ARLINGTON — Even during one of the wettest early summers on record, July’s Arlington Fly-In and Sport Aviation Convention was a success, supporters agree.
Yes, it rained a lot, even wiping out the entire flying program on Thursday of the July 6-10 event at the Arlington Airport.
Yes, the usual 50,000-plus visitor count shrunk to around 40,000 due to the wet, cool weather.
Yes, the weather-challenged event could have been better with more blue skies than gray. After all, we’re talking about an event that includes a lot of flying demonstrations, which are always best with good weather.
Yes, it was disappointing that the Commemorative Air Force’s B-17G, “Sentimental Journey,” missed the event, but needing to change one of the four engines was reason enough to keep it in Arizona. However, the invitation still stands for next year’s event, July 11-15, 2012, and filling in this year for the giant bomber was a rare B-25 from the CAF that gathered a lot of attention.
It’s hard to dampen the spirits of those who enjoy aviation and military-themed events. This year’s Fly-In still had a lot going for it and even the weather improved.
A warm, sunny weekend brought out the crowds for air show legend Bud Granley, who celebrated 50 years of performing in flying events, many of them in Arlington. Also, Paul Hajduk demonstrated superb glider aerobatics and Hans Von Der Hofen brought the crowd high-speed, thundering loops in his high-performance AlphaJet fighter.
There were a lot of new exhibits and events, including a much larger military equipment and vehicle display at Camp Adams, with many exhibit presenters in World War II military uniforms. Guns roared with blank firing demonstrations with a tank, a machine-gun-armed half-track and an anti-aircraft artillery piece.
A first-time display of authentically styled remote-control tanks at the air show drew crowds, aviation forums went on as usual in covered areas, food booths were everywhere and although there were fewer than usual, there still was a good-sized tent city and aircraft parking area for pilots flying in and camping during the week
For the first time, there was a carnival. People lined up for rides in a helicopter and a 1930 biplane. And there were tours of the Arlington Naval Museum’s 1955 Grumman S2F Tracker, plus the first exhibition of two Vietnam War-era river patrol boats.
On the traditional opening day kids’ day event, more than 1,800 had reservations but many more showed up, many of them enjoying four kid-sized airplane simulators they could “fly” and demonstrations by the Arlington High School Robotics Club.
Also, shuttle buses between the Fly-In and the large downtown Arlington street fair that filled Olympic Avenue helped to bring more people to Old Town for shopping, eating and sightseeing.
All in all, it was still a success, local civic leaders and Fly-In promoters said.
“The Fly-In puts Arlington on the map,” said Mayor Margaret Larson. “The Fly-In is huge for us. People come from all over the world and they love it. It helps us tell our story.”
The event has been rated for years as the third largest aviation event in the nation, behind AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wis., and Sun ‘n’ Fun in Lakeland, Fla.
Vic Ericson, the city’s economic development director, said the event’s biggest asset “is putting the city on the map for people who aren’t even aware of it, bringing an increase in shopping and restaurant visits … Fifty-thousand people is a big bonus and many of them return annually … It’s a big part of our economy and a distinct advantage for us.”
For Michael Prihoda, executive director of the Arlington-Smokey Point Chamber of Commerce, the economic impact is clear.
“We always get a lot of calls from people who don’t know the area and want to know where to find lodging and restaurants,” he said. “We know we’re getting a lot of new people here each year besides the local ones. The Fly-In is a great asset for the city of Arlington.”
Fly-In Executive Director Barb Tolbert, who was busy in mid-July wrapping up this year’s statistics on the event, said camping reservations doubled over last year, from 14 percent to 23 percent, reflecting “more people staying closer to home because of the economy.”
She also said the event has been named one of the top 100 North American events for the fourth time by the American Business Association.
“For the first time, we had a U.S. Customs office at the field to make it easier for Canadian pilots to get here without an extra stop at the border. Overall, we saw an expanded presence of Canadians this year,” she said.
“High fuel prices and challenging weather kept many pilots home but we still had so many planes come in that we had to get additional fuel trucks from Paine Field. People traveled here from 15 different states this year, including Georgia, Alabama and New England, as well as Canada,” Tolbert said.
Issuing brightly colored wrist bands for those who attended made a positive impression on downtown merchants and at Smokey Point businesses, another reminder for the business community of the economic impact of the annual aviation gathering.
“An average visitor will spend $84 a day and an overnight couple’s stay averages about $204 spent here,” Tolbert said. “Also, tens of thousands of dollars are spent for gas, restaurants and groceries.”
Service clubs like Rotary and Kiwanis use the week’s event for fundraising for scholarships and donations to local charities. The Arlington Knights of Columbus earn fees from the Fly-In for parking vehicles at the event, using the money to build wheelchair ramps for the needy and infant supplies for families.
To set up and operate the Fly-In involved some 500 volunteers, buying materials from Arlington Hardware and Lowe’s hardware, working with many area businesses to have enough portable restrooms, fire extinguishers and other supplies ready, and paying a 10-day lease fee to the Arlington Airport as well, Tolbert said.
Financially, the Fly-In itself usually about breaks even, according to Tolbert. In 2000, the event had enough left over to create a rainy day fund. Other years, there might be only $2,000 to $3,000 to use for the coming year.
“This was a challenging year because of the economy,” Tolbert said. “We had companies signed up for the event earlier in the year that went out of business during the next four months and never showed up. It’s just a sign of the ripples of the slow economy.”
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