People started to arrive on Friday in preparation for the event. Campers set up in the field and G-UINN had already flown in.
The weather was perfect for the weekend. Aircraft started to arrive from 9.30 am and EI-BSG Gyrocopter was being assembled. The gyrocopter flew around 10:30 and then again in the evening. A total of 32 aircraft flew into the field during the course of the day. Of these, some aircraft enjoyed local flights of the surrounding sunny south east and appreciated the breath taking views that were on offer. Many came by road as well and over 150 people were in attendance through the day. After the BBQ, EI-AHI Tiger Moth was busy and allowed some of the other pilots to experience the joy and excitement of open cockpit flying in such a prestigious craft.
Many people commented on how well the field was presented. Visitors and visiting pilots were greeted with refreshments at the club house throughout the day and a BBQ in the afternoon. People camped for the evening and some stayed locally and made use of the B&B facilities.
The Fly Market was set up in the new ILAS gazebo. This is a great opportunity for people to buy/sell and swap equipment. This is something we hope to continue for future fly-ins. In the meantime, you can use the website Buy and Sell page to offer or seek items. Also on display in the porta-cabin was a sample of equipment that can be borrowed from the ILAS tool library. On view were the boroscope inspection camera, propeller balancer, differential pressure tester and high voltage cable tester. A full list of items that can be borrowed is available on the ILAS website.
Early Sunday morning started off with a mist over the field but before long this had burned off and the first of the flyers had arrived. A total of 20 aircraft visited the field and were assisted by the follow me marshals. Some of the aircraft that arrived were pilots who had visited the day before. Again, many people came by road as well, and there were around 80 visitors. The BBQ was fired up for 1 o’clock and the aroma soon had people lining up for a bite to eat.
The two day event was an excellent opportunity for our members to get together to swap and share stories, to reminisce on old times and to make plans for the future. As you walked up and down the field it was a delight to hear the stories, the laughter, the in-depth technical debates and the sharing of knowledge.
We had a fantastic two day event. This would not have being possible without the volunteers at the field so we would like to thank all who volunteered and helped out. It was due to their contribution and hard work before, during and after the two day event that made it a memorable gathering.
Our next fly-in is the Harvest Fly-in scheduled for 28thAugust. Registration is on the ILAS website. Hope to see you all there.
Mike Ryan, Events Coordinator
