nice facility.
He visited with several pilots on the flight line and took a
tour of the pit area. I think his overall impression of the
event was very positive.
The winner of the “Pilot’s Choice,
Best of Show” plaque was Mike Kass from Davenport. Mike’s
big quarter scale P-47 “Big Stud” was a real crowd
pleaser.
I would like to thank a few of the many
individuals that made this event a success:
Martin Miller for the opening invocation.
Bill Russell for keeping the runway, pits,
parking area, and surrounding areas beautifully mowed. Bill
was also responsible for the flight line and safety.
Jim Buttleman for runway repairs, assembling
our new frequency pins, constructing signs and wiring for the
PA system.
Randy Cady for furnishing tables and checking
out/repairing the club’s old PA/speaker system.
John Spargo
and Gordon Cook for manning the registration and transmitter
impound area. In addition, they drew names for the pilot’s
raffle prizes and tabulated the results for the best of show
plaque.
Van Winegarden for making arrangements for
the food concessions with Winifreds. Van also donated the use
of his CD player and handled PR on the PA system.
Ken Sherwood for setting up and taking down
the registration/impound canopy.
Thanks to Harold Smith for loaning his big
canopy to the club.
Paul Grubich for photo documentation and
posting coverage of the funfly on the club’s website.
In summary, I feel the Warbird Funfly was
very successful and generated a lot of positive public relations
for the Skyhawks. This event can be even better next year if
the club decides to do it again.
Thanks again to all those who helped with this event.
Special thanks to Hobbytown for donating items for the pilot’s
raffle.
Wendell Maakestad, Contest Director."
