May 5, 2012 - Maryland Festival of Flight Fly-in - Glider Fly-in

Last week was Virginia's Festival of Flight Fly-In.  This week it was Maryland's Festival of Flight Fly-In at Hagerstown Regional Airport (KHGR).  I've never been to this airport which is 70 miles to the west of Baltimore.   I've never really been to Hagerstown either, for that matter.  It is a pretty good size airport and has a control tower.   My brother-in-law Bruce was flying with me today.  Here we are on Final to Runway 2.

 
From 1931 to 1984, Fairchild Aircraft Corporation was based at this airport and used this big -- now abandoned -- facility.   It was Hagerstown's most prominent employer.   During WWII they produced the PT-19/23/26 trainers.  After they war the built the C-82 "Packet" cargo plane, C-123, F-27, T-46 trainer and my favorite the A-10 tank buster. 
 
I doubt if ten planes flew into this fly-in.  They really didn't advertise it very well, if at all.  There was a web page but little info on it.  I wasn't sure if there was food available (there was).  We parked next to this red Citabria.
 
Despite the lack of fly-in planes, they had a pretty good static display area. 
 
This is a 1928 Kreider Reisner KR-31.   (Kreider Reisner was acquired  by the Fairchild Aircraft Company in 1929)  It was a utility biplane for work not recreation.
 
A big C-82 Packet.  This workhorse was built in 1945 by Fairchild and hauled freight for 50 years all over the wold including the Berlin Airlift.   This type of plane was used in the film "Flight of the Phoenix" starring Jimmy Stewart. 
 
On the left is a PT-26 Cornell, which is basically a PT-19 trainer with enclosed cockpit.   On the right is the aforementioned KR-31.
 
Speaking of the PT-19 here is a nice one.  It was one of the great primary trainers. 
 
A couple is flying thier Piper Cub around the continental U.S. this summer and writing a book about it.  I know their book will be good because they have an interesting and well-written blog -- they can write.   Here Bruce is talking with one of the pilots. 
 

The trip is planned well.  I am envious.   Well, if I can't fly it, I can read about it, so I pre-ordered their book.  Helps fund the flight. 

Fly the Airplane

 
A big, beautiful radial-powered, gull-wing Stinson Reliant.    1327 Reliants of all types were made from 1933 to 1941. 
 
A little Pitts. 
 
Klaus and his newly built Mustang II.   He has just finished flying off the 40 hours and will be painting it soon.  He says it flies great!
 
As you can see, not a whole lot of planes at this fly-in.
 
We only stayed about an hour and then jumped back into the RV.  Here's another look at the empty Fairchild factory and a sad looking jet with engines removed as we taxi by. 
 
Hagerstown Regional Airport from the air.  You can see the fly-in area to the left.  We were heading south.   Bill B., a good friend of ours, was having an open house at his grass airstrip down by Front Royal. 
 
I didn't take a picture of Bill's field on this trip, but here is one from an earlier fly-by. 
 
Bill parked us at the north end of the runway next to our old trusty Citabria, which Bill bought from us.   I think this is the first ever picture of these two planes side by side. 
 
Bruce talking with Bill and an old glider friend.  Bill is a tow pilot over at the Front Royal glider operation and they brought some of their towplanes and gliders over here today for the open house. 
 
 
One of the towplanes.
 
Looking south down the runway.
 
Bruce and I were enviously eyeing Bill's hangar.  We both agree we needed one.  There would be plenty of room for the RV-7, Cub, Xenos, Triplane and maybe an RV-3 ...
 
It was just a nice grassroots aviation day to be at the field, watching flight ops and socializing.  Despite absolutely no lift, gliders were continuously being pulled up into the air.  But it was sleigh-ride city.
 
I really dropped the ball as far as taking pictures.  Jan and Mai were on hand, as well as Bill's wife Sharon.  I could kick myself for not getting a group picture.  Jan and Mai have sold the Flying Cow farm/airfield and are heading back to Norway in a few weeks.  We all enjoyed reminiscing about the many good times we had together at the Flying Cow over the years.  It's the end of an era. 
 
 
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