October 18 2025 - Fly-In at Benton Airport, PA

On a perfect aviataion weather day, Mugsy and I flew in his RV-8 from Easton to Benton Airport, Pennsylvania for their 17th annual Fall Fly-in.

The last time I flew in the backseat of Mugsy's RV-8, my RV-7 was still under construction!

Here we are taxiing by the Easton tower.
   
On the roll!
   
Flying by the Easton terminal.
   
Looking west at the Wye River and Chesapeake Bay.
   
Still climbing, and looking down at the Kent Narrows Bridge with the Chesapeake Bay Bridge on the other side.
   
Looking east at the 14 mile long Chesapeake & Delaware Canal which connects the Chesapeake Bay and the Delaware River.
   
I rarely fly this high around the Chesapeake Bay so I enjoyed being able to look down and see the Aberdeen Proving Grounds on the west side of the Bay.  It's a U.S. Army facility with 11 major commands among the tenant units.  They also have their own airbase.
   
Mugsy has hooked up his iPhone to the panel and is running Foreflight.  The setup fits nicely in the limited real-estate on the RV-8 panel.  It's his navigation backup.
   
A little less than an hour later we were entering the pattern at Benton Airport (PA40) which as you can see has a 2,200-ft grass runway.
   
Close-up.  Looks like lots of planes have arrived ahead of us.
   
Turning base.  The airport is right next to the little town of Benton, which owns the airport.
   
 
   
On final.  Aircraft parking is to the right, and the food, cars, and displays are to the left.  A rodeo facility is to the right of the aircraft parking.
   
People were still on the runway even though we were on short final.  Finally they cleared out and we were able to land.  The runway is wide but not that long.
   
On the ground at Benton Airport.
   
Mugsy and Mugsy.
   
A wide variety of airplanes were on hand.
   
 
   
This was the food line when we arrived.
   
The line moved fairly quickly however.  I'd say we waited about 20 minutes.
   
Getting closer.
   
We're in!  They were very organized.  The people in this shot were volunteers preparing the food and putting it into the styrofoam containers.
   
You picked up your container at right.
   
You had all these homemade desserts to choose from.
   
Tables and chairs for eating were under a big tent.
   
They roasted two cured hogs for this fly-in.  The ham was served with baked corn, salt potatoes, cole slaw, apple sauce and a roll.  Not to mention the homemade desserts and ice cream.   Not your typical fly-in fare.
   
I guess they roasted the two hogs on that big grill.  They made apple cider on a machine at far left.
   
There were some vendor and display booths at left, and then show cars at right.
   
The fly-in also attracts lots of drive-ins.
   
A friend of mine, Bob, taxiis by in his Oshkosh award-winning blue and white RV-7.
   
One neat thing about this fly-in is that they have stadium seating set up so people can watch flight operations.
   
A tail-dragger roars down the runway.
   
Classy paintjob on this big hunk of beautiful car.
   
Vintage tow-truck.
   
A 1951 Ford Pilot, built by Ford UK.  Like the wood paneling!
   
Another classy paint scheme.
   
 
   
Cub departing.
   
A Kolb ultralight departs.
   
Hay ride with the Rodeo facility in the background.
   
Fierce-looking Zenith.
   
This plane is missing a few parts.  We don't think it flew in.
   
By the time we left, many planes had bugged out.  They estimate they had over 100 planes attend; a very good showing.
   
Taxiing for takeoff.
   
On takeoff roll.
   
On the way home, we passed over Grimes Airfield, home of the Golden Age Air Museum.
   
Looking south from the top of the Bay.  Havre de Grade is at center on the other side of the Susquehanna River.  You can see Aberdeen's runway very well in this picture.
   
We pass by the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal again.
   
The Bay is lit up by the afternoon sun.
   
 
   
 
   
Passing the Easton terminal as we land on runway 22.
   
Taxiing by a Lake Amphibian.
   
Mugsy puts Mugsy back in the hangar.
   
 
   
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