GREENVILLE, Maine – When it comes to making a decision about flying, pilots know that weather is the most important factor.
So when thundershowers were predicted for the Moosehead Lake area on Saturday, some wondered if the 41st International Seaplane Fly-In would be washed out.
It wasn’t. In fact, it was sunny all morning and it didn’t rain until around 2 p.m., after most of the major events had already taken place.
“People started coming Wednesday and Thursday,” said Darralyn Gauvin, secretary of the fly-in committee. “We had a full boat – about 150 people – for the Katahdin cruise on Thursday night and a beautiful sunset to watch. I’d estimate we have as many, if not more, people and planes as last year.”
As of mid-morning Saturday, there were about 125 planes at the Greenville Municipal Airport and 100-plus campers on the site. Many pilots who visit the International Seaplane Fly-In don’t have pontoons on their craft, but just want to socialize and enjoy the Moosehead Lake region as the summer winds down.
One of them was David DeCosta of New Bedford, Massachusetts. “I’ve been coming up here for 24-25 years,” said DeCosta, a retired municipal worker. “I built a Challenger II (two-seater ultralight) after I retired, but I still haven’t put pontoons on it.”
DeCosta said that his only concern about private aviation is the loss of older pilots who aren’t being replaced by younger ones. “Some of my old friends up here have passed away, and their sons and daughters aren’t taking up flying. That’s kind of sad,” said DeCosta. “But seaplanes always draw a great crowd. I look forward to this weekend.”
The International Seaplane Fly-In was conceived in 1974 by some veteran pilots like Jack Hofbauer, Duane Lander and Max Folsom as a way to get crowds back to Greenville after Labor Day weekend.
The event has grown significantly in recent years and now includes numerous food vendors and a craft fair that stretches from the Katahdin parking lot up Lily Bay Road to Bangor Savings Bank. “An old newspaper article from 1991 said that the fly-in had a nice crowd of 300 people,” Gauvin noted. “It’s been well over 5,000 in recent years.”
Gayle Michener is senior vice-president of AON Aviation in Staten Island, New York and a regular summer visitor to Greenville. This year, she volunteered to help with announcing duties at the fly-in. “I’m familiar with most of the aircraft and I also know many of the pilots,” she said. “So I was happy to help out.”
Michener also knew the rules of the pilot contests such as the canoe race, “bomb” drop – which are actually grapefruits – and spot landing. “The canoe race is a lot of fun to watch,” said Michener. “But I think the crowd just about enjoys everything.”
In the canoe race, one person has to paddle the watercraft to a wharf in the middle of the lake and meet an arriving seaplane. The paddler and pilot then lash the canoe to the pontoons, take off through a designated route, return to the starting point and tie up the craft.
A banquet and awards ceremony for the participants was held at the airport Saturday night. The weekend concluded on Sunday morning with a public breakfast at the American Legion Post and a Seaplane Pilots’ Association breakfast meeting on the Katahdin.