Little Known Gem

  Here in New Mexico, it's feast or famine when it comes to aviation events.  My lovely wife and I managed to make it to 3 out of 4 events that occurred during September and the very beginning of October.  We missed the Farmington Air Show but made it to the EAA Chapter 179 Fly-In in Moriarty that same weekend.  The turnout was great and there were many interesting planes to look at.  The following weekend brought the Santa Fe Air Show which was great also.  Ten days later came one of the best kept secrets of American airshows, The Tucumcari Rotary Club Air Show.  The club's mission is to bring positive role models to meet area children to inspire them to stay in school and set their goals high.  Busloads of school kids come out from all over for the weekday air event.

  This year the skies were clear, the temperatures moderate and the pilots willing.  Almost everybody flew an extra act after the Air Force had to cancel some acts due to mechanical problems.  The F-15's and the C-17 would have been nice, but nothing was lacking in the end.

  The United States Army Golden Knights parachute team, with help from Greg Poe circling and blowing smoke brought in the colors and started the show.  The Golden Knights parachutes contrasted beautifully with our blue sky and Greg's red MX2 created the primary colors to make for a palette for painting beautiful imagery.  The Sons of Legends act was ready to add their splash of color so Matt Younkin took to the sky and performed an amazing show in his Super Decathlon.  The cockpit design allows a lot of spectator visibility so the crowd can almost feel Matt's every movement as he twists, flips, and rolls the red and black airplane.  It's not your typical stunt plane and he amazes the crowd.  Bob Carlton brought the new Super Salto jet/sailplane out for his magic of sailplane gliding to classical music and then jet driven sailplane fury.  When he lights the smoke pods on the wingtips you can see the sparks trailing behind, dropping below his smoke trails.  It is a beauty and a beast.   Kyle Franklin and Matt Younkin then put on a hilarious comedy routine.  Young and old will love it.  When we saw his Cub before practicing this act we wondered about the duct taped wingtips.  After this crazy act is over, it's all self explanatory.  His "bad" flying is just nuts.  The plane is cavorting, tipping, and bouncing all over the airfield (think Jack Benny playing violin).  Kyle finally learns how to land and a relieved Matt gets his Cub back in one piece.  Next up was Jon Melby driving his Pitts Special through a breakneck show of hammerheads, rolls and stalls.  The energy of Jon and the Pitts exploded into the blue sky and lit us all up.  Watching that pretty yellow and black plane emerge from a cloud of smoke backwards, flip around nose down and then pull out of a dive is amazing.

  There was a short pause that our great announcer Bob Stovall filled with intelligent chatter and then the New Mexico Air National Guard filled in for the Air Force and did a 3 ship fly-by in their F-16's.  It's all over too quick when it comes to the military jets.  Greg Poe launched his new Fagen MX2 and kept the energy level at fever pitch.  This man and machine is just something else.  He hovers, he twists, he wags, he rolls, and blows smoke from left to right and right to left with hardly any time setting up for each maneuver.  Inverted, upright, knife edge it's all Greg Poe, all out, burning ethanol. 

  Coming through in a pinch to make up for the cancellations Bob Carlton and Matt Younkin flew a jet Super Salto/Super Decathlon squirrel cage.  The contrast of plane designs and their ability to match each other’s moves was amazing.  Kyle Franklin then put his Waco biplane through a set that his father would have loved.  The pirate themed paint fired up the kids and aerial cavorting with smoke trails took care of the rest of us.  This black and silver biplane is legendary and it was a beauty in the sky.  As the Golden Knights launched and climbed to jump altitude Greg Poe and Jon Melby put on their own squirrel cage.  These two know each other’s style really well and they flew a well choreographed show. 

  All day long a P-40 had sat alone on the field and suddenly its engines sprang to life.  The sound of a warbird is sweet.  We were about to see Captain Dale "Snort" Snodgrass of F-14 and Heritage flight fame.  He put the Warhawk into a low and fast display of all its capabilities, essentially flying the Heritage show without any contemporary accompaniment.  The stage was set for the Golden Knights to close the day with their precision team formations.  High speed free falls followed by floating ballet before touching down right on the mark. 

  The local Rotary club and all the volunteers are to be commended once again for their hospitality and organizational skills.  These people are what make this show a consistently successful event and an air show that should be on everyone’s to-do list.  They set a high standard.  This event is usually the Wednesday before the kick-off weekend of the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta so set aside a few days, pack your bags, and join us here in the Land of Enchantment.