By Penni Schaefer
Blue skies, unseasonably warm temperatures and the chance to see a Douglas DC-3 airplane drew a record crowd of 2,000 to the 2008 Experimental Aircraft Association’s 11th annual Fly-In & Drive-In Breakfast at Port Meadville Airport on Sunday.
The all-you-can-eat pancake and eggs breakfast for $6.50 was a big hit too, with estimated sales of nearly 1,000.
“Normally I’m all bundled up inside the hangar because it’s so cold!” said Paula Hunter who has volunteered for the event nearly every year since it began. “But not this year — those poor guys who have been cooking pancakes all day are dying.”
And just how many pancakes did 1,000 people eat?
“Lots and lots!” said Lee Armour of Meadville.
The annual Fly-In is not only a fun, family-oriented event that drew people from throughout northwest Pennsylvania, it also delivered a piece of history with the first-ever appearance of a Piedmont Airlines Douglas DC-3.
Hands down, the DC-3 is the best attraction that the Fly-In has brought to the area, according to EAA President Tim Hunter.
“The DC-3 is well-known for towing gliders and hauling troops off to battle,” Hunter said. “It’s recognized as one of the greatest aircraft ever built.”
Bringing the plane in for the event was no cheap date. The undisclosed cost was 750 gallons of fuel plus an appearance fee, Hunter said. But with the record visitor turnout, he thinks the organization will minimally break even.
“It’s more about bringing something to the community,” he said.
Besides cooking and serving about 1,000 breakfasts, dozens of volunteers worked inside making and serving food. The off-the-breakfast menu included cotton candy and homemade ice cream churned on-the-spot by a rigged 1920s hit-and-miss engine.
Volunteers who worked inside the refuge of the hangar counted themselves lucky, as the outside crew worked in the baking-hot sun assisting visitors and ensuring their safety as planes and helicopters took off and landed throughout the day. Others helped little tots peer into the cockpits or climb the steps to sneak a peek into the DC-3 which has been fully restored, right down to its 1930s paint job. The plane sported a sign near its entrance that touted it as a “traveling museum.”
The Fly-In, which also serves as a fundraiser for the EAA youth education programs, boasted about 40 airplanes this year. While not the biggest turnout of planes in its 11-year history, considering the price of airplane fuel and the wind which has progressively grown stronger, Hunter said he was “definitely pleased.”
“They were predicting storms and the winds picked up early this morning,” he said. “And the winds have been strong enough that even the DC-3 has been wobbling a bit on its landings.”
The smaller aircraft are even more affected by the high winds, according to Hunter.
Following the event Sunday, the DC-3 headed back to its home at Carolinas Aviation Museum in Charlotte, N.C.
Penni Schafer can be reached at 724-6370 or by e-mail at pschafer@meadvilletribune.com.
