How do the Flying Boys of Iowa (FBI) members host one of the biggest events in District IX? The club, the Twin Cities Eagle Squadron, is chartered as a Nebraska club, but the flying field is across the river in Iowa.
North Dakota Associate Vice President Brandon Koch has previously attended this event and submitted the following report:
This is my third trip to the annual FBI Cornhuckfest in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and I was ecstatic to be there all four days. A “Huckfest” is basically just a large group of pilots who gather for a few days of flying, fellowship, and fun. The FBI field is surrounded by a cornfield, hence the name.
There were 74 registered pilots, with 61 preregistered, making it the largest ever, and with 315 assembled airplanes on the flightline, there was no shortage of flying! There were 14 states represented this year, with pilots such as Joe Mitchell driving from Utah and Randy Hinton driving solo all the way
from Southern California.
Every year that I get to attend, I see more new faces and reconnect with many of the same people who come back for the same reasons I do—the friendliness and the quality of the flying.
There were some unbelievably large airplanes. Pete Rosas and Roger Nemitz brought new scratch-built 40% Edges, and Terry Wiles had a big MXS. They were not afraid to get low and slow, or wring it out International Miniature Aerobatic Club-style.
Don’t worry if you don’t have anything that big though. The FBI fliers tell everyone to “fly what you brought.” There were many foamies, warbirds, and sport models in the mix.
Roughly a dozen of us had EPP-foam combat wings and we flew “furballs” a couple of times a day, trying to knock each other out of the sky. The only competition you’ll find are good-natured contests, including the most continuous torque rolls and spot landings for small prizes, with the emcee usually doing some friendly ribbing of the pilots.
The only breaks in the flying came when we all got to sit back and enjoy an occasional turbine or helicopter demo.
When the sun finally set each day, the lights were turned on for foamies and for the braver pilots who wanted to keep
flying their large gassers.
If you ever get a chance to check out a local Huckfest, I don’t think you’ll be able to find a better group of people to fly with and learn from. If you can’t find a local event, get in your vehicle next June and head to western Iowa. You won’t be disappointed.
The Denver R/C Eagles (DRCE) put on its sixth air show at Suhaka Field at Cherry Creek State Park on June 18, 2016. The two-hour DRCE air show format includes pilots of all ability levels flying everything from trainers to turbine jets. Forty-five pilots flew 14 routines for a large crowd during this orchestrated presentation.
The DRCE air show was organized by Jack Steinhauser, club president, Wayne Perry, Joe Vedovati, John Dickens, David Hall, Seth Buxton, Eric Sunderwirth, Ron Cox, Chris Wilson, Mark Steinhauser, Joe Bolognese, and Dan Kellogg.
The event began with a moment of silence to recognize the men and women of the U.S. armed forces preserving freedom in our wonderful country.
Among the acts that followed were mock combat with World War I- and World War II-era foamies, formation flying with two P-51s, an astounding 3-D helicopter routine, a fleet of WW II-era fighters and bombers, and several electric ducted-fan and turbine jets. There was even a pterodactyl with flapping wings.
All of these acts were choreographed to music with sound effects and narration. A great double-patty cheeseburger meal was offered by club chef, Joe Bolognese.
Thank you, Denver Eagles, for the pride and camaraderie displayed here. The smiles on the faces of the crowd were a testament to your efforts.
