By Jakob H. McKenney
Greenville’s very-own International Seaplane Fly-In, the world’s largest gathering of the type outside of Alaska, is swiftly approaching its big 50th Anniversary Celebration. If you are an annual attendee, you will be delighted. If you have never attended, this is the year to go. If you haven’t been for a while, time to make that return trip.
Excitement around town is at an all-time peak in anticipation of the seemingly endless array of flying machines of all shapes, sizes, and sounds gently buzzing over the downtown shops along Pritham Ave. and into Moosehead Lake’s East Cove. This milestone year promises true variety in regards to attending aircraft, some of which have never been seen in the event’s history alongside crowd-favorites making a return appearance.
Of course we’ll have the usual participants out in force, from Tommy Dunn’s cherry-red 1953 Cessna 180 on classic EDO pontoons to Gary Norris’s black, white, and gold Cessna 185 on Maine-made P.K Floats, to Jim Crane’s experimental Carbon Cub, capable of taking off in just 200 feet.
Perhaps most notably, the Fly-In will be welcoming an ultra-rare 1947 Grumman Mallard Flying Boat for the weekend. With its 66-foot wingspan and twin 600hp Pratt and Whitney radial engines, resplendent in the period-accurate Grumman house colors that adorned the prototype, this elegant air yacht is poised to make quite an entrance. Designed in the waning days of the second world war, Grumman felt a new aircraft would be needed for harbor-based city-to-city hops in the immediate postwar years, but due to the availability of war surplus DC-3s and PBY Catalinas combined with an abundance of airfields, only 59 of the sleek amphibians were built.
Today fewer than 10 are airworthy. The Mallard nevertheless found a niche as a luxury aircraft in the Bahamas where it was famously being operated by Chalk’s Ocean Airways. This Mallard, nicknamed Ti Loup Du Lac, is owned and operated by Jack Bart who keeps the airplane between Bridgeport, Connecticut and Fort Pierce Florida. In the past he and his crew have only flown up for the day, but this year they plan on attending Fly-In weekend. This will be the first time a Mallard has ramped at the seaplane base since the 1985 event.
Not to be outdone, South St. Paul, Minnesota-based Float manufacturer Wipaire, a presenting sponsor of the Greenville Fly-In each year, will be bringing their entire fleet of factory demonstrators out to play. Their Cessna 208B Grand Caravan was recently certified with a brand-new carbon composite, 4-bladed Yukon propeller for increased performance and it is even capable of backing up on the water and will be displayed alongside the company’s Boss 182 conversion, the most powerful factory option for the popular Cessna 182 Skylane on floats.
However, what is most eagerly-anticipated is the long-awaited return of the company’s famed Boss Beaver, N100KL. With the USA Stars and Bars encompassing one side of the fuselage and the Canadian Maple Leaf the other, the one-of-a-kind airplane synonymizes the half-century history of American and Canadian pilot contingents who have attended the Fly-In and given the event its International distinction.
Once an annual attendee, this will be the Boss Beaver’s first appearance in 15 years and it won’t be one you want to miss. Developed from the venerable De Havilland Beaver, a type that has long been important to the Moosehead Lake Region having hauled countless anglers, hunters, trappers, and all manners of freight with Folsom’s Air Service and Holt’s Flying Service back in the day. Today Currier’s Flying Service still operates a 1954 Beaver on sightseeing tours out of the West Cove.
Furthermore, a good turnout of the Beavers is expected for the 50th Fly-In with Mark Stevens of Erwinna, PA making a return trip with his grand champion Restoration that took home the Most Unique Aircraft Award at the 2021 Fly-In.
Keith Kocourek will be bringing his immaculately-preserved Kenmore Air Beaver all the way from Wausau, Wisconsin, while the Quebec-based Valdor Aircraft will be debuting their BX Turbo Beaver which was recently certified with a brand-new wing.
The bevy of Beavers isn’t the only special gathering planned. P.K Floats, based in nearby Lincoln, Maine, celebrates its 70th Anniversary this year of building the sturdiest floats on the market. Many of the planes you see participate year after year in our exhilarating flying contests use P.K floats, and they are especially put to the test in the Taxi Slalom Contest which will be held on Friday afternoon this year to keep events high energy all weekend long.
Saturday’s festivities kick-off at 8:30 am with our competition aircraft Floatplane Parade in the cove, while flying competitions get underway just after 10:00 with the fan-favorite Bush Pilot Canoe Race. This event, which is wholly unique to Greenville, will be followed by several rounds of our side-by-side Takeoff Contests, nothing less than a drag-race on the water! The first plane to break free and clear the chop advances to the trophy round going into the afternoon.
Not all activities will be contained to the Seaplane Base. New this year the 142nd Aviation Regiment of the Maine Army National Guard will be displaying one of their state of the art UH-60 Blackhawk troop-carrying helicopters up at the Greenville Airport (recently renamed Folsom Field) for the weekend. Visitors will get the chance to take a look inside the Blackhawk and ask the crew questions or check out the units display tent to learn about recruitment and related opportunities.
All in all, the 50th Annual International Seaplane Fly-In is gearing up to be one for the record books for attendees and volunteers alike! More information on the weekend’s festivities, including tickets and a schedule of events, can be found at www.seaplanefly-in.org or by reaching out at (207) 695-6121 or info@seaplanefly-in.org. We can’t wait to see you there!