Story and photos by Ted Waddell
[WURTSBORO] – Decked out as a U.S. Navy fighter (SNJ) a 600 horsepower AT-6 advanced trainer roared down the runway, quickening heartbeats with it’s speed and power.
On Sunday, August 30, the Wurtsboro Airport hosted their second annual historical fly-in that attracted several hundred people, people who get a thrill out of airplanes, both vintage and modern, along with classic cars and hot rods.
“It’s like riding on a magic carpet,” said Dr. Woody Saland, of his Aircam, a twin engine, open-cockpit, tandem two-seater aircraft, moments after l
anding from a flight over the hills of Wurtsboro, as part of the historical fly-in. “There are about 150 flying, and it’s not like any other airplane,” he added.
Saland, who manages the technical programs operation for Dassault Falcon Jet Corporation, explained the Aircam was originally designed in 1993 by Phil Lockwood for aerial assignments by the National Geographic Society over the rain forests in Congo, Africa.
Wurtsboro Airport was founded by the Helms family in 1927, and was home to barnstormers, that breed of aviators who entertained legions of ground dwellers with their tricks in the clouds during the 1920s and 30s.
Aviation legend Anthony Barone became involved with the airport in the 1940s, and in 1974 Barone and his family took over the airport from a not-for-profit club called “Sailflights” which offered glider flights and sailplane instruction from the 60s through the early 1970s.
In recent years, the old airport fell onto hard times, until Shalom E. Lamm, a successful real estate developer, took an interest in the airport, bought it and began to revive the local landmark.
Today, the Wurtsboro Airport is home to state-of-the-art sailplanes, as well as restored vintage gliders. Three of the original swietzers, made in Elima, NY, have been restored for everyday use, and have been used at the airport for more than half a century.
The airport is also home to a trio of restored L-19 bird dogs, made by Cessna Aircraft in the late 1940s and early 50s, airplanes that were used extensively in the Korean War and War in Vietnam as spotter/observation aerial platforms.
The Wurtsboro Airport’s most distinctive veteran of the skies and barnstorming is a restored 1941 Waco UPF-7 radial engine biplane, a dark-blue wonder that is still used to give passenger rides.
About 20-some years ago, Barone and Dick Padgett, a WWII B-17 bomber pilot with 35 combat missions in the European Theatre under his wings, undertook a restoration of the vintage aircraft, which has been a fixture at the local airport since the 1940s.
From 1928-1935, the WACO Aircraft Company of Troy, Ohio was the leading manufacturer of civilian aircraft in the United States. Beginning in 1921 as the Weaver Aircraft Company in Lorain, Ohio, the company moved to Troy three years later and became the Advance Aircraft Company, keeping the WACO logo, and in 1929 the name was simply the WACO Aircraft Company, which up to 1946 produced more than 80 models.
During 1939-42, WACO built just over 600 UPF-7s for the CAA and Civilian Pilot Training program, and were later flown by such aviation notables as Howard Hughes, Jackie Cochran and Roscoe Turner.
Bill Stevick flew in from New Jersey with his restored ERCO 415-B Ercoupe, a low wing monoplane first manufactured by the Engineering and Research Corporation shortly before WWII. Produced from 1940 – 1970, it was designed to be the safest fixed-wing aircraft of the time, and it enjoys a faithful following today. “It looked like a rat when I got it ten years ago,” said Stevick. “Four years ago I took it all apart and completely restored it…it’s the most relaxing airplane I’ve ever flown.”
For more information about the Wurtsboro Airport “Pioneering in Aviation Since 1927,” call (845) 888-2791 or visit their website at www.wurtsboroairport.com
Coming Soon: An Interview with WWII bomber pilot Dick Padgett.
To view more photos from Vintage Airport Hosts Historical Fly-In visit the Chronicle on Zenfolio.
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The Catskill Chronicle 
Vintage Airport Hosts Historical Fly-In
Posted in Comments, tagged airport, bi-plane, fly-in, ted waddell, wurtsboro on September 1, 2009| Leave a Comment »
Story and photos by Ted Waddell
[WURTSBORO] – Decked out as a U.S. Navy fighter (SNJ) a 600 horsepower AT-6 advanced trainer roared down the runway, quickening heartbeats with it’s speed and power.
On Sunday, August 30, the Wurtsboro Airport hosted their second annual historical fly-in that attracted several hundred people, people who get a thrill out of airplanes, both vintage and modern, along with classic cars and hot rods.
“It’s like riding on a magic carpet,” said Dr. Woody Saland, of his Aircam, a twin engine, open-cockpit, tandem two-seater aircraft, moments after l
anding from a flight over the hills of Wurtsboro, as part of the historical fly-in. “There are about 150 flying, and it’s not like any other airplane,” he added.
Saland, who manages the technical programs operation for Dassault Falcon Jet Corporation, explained the Aircam was originally designed in 1993 by Phil Lockwood for aerial assignments by the National Geographic Society over the rain forests in Congo, Africa.
Wurtsboro Airport was founded by the Helms family in 1927, and was home to barnstormers, that breed of aviators who entertained legions of ground dwellers with their tricks in the clouds during the 1920s and 30s.
In recent years, the old airport fell onto hard times, until Shalom E. Lamm, a successful real estate developer, took an interest in the airport, bought it and began to revive the local landmark.
Today, the Wurtsboro Airport is home to state-of-the-art sailplanes, as well as restored vintage gliders. Three of the original swietzers, made in Elima, NY, have been restored for everyday use, and have been used at the airport for more than half a century.
The airport is also home to a trio of restored L-19 bird dogs, made by Cessna Aircraft in the late 1940s and early 50s, airplanes that were used extensively in the Korean War and War in Vietnam as spotter/observation aerial platforms.
The Wurtsboro Airport’s most distinctive veteran of the skies and barnstorming is a restored 1941 Waco UPF-7 radial engine biplane, a dark-blue wonder that is still used to give passenger rides.
From 1928-1935, the WACO Aircraft Company of Troy, Ohio was the leading manufacturer of civilian aircraft in the United States. Beginning in 1921 as the Weaver Aircraft Company in Lorain, Ohio, the company moved to Troy three years later and became the Advance Aircraft Company, keeping the WACO logo, and in 1929 the name was simply the WACO Aircraft Company, which up to 1946 produced more than 80 models.
During 1939-42, WACO built just over 600 UPF-7s for the CAA and Civilian Pilot Training program, and were later flown by such aviation notables as Howard Hughes, Jackie Cochran and Roscoe Turner.
For more information about the Wurtsboro Airport “Pioneering in Aviation Since 1927,” call (845) 888-2791 or visit their website at www.wurtsboroairport.com
Coming Soon: An Interview with WWII bomber pilot Dick Padgett.
To view more photos from Vintage Airport Hosts Historical Fly-In visit the Chronicle on Zenfolio.
Click any service in this box to share this post with your friends!
Read Full Post »