July Flyout to Concrete

Today (July 20) a bunch of us took part in our flyout to Mears Field in Concrete, WA. Let’s see, there were Ray and Lisa Ballantyne in their Glastar, Ken and Skip Brown in their RV-9, Bill and Dot Shephard in their Swift, Ernie and Jeanne Hansen in their Super Cub, Dana and Kimberly Terrill in their Pacer, John Ward in his Sinus, Scott Alair in his Lancair Legacy, and Tracy and I in our PA-11. Aiden Lara (who is expecting to take his Private Pilot flight exam before month’s end) drove. We expect to see him fly in on many future flyouts.

Every year the folks at Mears Field hold their Old Fashioned Fly-In in July and we make it a point to have our July flyout there if possible. This little airport has to be one of the prettiest public airports in Washington. It has an elevation of only 233 ft but it is nestled right up against the west side of the Cascade Mountains. The runway is hard surfaced and on either side of the east/west runway there is plenty of grass for parking. During their fly-in many fliers camp overnight and likely enjoy Saturday’s fly-in breakfast. Dana and Kimberly were among those this year. Those of us arriving today purchased lunch from vendors and I must say the hamburgers were outstanding.

The fly-in here is called the OLD Fashioned Fly-in and the airport is an old fashioned airport. Many airplanes are based here in hangars that may have more than just airplanes inside. It is not uncommon to see ramps in front of or alongside with tables and chairs, barbecues, sunshade umbrellas and more. The grass is lovely, like manicured for the fly-in. I’ve been here at other times of the year and it seems the same. At one time there was a museum here with a quite a few museum quality classic aircraft on display. After the owner died those aircraft made their way to other museums; many are now in the Port Townsend Aero Museum in Port Townsend.

The temperature this day was in the mid-80’s but there was a delightful breeze and I believe most of us were comfortable. Our group was fortunate enough to find tables in the shade for lunch. For the fly-in most hangars are open and many of our group peered in them all. Scott took advantage of the shuttle bus into town, and he maybe had a guided tour of this fascinating and historical area.

Our EAA Chapter 430 hosts a poker run in the summer where qualification for entry requires having the entry form stamped with five Washington Pilot Association Passport Stamps available at several listed airports. Mears Field is one of those airports, as is close by Darrington Airport. Several of our group stopped at both airports to stamp their entry form and some, I believe, planned to stop on the way home for an additional stamp. Collection of the qualifying stamps ends at the chapter’s August meeting where participants will be dealt cards and winners will receive prizes. Our flyouts and the poker run are designed to give pilots in the beautiful Northwest an excuse to have fun flying, and today’s activities certainly fulfilled that goal.