 A 1929 Fokker Super Universal from the National Air Tour on the ramp at Frederick Municipal Airport, home of AOPA |
 1966 Bushmaster, an update of the classic Ford Tri-Motor |
 1931 Bird and 1929 Travel Air |
 1928 Travel Air |
 1931 Sirkorsky S-39-C |
The National Air Tour completed the East Coast legs of its round-robin journey with an extended stop at the home of AOPA headquarters, Frederick Municipal Airport. Aircraft started landing at Frederick Sunday afternoon, just a couple of days behind stormy Isabel. The visit recognized AOPA's contributions to aviation for 64 years of the 100-year history of flight.
Midmorning Monday tour officials waved off a planned departure for points west due to poor weather conditions along the route. Participants were cheered to learn during a briefing that a tour had been arranged at the unopened National Air and Space Museum annex, formally called the Udvar-Hazy Center, at Dulles Airport. Weather permitting, the re-created assemblage was set to depart Frederick early Tuesday morning.
Several hundred spectators were on hand Sunday to enjoy the FDK arrivals of everything from a Bell helicopter to Ford Tri-Motors to a wide variety of antique biplanes. The tour reported that the "group was really into the entire display, and many asked detailed questions about the aircraft, what they were like to fly, and about the history of the period they represent." Then despite the cloudy, foggy Monday morning, camera-carrying enthusiasts were on the flightline to record this slice of aviation history.
The tour left Willow Run Airport, Dearborn/Ypsilanti, Michigan, on Sept. 8 and plans to return there on Wednesday, Sept. 24, weather permitting. Complete details about the National Air Tour, including last-minute schedule changes, are available on the Web site.
With 400,000 members, AOPA is the world's largest civil aviation organization, working to protect the interests of general aviation. Nearly two thirds of all U.S. pilots are members of AOPA.
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