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GREENVILLE - There will likely be more airplanes than birds in the air above Greenville on Sept. 4 through 7 as the region observes the 30th International Seaplane Fly-in.On this anniversary, the founders of the seaplane fly-in, including Duane Lander, Chip Taylor and Charlie Coe, will be honored. The trio organized the first official fly-in in 1973, although Lawrence Hall of Greenville actually organized a similar event in 1932, according to Suzanne AuClair, a spokesman for the fly-in. The Moosehead Marine Museum will host a retrospective of the late Dick Folsom, who was among the most respected seaplane pilots in the region. The fly-in, free to spectators, will include demonstrations, aviation exhibitions and flying contests Saturday and Sunday at Stobie Air Hangar, located on the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife campus. Events begin at 10 a.m. each day. A bush pilot's canoe race and "bomb" drops, spot landing and takeoffs, demonstrations and fly-bys, will be offered 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Aviation exhibits will be on display in the hangar throughout the day. The contests will conclude on Sunday. Among the exhibits will be memorabilia from the Maine chapter of the 99s, the national all-female flying club. The 99s was founded by Amelia Earhart in 1929, so called because 99 of the then-117 female pilots in America joined up. The 99s hold some international flying records. Some rare planes have been on display in past years including the air-to-ground World War II fighter planes, the world's only DC-3 on floats, and the traditional 1944 Grumman Goose fighter plane. Aircraft range from $2 million Caravans, the Mercedes-Benz of the air world, to home-built flying machines powered by little more than the equivalent of a snowmobile engine. |