Together again

AOPA had a full slate of fly-ins scheduled for 2020, but you know what happened to all events that year. Long into 2021, COVID-19 continued to impose on our lives, making planning for complex events such as fly-ins extremely difficult. This was finally the year we could welcome members—and all pilots and aviation enthusiasts—back to our unique celebrations of general aviation. We named 2022’s fly-ins “Hangouts” to emphasize our collective desire to spend time together at the airport after being cautious around each other for so long.

It takes nearly a year to plan an AOPA fly-in, and almost a week to set up the temporary infrastructure needed at the airport—tents, fencing, toilets, showers, electricity, signage, transportation, and so much more. Then we hope for good weather and eagerly await all of you.

Some members want to do more than attend and can volunteer to help with setup, aircraft parking, attendee check in, and many other roles during (and after) the event. You get to see what it would be like to be an AOPA employee for a day (or just a few hours), and spend time with AOPA staff from our Frederick, Maryland, headquarters. To show our appreciation, we give you an AOPA hat and volunteer T-shirt—and you don’t have to pay to attend the fly-in.

The weather in Spokane was amazing, except for the smoke from forest fires around the region that limited visibility to less than 5 miles. Still, more than 150 airplanes flew into Felts Field for the Hangout—their pilots and passengers joining nearly 1,000 who drove or flew commercially. More than a third took the opportunity to camp next to their airplanes, and they were delighted to find air-conditioned showers and bathrooms had been brought in to help ensure a pleasant experience.

Attendees strolled among the exhibits looking at new airplanes, tempting upgrades for airplanes they already own, or pilot gear they could not live without (see “Tried and True Pilot Gear,” p. 49)—interspersed with trips to the seminar tents to soak up knowledge from aviation experts. Backcountry flying with Mike Vivion and the AOPA Pilot Town Hall with Mark Baker were extremely popular sessions with standing room only. During the Town Hall, Baker and AOPA senior vice presidents answered questions about unleaded fuel, insurance, BasicMed, safety, eVTOLs, future events, and more—and we welcomed them all.

Arguably the most fun part of the Hangout was the STOL demonstrations. Announced by Mike Vivion, wrangled by Jimmy Gist, and flown by highly experienced backcountry pilots, eight aircraft ranging from a Beechcraft Staggerwing to Cessna and Piper tailwheel airplanes and a 1928 Travel Air 6000 showed how GA aircraft—expertly flown—can fly impressively slowly to take off in under 400 feet and land in under 300 (see “Don’t Try This at Home,” p. 82). Richard McSpadden, senior vice president of the AOPA Air Safety Institute, masterfully flew the AOPA Sweepstakes Cessna 170, pre-upgrades, to within feet of several highly modified airplanes.

After the demonstration, attendees headed for the wide array of food trucks: gourmet burgers, salads, Mexican food, Vietnamese dishes, and other appetizing options were on the menus. At 5 p.m., the 39 Lounge lit up with a bar, live music, and fire pits. This is where most of the hanging out occurred, although the campers loved their digs and many hung out there. Nightfall brought an aviation-themed movie for all to enjoy played on a huge inflatable screen positioned on the closed runway: The Rocketeer on Friday and Speed & Angels on Saturday.

If this sounds like fun, we invite you (and a friend or your family) to hang out with fellow pilots and aviation enthusiasts at AOPA’s next Hangout at Tampa Executive Airport (VDF) on November 4 and 5 (see “Hang Out with Us in Tampa,” p. 48). You can check out the AOPA Sweepstakes Cessna 170, watch it fly in the STOL demo, and make your own adventure flying to sunny, warm Florida when points north will be getting pretty chilly.

We look forward to hanging out with you.

[email protected]