Jimmy Stewart Airport Festival 2013

Although the airport festival is a Saturday / Sunday event, most of the big airplanes that will be on display fly in on Friday.  Never knowing exactly when the planes are coming in I get to the airport early so that I can get pictures of their approach, landing and parking so that I have at least one or two pictures without a crowd around the aircraft.

Friday - 14 June 2013

Because I get to the airport early in the day I get to see several different types of aircraft that come and go.  This photograph shows a 1997 Cessna Model 550 Windstar 9-seat corporate jet.

2008 American Champion Aircraft Citabrim

Another of the corporate jets that happened to come into the airport on Friday afternoon was this Israeli Aircraft Industries Model 1124A.  It is a 12-seat twin-engine turbo jet.

After a long wait in the hot sun the weekend show pieces start to arrive.  The first to land was this Boeing Stearman E75 also known as an N2S/PT17.  The aircraft flew in from Florida and is capable of flying at 124 miles per hour.  It can cover 500 miles on a tank of gas.

Another shot of the Stearman before it was put into a hangar for the night.

Known as the Barbie III this B-25H Mitchell bomber built in 1943 is one of only 25 that are still flying in the U.S.  Through talking with the air crew I found out that the airplane was bought from the US government in 1969 for $3,500.

C-46 Tinkerbell coming in for a landing.  The airplane was built by Curtiss Wright Aircraft Company in 1941.  Its real claim to fame was its ability to fly over "The Hump", the Himalayan Mountains. With its 1700 horsepower motors the transport was able to carry up to 40,000 pounds of cargo.

Next in line is the AT6-G Texas Trainer.  Known as the Pilot Maker, this low wing mono-plane with its 550 horsepower Platt and Whitney engine is capable of 205 miles per hour.  This plane was built in 1952. 

One of the WWII re-enactors rides his pristine Wizard motorized bicycle around the airport.

Saturday - 15 June 2013

B-25 sitting in the fog at 07:15 Saturday morning.

1942 Dodge Carryall

With the fog starting to lift, the T6 gets fueled up and serviced.

C46 Tinkerbell

T6 trainer taking off with its first passenger.

Navy version of the AT6 Texan is this SNJ-5 built in 1958.

L-39C Albatross is a jet trainer built in Czechoslovakia by Aero Vodochody.  It is now based in Lock Haven, PA.

SNJ taxis into the static display area at the Jimmy Stewart Airport.

Designed by Piel Emerande this homebuilt CP-32A flew in from Churchill, PA.

1948 Navion Model A a four-seater with a 205 horsepower Continental motor.  The aircraft flew in from the state of Virginia.

The LifeFlight helicopter lifts off from the airport and flies over top of the B-25 as the chopper makes its way back to the Indiana County Hospital late on Saturday afternoon.

Navy SNJ leaves a smoke trail as it does a fly-by down the main runway.

My friend Scott gives me a look as he does a fly-by in his Pitts Special before climbing to about 3,000 feet over the airport to do barrel rolls, and upside down flying.

T6 does a fly-by over the field before heading home to Lock Haven, PA.

Luray, VA

A town worth visiting, there is a lot to do here and except for the Caverns it doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

Building along the Hawksbill Greenway in downtown Luray, VA

This building is right beside the building in the previous shot.

Warehouse Art Gallery located just off of Main Street.  The gallery is over 7,000 square feet and is used for a multitude of activities, including musical performances, receptions and wine tastings.

Slug Boy
Just a small part of a chainsaw art character by artist Glenn Richardson

Artist Card by Mary delaFontaine

Artist in Residence by Chance Liscomb.

Mascot for the Luray High School Class of 1965.

Decisions by Cynthia Greene.

Black-crowned Night Heron
This is only the third time I've seen one of these birds.

Showing the wings of the Black-crowned Night Heron as it flies away from me.  The wing-span of the bird is approximately 40 inches.

Singing Tower that stands across the road from Luray Caverns.  It was built in 1937.

Page Theatre along East Main Street.

Fly fisherman along Hawksbill Greenway

BB Wolf opened up the free summer concert series in Ruffner Plaza along the Greenway.

Even though this photograph shows a somewhat sparse crowd the locals did turn out as the cold, windy evening progressed.

Farm pasture.

Unfortunately I was only able to get a few shots of the old buildings and farmhouses while driving around the area.  There weren't any pull-off areas along the narrow two-lane roads outside of the city limits.  I saw a lot but it wasn't safe to stop.

Jewelry stand inside the Page Valley Flea Market near Stanley, VA.   The market is housed in two old chicken coops that are probably 250 feet long.

One of several monuments dedicated to CSA veterans of the Civil War.

There is only one set of train tracks in Luray, and I was lucky enough to get this shot of a Norfolk Southern train as it went flying through town.