District XI - 2010/07
The Society of Antique Modelers (SAM) Spring Fling in Alaska
The Society of Antique Modelers (SAM) Spring Fling in Alaska: On May 1, SAM Chapter 65 held its annual Spring Fling, the no-contest event of the spring. This year the event was held at the Grey Wolf Airfield, home of Reeves Lippincott and Kat Thompson, about four miles outside of Wasilla, Alaska.
The day started poorly with rain the previous night, low clouds, and wind. Over coffee and brownies, the decision was made to put in some practice flights to determine the cloud ceiling. The weather promptly improved and progressively cleared as the day went on.
Seven pilots flew and had a ball. There were only two incidents during the flying. Ed Cunningham had a tree landing caused by a failed rudder control with only minor damage. Pat Martin attempted to get 20 minutes of flying out of a 19-minute-and-55-second battery. The airplane missed the strip and flipped, but was undamaged. (Last year a tree found Pat’s B-25 on final.)
Van Wilson and Bob Stephens took many pictures.
Our thanks to Reeves for the use of his private field and pizza lunch. Special thanks to Kat for her world-famous brownies and plenty of hot coffee.
- Seven pilots flew.
- Four timers and spotters helped.
- Two photographers.
- Eight spectators entertained.
- Thanks to one fantastic cook.
Thanks, Reeves and Kat.
John J. Smith, CD
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
