Fly-Outs: Another great airport in Wisconsin
New Holstein Fly-In is a popular precursor to AirVenture
“The smaller, more relaxed environment allows us to enjoy the benefits of our proximity to Oshkosh,” and enjoy local flights and good company, said Steve Johnson, president of SuperCub.org. It began as an opportunity for members of the online community to get together. “We started this in 2002. On a good year we get 60 or 70 airplanes.
“We had a little mini-short field contest that first year,” Johnson added, and it has grown from there. Fly-in participants are asked to register in advance so that infrastructure and catered meals can be planned. Camping is encouraged, and the event raised funds for the New Holstein Airport Pavilion, which was built in 2005. It’s available for camping and other aviation events throughout the year. “We raised the money to put in showers in the new terminal building,” he added. “This is really a jewel of an airport.”
Sunday is the fly-in’s big day; it’s also New Holstein’s Airport Day. Breakfast is prepared by the Lions Club, while the Kiwanis serve lunch; other civic organizations offer dessert and other foodstuffs. Many members of the local community come out to eat and watch the airplanes. A kid zone includes balloons, bubbles, and other activities. The short takeoff and landing (STOL) demonstration is very popular. “I can’t say enough good things about the city,” Johnson said. “They really have a strong desire to welcome other groups to the airport.”
Randy Corfman of Minneapolis coordinates the STOL demonstration. “I’d say a third of landings are disqualified because they land short,” he told the pilots during the briefing. “When you do your landing, come to a complete stop. If you don’t stop, you’re disqualified—that’s the second biggest error.”
The STOL competition was followed by the flour drop contest. “These days, we call it flour dropping, not flour bombing,” Johnson said.
About 20 local youth, riding in the back seats of participating airplanes, had three tries each to hit a target from 100 feet above ground level with flour-filled paper sacks. “These kids get a huge hoot out of this,” Corfman told the pilots beforehand. “And you get negative points for hitting the judge.”
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