Bartman
Staff member
- Location
- New Jersey, USA
Considering the forecast was not very good even twelve hours before the event, this morning's weather was actually pretty nice and the airport property was almost full of Wheels by the time I got there. The Wings part of it was on a considerably smaller scale than last year with only about fifteen to twenty planes arriving.
Of the biplanes that were there, all except for two were based at Van Sant. A Stearman landed just as I was leaving and a Stampe SV4C arrived mid-morning and stayed. I've never seen the Stampe before, probably because it was based at Trinka which closed a few years ago. It's now at Andover Aeroflex and I'll have to work on securing an invitation to go for a ride sometime next spring!
The surprise of the day was the Lark biplane, owned by resident vintage aircraft restorer Mike Posey, which is an early one-off homebuilt from the 1920's! It was started around 1921 by a young man who wanted an easier way to visit his girlfriend. An engine mishap delayed the first flights to 1928. Originally powered by a Thomas engine, it's now got a Menasco inverted four cylinder rated at 125 hp.
fwiw, the light was very flat and my camera skils are extremely rusty so we'll take this one as a learning experience!
Of the biplanes that were there, all except for two were based at Van Sant. A Stearman landed just as I was leaving and a Stampe SV4C arrived mid-morning and stayed. I've never seen the Stampe before, probably because it was based at Trinka which closed a few years ago. It's now at Andover Aeroflex and I'll have to work on securing an invitation to go for a ride sometime next spring!
The surprise of the day was the Lark biplane, owned by resident vintage aircraft restorer Mike Posey, which is an early one-off homebuilt from the 1920's! It was started around 1921 by a young man who wanted an easier way to visit his girlfriend. An engine mishap delayed the first flights to 1928. Originally powered by a Thomas engine, it's now got a Menasco inverted four cylinder rated at 125 hp.
fwiw, the light was very flat and my camera skils are extremely rusty so we'll take this one as a learning experience!