By Sue Bergstrom for VCN –
Alaska has a unique history in aviation. Wikipedia defines ‘bush flying’ as aircraft operations carried out in remote, inhospitable regions of the world in rough terrain where there are often no prepared landing strips or runways. It doesn’t define bush pilots at all, somewhat missing the point. Alaska is unique in that bush flying is not something that happened for a short period sometime in the past. Alaska aviators are expert at things that most pilots consider stunts, because they have to be. The state is full of veteran pilots who know first-hand what it’s like to need to know what an STOL is and how to do it , how to land on snow or water and how to accurately drop a package where it’s needed. Alaska bush pilots are legend and so is Alaska’s landscape. In Valdez we combine the wild landscape and true Alaska feel with a paved, modern airport and the other amenities of civilization close at hand. What better place for a truly unique air show? The Valdez Fly-In and Air Show turns twelve this year.
On the weekend of May 8th, Valdez will be hosting pilots and other visitors from all over Alaska and the United States. The tentative schedule is posted on the official Valdez Fly-In web site .
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Valdez Fly-In was organized in 2003 by Randy Maag, who recently stepped down as association president to be succeeded by Joe Prax, and Rod Hanson. The purpose was to educate the public about aviation, with an emphasis on aviation in Alaska, and to boost the local economy during a slow season for tourism. Maag related that he was in an economic development meeting with Hanson, who was then the Alyeska Pipeline Terminal Manager, when Hanson suggested the idea. The two men spent a lot of time planning the logistics of that first fly-in and made use of the help of around twenty volunteers. In the early years, they invited local Valdez pilots to speak about the history of Alaska bush pilots, tell some of their own stories and share their techniques with the attendees. Last year one presenter was Joel Jungemann, who gave tips on how best to take video from the air. The Association is also active outside of Valdez. Last summer Valdez Fly-In Association demonstrated STOLs at the Oshkosh Experimental Aircraft Association’s big annual air show.
This year’s events include short take-off and landing (STOL) competitions for various classes of planes, a pilot’s round table, a poker run, flour bombing, aerobatics shows, sky divers, aircraft displays and a balsa plane event for kids. The show is still an all-volunteer event, now averaging around fifty. Volunteers help with registration of both vendors and flyers, plane parking, traffic control, shuttle driving, timekeeping, scorekeeping, manning the information booth, support for the awards banquet and act as ‘Safety Bobs’, keeping a watchful eye on visitors and participants. Fly-in also rents space to vendor booths to add interest and increase participation by the community. All proceeds are used to offset the cost of the event.
