Flight Training - August 2023 - 39

Helen Woods welcomes pilots to
the annual Tangier Island Holly Run
at Stevensville Airport in Maryland.
display, and sponsors that were able to
defray much of the cost of putting on the
event. A 50/50 raffle raised $2,500 for a
flight training scholarship that will be
awarded in November. The Smokehouse
Pilots are already planning their next
fly-in, with many of the sponsors ready
to jump back in.
" It's all about creating community
around this common thing of aviation, "
Muller said. " If we do it the right way, for
the right reason, and right intent, it can
create a lot of opportunities and impact
for people. "
Such is the notion behind another
annual fly-out tradition, the Tangier Holly
Run. Held annually in December, the
Holly Run draws dozens of airplanes and
pilots who descend on Bay Bridge Airport
(W29) in Stevensville, Maryland to eat
pancakes. They then fly bags of holly,
greenery, and school supplies to Tangier
Island in the Chesapeake Bay, a community
accessible only by boat and aircraft. A
white-bearded guy in a red suit has been
known to fly in with them bearing gifts
for the island's youngest residents. Apparently,
he's a pilot who likes Van's Aircraft
RVs. The event is so popular that organizer
Helen Woods, owner of Chesapeake
Sport Pilot flight school at W29, limits
attendance-the nontowered airports at
Stevensville and Tangier Island can only
handle so much traffic.
The groups' administration of these
events is so smooth as to make it seem
effortless. Truett, Muller, and Woods
would be the first to tell you that the
get-togethers require a lot of hands-on
effort. Volunteers choose locations, put
together schedules, coordinate arrivals
and departures at airports, and the other
myriad tasks that make these events so
much fun.
Large-scale airshows such as the
Sun 'n Fun Aerospace Expo in Lakeland,
Florida, and EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh,
Wisconsin, qualify as fly-ins on a macro
scale. Because of their size and tendency
to draw aircraft of many different types,
these events publish their own arrival and
departure rules, and pilots are required
to follow those rules. Indeed, some
groups sponsor fly-outs to fly-ins, giving
pilots a chance to experience this type of
high-volume aviation activity with lots of
education and support. In fact, type clubs
host annual pilgrimages to AirVenture
that enable dozens of airplanes to arrive at
the show in loose formation. Such groups
include Bonanzas to Oshkosh (b2OSH.
com); Cessnas 2 Oshkosh (cessnas2oshkosh.com);
Cherokees to Oshkosh
(cherokees2osh.com); and Mooney Caravan
(mooneycaravan.com). These groups
hold formation clinics and conduct lots of
safety training before their pilots take to
the skies for the big show.
The ultimate fly-in-to-fly-out
experience may well be the Lone Pine
Backcountry Fly-In at Lone Pine/Death
Valley Airport (O26) in Lone Pine,
California. Somewhat of a newcomer
to the tradition, at this annual October
campout pilots congregate at Lone
Pine and then divide into groups to
spend the next few days exploring the
backcountry region by air. The Lone
Pine organizers place a high emphasis
on safety, and pilots are encouraged to
build in extra layers of safety, such as
carrying extra water on board, as much
fuel as weight and balance will allow,
personal locator beacons, and making
sure other pilots know each group's
planned route.
If that sounds like a lot for a new
pilot, join one of the many Experimental
Aircraft Association (EAA) local chapter
breakfasts held at airports around the
nation. With more than 1,000 chapters
around the world, there's guaranteed to
be one within reasonable flying distance,
and the pancakes and hangar talk are
always fresh (eaa.org/eaa/eaa-chapters).
Finally, consider creating your own
fly-out group. With all the social media
tools at your disposal, it's easier than ever
to make new friends and create your own
brand of camaraderie. FT
jill.tallman@aopa.org
FLIGHT TRAINING AUGUST 2023
FLIGHT TRAINING JULY 2023
39
DAVID TULIS
http://www.eaa.org/eaa/eaa-chapters http://www.cessnas2oshkosh.com/ http://www.cessnas2oshkosh.com/ http://www.cherokees2osh.com http://www.mooneycaravan.com
Flight Training - August 2023

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