MORAVIA - Pilots stayed low to the ground on a gray Friday afternoon.
“No flying today,” Rob Aiksnoras said while gazing out on a soggy grass landing strip.
Owasco Airfield Days started Wednesday and runs through the weekend. The biggest crowds are expected today and Sunday when the Long Hill Fire Department serves up barbecue and the airfield hosts flying competitions.
A group of about six pilots was happy to converse with a handful of passersby who approached the camping area off of Long Hill Road on Friday. People have been stopping regularly since the single-engine Cessna planes and experimental aircraft started filling up a humble hangar resembling a barn on the property.
“They're just happy there's traffic again,” Bob Cope of Connecticut said.
The airfield revival and weekend-long festival are the creation of Connecticut pilot Tom Brelsford, a friend to Cope and several others who sat around a picnic table sharing laughs while waiting for the weather to clear. Brelsford purchased the airfield in 2004 and had the first weekend fly-in last year.
With sunnier skies forecast for today, some pilots will be flying experimental aircraft - essentially homemade airplanes. Also known as ultralights the hobby crafts weigh only a few hundred pounds and can be folded to fit into a trailer.
“I've done everything else so I built an airplane,” said Connecticut native Aiksnoras, who started flying about six years ago. “It's something to do, but there's a huge amount to learn.
“It's more than just fun and games,” he said.
With a top speed of 45 to 60 mph on his plane, Aiksnoras like many others at camp opted to drive. Once they get to the airfield, there's plenty to do when the weather cooperates, even if it's just for a few minutes.
“Gorgeous,” Stanley Kasica of Connecticut said after gliding in a spiral about 800 feet to the ground with his paraglider.
The relatively simple set up of a high-powered fan and parachute allowed him to briefly graze the tree tops and climb well beyond the foliage, all while harnessed to a 70-pound engine. He returned to the ground with a promising weather report for camp for the evening.
“The way things are going in sport aviation, these types of things are going to grow,” Aiksnoras said, adding the hobby is relatively affordable.
The airfield opens up today at 9 a.m., food service begins at 11 a.m. and a spot landing contest is slated for 1 p.m. A flea market will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days.
Staff writer Shane Liebler can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or shane.liebler@lee.net
Owasco Airfield Days started Wednesday and runs through the weekend. The biggest crowds are expected today and Sunday when the Long Hill Fire Department serves up barbecue and the airfield hosts flying competitions.
A group of about six pilots was happy to converse with a handful of passersby who approached the camping area off of Long Hill Road on Friday. People have been stopping regularly since the single-engine Cessna planes and experimental aircraft started filling up a humble hangar resembling a barn on the property.
“They're just happy there's traffic again,” Bob Cope of Connecticut said.
The airfield revival and weekend-long festival are the creation of Connecticut pilot Tom Brelsford, a friend to Cope and several others who sat around a picnic table sharing laughs while waiting for the weather to clear. Brelsford purchased the airfield in 2004 and had the first weekend fly-in last year.
With sunnier skies forecast for today, some pilots will be flying experimental aircraft - essentially homemade airplanes. Also known as ultralights the hobby crafts weigh only a few hundred pounds and can be folded to fit into a trailer.
“I've done everything else so I built an airplane,” said Connecticut native Aiksnoras, who started flying about six years ago. “It's something to do, but there's a huge amount to learn.
“It's more than just fun and games,” he said.
With a top speed of 45 to 60 mph on his plane, Aiksnoras like many others at camp opted to drive. Once they get to the airfield, there's plenty to do when the weather cooperates, even if it's just for a few minutes.
“Gorgeous,” Stanley Kasica of Connecticut said after gliding in a spiral about 800 feet to the ground with his paraglider.
The relatively simple set up of a high-powered fan and parachute allowed him to briefly graze the tree tops and climb well beyond the foliage, all while harnessed to a 70-pound engine. He returned to the ground with a promising weather report for camp for the evening.
“The way things are going in sport aviation, these types of things are going to grow,” Aiksnoras said, adding the hobby is relatively affordable.
The airfield opens up today at 9 a.m., food service begins at 11 a.m. and a spot landing contest is slated for 1 p.m. A flea market will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days.
Staff writer Shane Liebler can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or shane.liebler@lee.net
