Biplanes Recall Bygone Era; Fly-In Numbers Down in 2008
Posted September 18, 2008

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Webmaster’s Note: This story appeared in the Sept. 7, 2008, edition of The Register-Mail, Galesburg’s daily newspaper, and is posted here with the publication’s permission.

By JOHN R. PULLIAM
The Register-Mail

GALESBURG – Today wraps up the 37th annual National Stearman Fly-In. The biplanes, used as World War II trainers, then as crop dusters, have been coming here so many years they are probably linked to Galesburg as much, or more, than Wichita, Kan., where they were manufactured.

Tom and Jennifer Wolford of Galesburg are a good example of what it means for the event to have been part of the fabric of the community for so many years. With 7- year-old son, Austin, and 2-year-old daughter Mackenzie in tow, the family was taking in all of the event, including a narrated tram tour of the flight line.

“I’ve probably been coming out to the Stearman since I was his age,” Tom Wolford said of his son. In fact, dad hopes the event will still be here so his children someday can bring their kids to the fly-in.

He said Austin is a fan of larger planes, such as the C-130 Hercules cargo plane flown over by the 182nd Air Wing of the Illinois National Guard out of Peoria.

“And the fighters,” Austin said.

“He wanted to come out and see the C-130,” the elder Wolford said. “When I was in the Marine Corps, (1993-95) we flew in a lot of them. They were never that nice.”

The family toured the C-130 before taking the tram tour.

Just before noon Saturday there were only 71 Stearmans registered at Galesburg Municipal Airport, but that was plenty to excite one of the youngest fans. Tom said his daughter loves airplanes.

He said as the planes have flown over the family’s house, “She’s been running around outside all week, pointing at the airplanes.”

Displaying the shyness typical of many young children, Mackenzie didn’t have much to say as the tour began but soon was excitedly saying, “Airplane, airplane,” as the tram passed next to the biplanes.

Tom Wolford said his daughter is not the only one excited about planes. He works for BNSF Railway and happened to be in a work crew in the Cameron area.

“We just happened to be around home this year,” he said. “I got to see them flying over. The C-130 flew over us one day.”

Wolford said he likes the fly-in for many reasons, mainly unique qualities it brings here that many of the city’s other festivals do not.

“People fly these in from all over the country,” he said, “and at great expense.”

With the cost of fuel so high this year, the two popular theories about the number of Stearmans here this week are fuel costs and tropical storms in the South. If the numbers didn’t take off unexpectedly Saturday, this will be the first year fewer than 100 Stearman biplanes have been at the fly-in since 86 were here in 1993. In fact, going back to 1984, the only year with fewer Stearmans registered was 1984, with 69.

“The storms east and west and south of us have really kept these guys from coming here,” the tram driver said during the tour. A Stearman official said the storms not only meant many planes arrived late, or not at all, she said some were already heading home Saturday morning, as Tropical Storm Hanna and Hurricane Ike hit the Atlantic Coast and threatened the Gulf Coast, respectively.

In addition to biplanes and the C-130, a number of other airplanes were at the airport for the enjoyment of aviation enthusiasts. A 1945 Grumman TBM Avenger, with its unique wing-folding feature, drew alot of attention, as did the 1941 AT-11 Beechcraft “Freedom Flight America.” The plane commemorated the anniversary of V-J Day by flying to a number of cities in 1995, including Aurora, Olathe, Kan., and Dayton, Ohio, in the Midwest.

As the tram ride ended, Austin gave an emphatic, “Nope,” when asked if he wanted to fly in a Stearman, which his father has done a couple of times. Tom said he thinks Mackenzie would go up in one right now if she could.

But, even fans of wind in their faces in the open cockpit Stearmans are not willing to go up in every type of plane. Tom pointed to an ultra-light flying overhead.

“I don’t think you could get me up in one of those,” he said, shaking his head in wonderment that anyone would want that experience