Cars and Planes Take Center Stage on Orcas

— by Cara Russell —

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If you didn’t get your fill of planes at the Annual Fly-In at Orcas Airport this weekend, you only had to go down the road a bit, where the members Orcas Radio Control Aircraft Society (ORCAS) held their own little Fly-in. “We fly them, and we wreck them,” said Steve Vierthaler, one of the 25 members of the ORCAS club. And then there were the beauties of the Orcas Classic Car Club, just east of the Fly-In.

Yes, the weekend of August 1–3rd was a busy time for automobile and aviation enthusiasts alike. At the airport, over 100 small planes from around the country and Canada.

At the 30th Annual Fly-in in Eastsound, pilots from all over flew in, camped out, barbecued, and exchanged stories. Organized by the EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association), pilots and aircraft lovers spent the weekend socializing and flying their planes. “The purpose is for fun; to talk about the variety of planes, kick tires, and tell lies,” joked pilot Dave Shinstrom.

Warbirds, experimentals, old fashioned airplanes, seaplanes, and various other aircraft adorned the field at Orcas Airport.  A number participated in fly-bys, including the Blackjack squad in impressive formation. And this reporter learned a bit this weekend. If an aircraft’s Registration number begins with an ‘N’ then it is American. If the registration begins with a ‘C’ then it is Canadian.

I also learned that every aircraft is a “compromise,” meaning that you just can’t get it all in one plane; some can land on water, while others can carry heavy loads, or fly fast, some even come with a bathroom, etc. On a quick ride to Sucia Island and back, we detoured for a sunny, bird’s-eye view of busy Eastsound Village.

The Orcas Road Classics Car Club teamed up with the local Food Bank to accept cans of food and cash donations: entrants to the show were asked to donate to the Food Bank or $10 help this local charity.

Across the street, at Station 21, the Orcas Island Fire Department Volunteers were again flipping flapjacks — or maybe they were pancakes? — on both Saturday and Sunday.