Westlock’s airport was flooded with planes from all over the area on Sunday when the Westlock Flying Club held its annual fly-in breakfast and airshow.
It’s the one time each year when area residents can take a gander at the different types of aircraft that are out there and learn from the owners and pilots themselves what it’s like to fly the planes.
This year, as he gazed out over the audience enjoying their pancake breakfast, club president George Hertz-Kleptow said he was very happy with the turnout at 9 in the morning.
He was also glad to see the skies were devoid of anything other than the planes making their way down to the ground.
“It’s nice to see that the weather’s playing along,” he said.
At that point in the day, Hertz-Kleptow said he didn’t know how big the crowd was, but he had high hopes it would at least meet the 500 people who turned out last year.
Before the air show started at 11 a.m., pilots could be seen everywhere, talking to people and explaining the ins and outs of their aircraft.
One such pilot was Dwayne Schamp out of Slave Lake and his 2005 Sonex ultralight. Although it may have been classified as an ultralight, it more closely resembled a Second World War-era fighter, but in miniature and considerably ill equipped for an aerial dogfight.
“I first got into flying through a flight simulator,” he said. “Then I kind of decided to get off my couch and do it for real.”
Schamp said he most enjoys flying because it’s fun to get up in the air and take a different view of the world.
He added he’s in the process of upgrading his licence to be able to fly larger planes so he can eventually carry passengers on his flights.
While the majority of the aircraft at the event were fixed-wing planes, there were two helicopters that made appearances.
One of those choppers was an R22 Beta II brought in by the husband and wife team of Julie and Kirt Hood from Cooking Lake, Alta.
Accomplished pilots, the Hoods have experience with both fixed-wing planes and helicopters, and are familiar with the benefits and drawbacks of both.
“The biggest thing about the helicopter is it can land in confined spaces,” Julie said. “And the view is better from inside.”
When the show started, the first act was a skydiving demonstration by the Edmonton Skydive Centre, with a dozen men and women gracefully returning to Earth from hundreds of feet in the air.
The final part of the show, and the one most people came out to see, was the aerobatics display by Bill Carter in his Pitts Special S2S.
Carter showed off what thousands of hours of airtime can do, performing rolls, loops and other amazing feats to the astonishment of the audience. Perhaps the most daring display of aeronautical skill was slicing a ribbon held only 10 feet above the ground with his tailfin.
