ATHABASCA - Since aircraft first made their first appearance in northern Alberta, citizens and pilots alike have welcomed advances in aviation to help improve local airports and runways, and have showed their enthusiasm for the many aerial events put on by their friends in the sky for the last 100 years.
As such, the recent success of the 10th annual Athabasca Fly-In Barbecue came as no surprise to organizers.
“The number is over 1,000 in attendance,” Athabasca County tourism and economic development officer Naomi Hofer said of the Saturday, July 9 event, putting it on a similar level to the events held prior to COVID-19, despite the two-year break.
“We had 30 pilots register, and one as young as 21,” she said.
While the event certainly brought in more guests, one of the first airshows in Athabasca brought with it a similar buzz in July of 1933.
In a 1933 letter, found in the Athabasca Archives, addressed to the Athabasca Baseball Club, aerobatics pilot Erwin Schumacher agreed “to perform airobatic feats consisting of spins, and loops and a parachute jump over the ballpark on July 1.”
The actions described in the letter closely mirror those of the 2022 airshow despite 90 years passing between the two flights. Schumacher also offered flights to attendees of the event for just two dollars, or what would be equivalent to $35.49 today when accounting for inflation.
Aerial stunt planes were not the only ones to be found in Athabasca during the 1930s. The usage of aircraft for “mercy flights” that would take injured people to the nearest hospital was also seen in the Athabasca area throughout the 1930s.
In 1936, J.H. Macintosh bought a Curtis Robin plane with the hopes of expanding access to the north to carry up to 900 pounds to bring in fish, fur, and other northern produce to rail head.
“Emergency calls for sickness or accident will be promptly responded to, which will alleviate some of the terrors of the silent north,” explained an October 16, 1936, article from the Athabasca Echo.
Most of the planes in Athabasca at this time used the river for takeoff and landing, although this posed issues during spring break up. Since 1930, calls “for a good landing field” were heard, according to the Athabasca Echo, although a landing strip was not in use until around 1951.
This strip was located across the river and was seen as a checkpoint for people heading north. It was expanded in 1957, making it large enough to handle a DC3, said flying club president Harold Key in a February 1, 1957, Athabasca Echo article.
It was not until 1977 though, that the Athabasca Airport as it’s known today was opened by Premier Peter Lougheed as the province was responsible for funding the project.
The opening of the airport brought with it plenty of entertainment for the attendees.
“The two radio-operated model aircraft played a huge part in the entertainment of those attending the airport opening,” stated an Echo article from the August 24, 1977.
A helicopter was also present at the opening, hovering over the crowd and dropping peanut shells. Some of these shells were coloured, indicating that either a plane or helicopter ride was won, serving as a sort of prize drawing for those at the event.
