Up, up and away
Published 5:17 pm Thursday, August 1, 2013
by SAMMY PAYNE
Special to the Sounder
The take off, in the white and red Cessna, was smooth and the excitement was taking over.
The pilot, Steven Davis, says over the headphones that this is it, and outside the window you can see the Eastsound airport tarmac vanishing beneath you as suddenly you’re high up in the air flying over the sound and a cluster of green shapes that make up the San Juan Islands.
This, Davis says, is the attraction to flying.
Davis has been an Orcas Island resident for eight years and a regular at the Orcas Island Fly-in. It is held on Aug. 2, 3 and 4 at the Eastsound Airport and is open to everyone.
The pilot began his aviation love affair as a young boy building toy airplanes. He now has three planes and a Quicksilver Ultra Light which he names his “big toys.”
“The best birthday present I ever got was an aerobatic lesson. Although, after the hour was up, I was ready to throw up,” Davis said.
The pilot said he loves the annual fly-in event because it brings together a big group of pilots who can talk about their favorite hobby.
“Flying is beautiful, the best time for me is near sunset when all the islands look like a little map from 5,000 feet and you get a beautiful view of the mountains,” Davis said.
Another pilot, who is a regular at the fly-in after having moved to the island in 1991, is Rod Magner.
Magner, who got his pilot license at the age of 17, has landed over 9,000 times at Eastsound and runs a popular biplane ride business.
The 69-year-old said people’s curiosity of what it feels like to fly is responsible for the success of his business.
“It’s the wonder of it; they want to see what it’s like to be a bird,” he said. “Everyone has wondered what it’d be like to fly. You know when you’re dreaming and you’re flying. This is pretty close. It’s magic.”
The pilot’s view was echoed by Nancy Jeffers, a visiting musician from Spokane, who had waited for a ride in a biplane since she was a little girl.
“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” she said. “When I was a kid I’d see them and they looked like a lot of fun. I couldn’t believe my luck when I saw the biplane trips on this island.”
Pilots look forward to the annual event because it has stayed true to the “classic, traditional and old fashioned” fly-ins. This, Magner said, is the reason the event has remained popular for 30 years.
Airport Manager Bea vonTobel said the event is great for the community because it brings people together for a fun time and drives the local economy.
“A lot of people fly in and camp on the grass,” she said. “We usually have around 100 aircrafts come in and they’re from all over. We’ve had some fly in from California, and Canada … it’s just a cool thing to be able to look into a load of different aircrafts and see what’s going on as they’re all kind of on display.”
The airport manager also added: “It’s especially great for kids and older folks who haven’t ever learned to fly because there’s a lot going on and people to talk to about it.”
Pilot and event organiser Dwight Guss said the pilots are always great at talking to people about their planes and the occasion is particularly special for them.
“Pilots can fly-in and camp right next to their planes for free, and it’s right on the water,” he said. “It’s a very rare thing to be able to do that.”
The annual event will begin on Aug. 2. There will be a food shack, and a pancake breakfast at the Fire Hall on Saturday and Sunday morning, as well as a chicken dinner. See the information box below for more details.
For more information or to volunteer at the event, call Dwight Guss at 317-5970.
Sammy Payne is visiting Orcas from England for the summer. She has a passion for photography, the written word, and story-telling. She is a recent journalism graduate looking to get to know the locals and make some friends over the summer.
Pancake breakfast and chicken dinner
• Orcas Island Fire and Rescue Volunteer Firefighter/EMT Association is holding a pancake breakfast on Aug. 3 and 4 from 7 to 11 a.m. at the Eastsound Fire Station. Entrance for adults is $7, children get in for $5 and kids under five eat for free.
• The association is also hosting a chicken dinner on Saturday, Aug. 3 from 5 to 8 p.m. at the station. The menu includes barbecue chicken, salad, corn on the cob, baked beans and ice cream sundaes. The event is a fundraiser for the 9/11 memorial project. The cost is $12 for adults, $8 for kids and kids under five eat for free.
