WELLINGTON NORTH – Members of the York Soaring Association (YSA) are hoping for clear skies this weekend as they prepare to host an event that will showcase planes that flew in the Great War.
“We tried last year, but we got rained out,” said club vice president Tim Wood.
The not-for-profit club, which has a fleet of gliders and promotes the sport of soaring, has partnered with Brampton’s Great War Flying Museum to host a Heritage Aircraft Fly-In event on June 22, starting at 10am.
Rain is not in the forecast, but if it does rain, the event will move to June 23.
Wood said the purpose of the event is to showcase the biplanes of the First World War and to promote the museum, but it is also intended to raise awareness about the gliding club.
“We’re also going to just open the club to the public to let them see what we do,” Wood said.
“It’s a great sport. I’ve been doing it for many, many years.”
For a fee, people will have the chance to try out the sport.
“There will be four gliders available for passenger flight at $100 for approximately 15 minutes,” club president Dave Bax said in an email to the Advertiser.
This is a significantly discounted cost.
There may also be an opportunity to ride in one of the First World War planes in exchange for paid membership to the Great War Flying Museum, which costs $200 per year, Bax stated.
The museum is expected to bring four of its fighter planes, and gliders from the club will also be on display.
“As this is a fly-in that we are advertising to individuals with unique and interesting aircraft, anything beyond that is difficult to predict,” Kenneth Voort of the YSA stated in an email. “We’ve never done this before.”
Voort told the Advertiser one of the event’s big draws will be two demonstration flights by museum pilots.
“While this is not an ‘airshow,’ they will be performing formation flybys of our airfield in full view of visitors,” he said.
Demonstration flights are scheduled for noon and 2pm.
As long as the weather holds, the museum is planning to take its Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter biplane over Listowel for a fly-over ceremony in honour of Lt. Col. Andrew McKeever, described in a news release as “a top-ranking ace of the Great War” and “Listowel’s greatest hero.”
The museum, which is operated by the Ontario Aviation Historical Society, states, “here in Ontario, we have a rich history that needs to be continually learned, taught and celebrated.”
Several community organizations will also be coming out for the YSA fly-in event, including the Arthur Historical Society, the Arthur Agricultural Society and the Royal Canadian Air Cadets.
Having never hosted the event before, the club is not sure what sort of numbers to expect, but they are hoping 1,000 people will come out.
For Wood, the chance to get more people interested in soaring is what he’s most looking forward to.
“It’s always fun to show off the sport,” Wood said.
He said it can be challenging to attract people to the sport, because it requires a significant commitment, and young people often have competing interests.
“This sport requires that you put in a fair amount of time,” Wood said.
Asked whether safety is a factor, Wood said it is similar to driving. “If you operate carefully and safely, then it’s an acceptably safe sport,” he said.
The club is located at 7296 5th Line, Belwood, just off Wellington Road 109, east of Arthur, and there is a $20-per-car cost to attend the Fly-In.
For more information visit yorksoaring.com.
