Fly-in
A fly-in is a pre-arranged gathering of aircraft, pilots and passengers for recreational and social purposes.
Fly-ins may be formally or informally organised, members of the public may or may not be invited, the gathering may be at an airport or in a farmer's field.
Fly-ins can be aimed at specific aircraft classes, such as taildraggers, warbirds, experimental aircraft or specific aircraft models. They may be organized by a national organization, such as the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association or the Experimental Aircraft Association, the airport owner or authority, a flying club, an aircraft type club or by a group of friends meeting perhaps for a barbecue and to socialize.
The term "fly-in" is not formally defined in the aviation legislation of many countries and it may refer to a range of events, while in others it has a specific legal meaning. For example in Canada fly-ins may not legally include air displays or competitive flying.[1][2]
History
The first fly-in was the Grande Semaine d'Aviation (English: Grand Week of Aviation) held in Reims, France between 22–29 August 1909. The event attracted some of the world's foremost pilots of the day, including Louis Blériot, Henry Farman, Léon Delagrange, Hubert Latham, Charles de Lambert, Louis Paulhan, Roger Sommer, Claude Grahame-White and one American, Glenn Curtiss. The event was primarily a competition for record setting. Curtis set a speed record of 80 km/h (43 kn) flying a biplane he had designed, winning the first race for Gordon Bennett Coupe Internationale d'Aviation. Henry Farman set a distance record of 180 km (97 nmi) in just over three hours. Hubert Latham won the altitude contest by attaining 155 m (509 ft). The event attracted large crowds of spectators including 3,000 from the United Kingdom and 2,000 from the United States.[3]
The first fly-in located in the United Kingdom was held at Doncaster between 15–23 October 1909. It preceded the second UK event held at Blackpool by only three days. Both events competed for the honour of being the first of their type in the country and as a result neither drew the expected public interest. The Doncaster event attracted a dozen aircraft and pilots, but bad weather prevented much of the planned flying and many of the trophies were not awarded. The event lost a considerable amount of money.[3]
The first fly-in held in the United States was the Los Angeles Aviation Meet, held 10–20 January 1910 at Dominguez Field. Again this was a competition-style meet with almost all the aircraft from France. Louis Paulhan set a height record of just under one mile (1.6 km) and also took the prize for endurance with a flight of 1:49:40 that covered 61 mi (98 km).[3]
The first African fly-in was the Grande Semaine d'Aviation d'Egypt held at Heliopolis, east of Cairo, 6–13 February 1910. The event took advantage of the good winter weather found in that country and attracted fliers from all over Europe. The event was organized by the Aero Club of Egypt assisted by the Aero Club de France and was sponsored by Prince Pasha, uncle of the Khedive of Egypt. Pilots flew from an aerodrome that was staked out in the desert that had a landing and take-off surface that was 5 km (3 mi) by 3 km (2 mi) wide. Competitions were flown between the twelve pilots participating and 173,000 Francs in prize money was disbursed. One participant was "Baroness" Raymonde de Laroche, the first woman in the world to earn a pilot's licence, who won a 10,000 Franc prize for her flight of 10 km (6.2 mi).[3]
The People's Republic of China has been a difficult environment for general aviation, having had severe limits placed on it in the communist era, but by 2011 the government agreed to lift restrictions and to promote the use of business and personal aviation. China's first fly-in was to be held 20–24 September 2011 in Beijing as part of a five day conference on general aviation, but the fly-in was "postponed indefinitely" due to a Beijing Police Department helicopter crash that raised safety concerns.[4][5]
Switzerland's fly-ins include the one from La Côte, near Prangins, which was held each every 2 years since 2007, organized by the local air-club "Club Aéronautique Swissair Genève" (CASG).[6]
References
- ↑ Transport Canada (August 2008). "Glossary for Pilots and Air Traffic Services Personnel". Retrieved 2008-09-21.
- ↑ Transport Canada (June 2006). "Canadian Aviation Regulations Part VI - General Operating and Flight Rules Standard 623 - Special Flight Operations". Retrieved 2008-09-21.
- 1 2 3 4 Villard, Henry Serrano & Willis M. Allen Jr: Looping The Loop, pages 42-54. Kales Press, 2000. ISBN 0-9670076-2-3
- ↑ Niles, Russ (August 2011). "China To Hold First GA Fly-In". AVweb. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
- ↑ Grady, Mary (September 2011). "China's First GA Fly-In Postponed". AVweb. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
- ↑ "La Côte International Fly-In 2015".