Home Page for Campbell Field Airport
Campbell
Field Airport
9VG
Located on the Eastern Shore of Virginia
Updates from the airport and "Soup-on-Sunday"
"Come Roll on the Grass"
"Grassroots Airport for
Grassroots Flying"
"Home
of the $100 Hotdog"
Taildragger Friendly!
Airport & "Soup-on-Sunday" Updates 2005-2006:
2/05/2006
Soup-on-Sunday: It
seems that some of you read my mind. I have been considering making
this a "drive-in" event and sure enough most of you arrived on 4
wheels. Only two pilots and their passengers were not on the same
wavelength and braved the 20-25 kt winds to fly in. Fortunately the
wind was right down rwy 21. In between hot dogs we braved the wind to
check out all the GM, Ford
and Chrysler
model cars (we only buy American) in the parking lot. The Piper
Dakota and the Cessna Skylane
sat heavyhearted in their spots on the grass as we oohed and
ahhed all the land vehicles.
Ok, for all you scratching your heads, I
guess I
could have just said that it was windy and nobody came by plane!
(Except for the two that did come.) But then this blog would be boring
and you would have Googled something else by now.
While it was windy the hanger provided a
great wind
block and when the sun was out it was even warm. There were plenty of
meatballs, chilli, and hot dogs for everyone.
But please, I was never a fan of auto
shows so lets keep this an aviation event!
As for superbowl fans we had one person
in a
Steelers jacket. Because no one else knew who was playing I guess it
was a pro Steeler event by a score of 1-0. Being neutral I will just
say "Go Team".
1/22/2006
Soup-on-Sunday: Cooler
temperatures and prospects for deteriorating weather kept the crowds
away. Still 14 aircraft braved the first winter weather and arrived for
chilli and hotdogs. Most
of the arrivals were regulars, but it was nice to see a few new faces.
A 15mph wind out of the NE meant a great tailwind for anyone arriving
from the North but a headwind for the ride home.
A big suprise was the arrival of the
open cockpit "trike on steroids"
out of Williamsburg. Maybe a better name would be a "Rotax with wings".
The pilot stated that he hit a warm section of air when crossing the
Cheasapeake Bay. We all realized that it was really just the first
symptoms of hypothermia and we made sure he had ingested plenty of hot
chilli before his trip home! In reality, he really seems to be an
excellent pilot and wears enough layers to survive any cold weather in
his way. All the other pilots were sure to keep any complaints about
cold weather flying to themselves.
A couple of ultralights based near the
MD line (New
Church, VA) made quick progress to the event but were spotted near MFV
(13NE) almost an hour after their departure from 9VG. Walking might
have been a faster (but NOT better) option! Flying is fun and a
headwind just means more time in the cockpit.
Two Aircoupe's made the journey again
from Salisbury (yes, they brought the pilots). The Aircoupe is a great design
and a fun plane. It just proves that new is not necessarily better.
"Soup-on-Sunday" is cancelled next week
because I will be out of town. See you all on February 5th.
1/15/2006:
Don't worry, we did not have a "Soup-on-Sunday" today! And even if we
did it would have taken some skill to navigate your plane onto the
runway with winds gusting up to 50mph.
Why am I here? Well, my poor engineering
skills led
to the destruction of the large windsock on the top of the hanger. I
knew I should have wind tunnel tested my design! It held on in 50mph+
winds for a few hours last night but at exactly midnight the windsock,
weather station, guy wires and all came tumbling down. How do I know it
happened at exactly midnight? Thats when the weather station started to
give erroneous readings. Wind speeds just do not go from
50mph one minute to zero the next!
Fortunately the weather station had no
damage and it
is back up and collecting data. For proof see the Weather page. As for
the windsock, I am going to have to find another more stable location
to support it. In the meantime there are two other windsocks on the
field for pilots to rely on.
1/8/2006
Soup-on-Sunday: I thought that the new year would bring reduced
appetites as pilots went on their yearly weight loss campaigns. Was I
wrong! These "Soup-on-Sundays" are going to ruin the new light-sport
aircraft designation. The aircraft will be the only thing "light" about
it!
Getting past the joking, we had another
great
turnout. Luck has definately been on the AV8R's side these past few
weeks. Seems like every Sunday brings another warm and clear day. I am
still waiting for a cold day with frigid winds out of the NW to see who
the real diehard pilots are.
We had about 25 planes landing including
a couple of nice
RV's, two Grummans,
a great looking Piper
Apache, a bunch of 172's and
182's, I think I saw at least one Husky,
and many others. Even the State of Virginia was represented with their
Cessna 182. I think they like to do a "grip and grin" session this time
of the year to make you feel better about paying your taxes.
The Piper Apache was part of a group of
4 or so planes from EAA Chapter 339
out of Norfolk. A nice group from Charlottesville, VA also joined us.
The distance award goes to a great couple from New York City. I think
they had to take the Subway, then Taxi, then Car, and finally their
Grumman Tiger to get down here! What people will do to escape the big
city.
I could keep going on and on but I will
save some room for next week. See you then.
1/1/2006
Soup-on-Sunday: After a break last Sunday for the Christmas holiday
pilots were out in force again. It was another sunny and warm (for
January) with temps in the low 50's and light winds out of the North.
Planes started arriving as early as 11:30 with a final tally of about
22 planes. Once again the RV crowd was out in force. Either they're not
getting fed at home or those RV-8's are a hell of a fun plane to fly!
I'm guessing the latter. We also had a great looking Stinson 108
piloted by a Marine Corps Capt out of North Carolina. It looks like he
is going to have a lot of fun in his newly acquired Stinson, but I bet
he misses the verticle take- off capabilities that he is accustomed to
in his Harrier! A nice suprise was the open cockpit ultralight trike
that came in from Williamsburg. Most trike pilots have either packed
them away for the winter or have gone to Florida. His trike is powered
by a Rotax 912 making it a fun plane to fly. Hope everyone had a great
time and see you all next Sunday.
12/18/05
Soup-on-Sunday:
The weather service was predicting rain and snow but once again the
Eastern Shore was spared any precipitation. Unlike many areas to the
North this local area has received no snow this past month. The poor
forecasting resulted in a low turnout at "Soup-on-Sunday". Only 5
planes showed up but suprisingly all reported smooth flying conditions
with light winds right down rwy 03. So the combination of
great
flying weather and low turnout was dissapointing, but to be fair,
conditions outside of this area might have been very different. The
group that showed up enjoyed some great hanger talk and had plenty of
food. Enjoy your Christmas and don't forget to fly your plane on
Sunday, Jan. 1st!
Maule
Upate: Unfortunately my relationship with the Maule did not even get
off the ground (pun intended). I guess it was just never meant to
happen as her rightful owner was nice enough to explain to me; "...as
you were able to see for yourself, the stubborn Maule finally saw what
was good for her and agreed to come home after all ........ anyway, she
really enjoyed being there and appreciated your hospitality.
You
have to understand that Maules are like mules, bred to be country girls
and carry big loads to small places. The
stubbornness is
just part of their true colors .......... and when she saw
that
she was going to be traded for a ground hog Britt with 4 wheels !!!!
........ that really helped to make up her mind......" So it looks like
I have my "ground hog Britt with 4 wheels" still available for trade.
Any Cessnas or Pipers interested? Hmmm, there is a cute Fisher across
the field!
12/11/05
Soup-on-Sunday:
Another beautiful Eastern Shore Sunday brought out a large crowd to
Campbell Field. Some 23 fixed wing aircraft and a great looking
Robinson R22 Helicopter landed, or bounced in, and enjoyed the warm and
clear day.
We had a diverse crowd including several
retired
airline pilots, FAA examiner, FAA safety officer, several CFI's, plane
builders, etc. I'm sure if we added up the total hours of the group it
would be well over 100,000 hours.
Three EAA club organizations
were also well
represented; the Delmarva Aviation Association based out of Salisbury,
MD., the Hampton Roads 99's (EAA Chapter 399) and Ray's Raiders
ultralight club (EAA Chapter 108/ul) based on the Eastern Shore of
Virginia.
Luckily everyone came hungry and
finished off 4
gallons of Chili and around 60-70 hot dogs. I hope they were all full
on departure.
All aircraft except one stubborn Maule
departed at
the end of the day. Personally I think the Maule had such a good time
it did not want to leave. Fortunately for the Maule owners they were
able to strike a deal with me (I was in a charitable mood) and I traded
my 1999 Land Rover Automobile for their Maule. I am sure they will get
years of enjoyment out of my old car. The Maule sure seems happy in its
new home! Come on back next week, I have one more car to trade!
P.S. Next Sunday 12/18 is the last "Soup-on-Sunday" for 2005. Come and enjoy the Christmas party next week.
11/13/05 Soup-on-Sunday: The inaugural "Soup-on-Sundays" was 11/13. Approximately 15 hungry pilots showed up for the event and left with full stomachs. A warm, severe clear day with winds right down the runway provided for a excellent flying day. Thanks to the charter members this event is now well funded and ready for future Sundays!Beautiful RV-8
.
Crowd
enjoying the presentation.
Author
& Pilot Louis Stannard talking about China Diaries.
On a sad note our much beloved Tommy (our airport mascot)
passed
away this past on June 12th. His little heart just could not
keep
up with his busy social schedule. It was not a suprise as his
health was deteriorating but we will miss him very much.
5/21/2006
Soup-on-Sunday: One of the prettiest days we have
had.
Temperatures were in the mid 70's with a breeze down the
runway
and clear skies.
About seven
planes, including the Beechcraft Musketeer
above, rolled in and enjoyed hot dogs, chilli and, as a special treat,
some rocky road and oreo mint ice cream!
Everyone enjoyed the sunny day, including this
future aviator and his dad!
5/7/2006
Soup-on-Sunday: Rain moving in from the Southwest kept some
pilots away. The rain held off until 4PM, just in time for
the 7
aircraft that arrived for "Soup-on-Sunday" to depart for
home.
The first plane to arrive was a Beech
18 out of Tipton
(FME),
deep within the Washington DC ADIZ. The pilot of this
gorgeous
airplane had a very capable copilot; his 13 year old son.
Soon
after a Piper Apache
from the Norfolk area arrived. We all spent some time
admiring
the Beech 18 but unfortunately they had to leave early.
Shortly
after the departure of the Beech 18 several more planes arrived
including a Piper Colt out of Salisbury.
Piper
Colt based at Salisbury, MD (SBY)
4/10/2006 Sun n' Fun Update: While I have attended Sun 'n Fun in the past I never camped "under my wing" at the event. So this year I packed up my Grumman Tiger and flew to Lakeland for a week of Sun 'n Fun. Aircraft camping was on the East end of the airport which afforded a great view right down the runway and I thought it was a great vantage point for the airshows. Especially when the military jets were flying. The highlight of the trip was watching the F-14, f-15's, F-18's and F-22 Raptors fly. Those are some incredible machines. The rest of the week was spent walking around the miles of displays and sitting by my plane enjoying the sun. Every type of plane was there as well as vendors trying to sell you all the latest and greatest for your. Even the Virginia Department of Aviation had a display and full staff to promote general aviation in Virginia. It is great to live in a State with a positive attitude towards general aviation. Now if they could only do something about the price of avgas! Sun 'n Fun ended up being a great trip I look forward to the same at Oshkosh this summer.
3/26/2006
Soup-on-Sunday: I guess the winds in March will one day yield to the
April showers. But not before blowing hard out of the West for one more
Sunday! Today saw a small crowd, maybe no more than 6 planes,
but
it was a very interesting group and we sat and talked all afternoon.
The highlight of the day was listening to a gentleman
who
back in 1944 jumped out of a perfectly good aircraft in the dead of
night with little knowledge of where he was! Why
would anyone do this? Well, for a good cause! He was
a
member of the 101st Airborne Division and was one of 6,700 soldiers
dropped behind enemy lines to fight the Germans so just prior to the
Normandy beach assault. It is great to hear these stories
from
WWII Veterans and I hope he comes back to share more. On a
side
note he is now more comfortable staying in planes than jumping out of
them, and, with his son, flew in on a great looking Piper
Colt. I am off to Sun 'n Fun so see you
all in a few weeks.
3/19/2006 Soup-on-Sunday: Approximately 9-10 planes ventured in on another windy March day. What is interesting is the number of new faces each Sunday. While we do have many repeats it is nice to see new faces and the planes they come in on. One arrival from Fairfax, VA was a plane I had never seen before. I soon learned that it was a Pazmany PL-2. Not many were made, or at least not many are flying but it was an interesting bird. Another interesting plane to come in was the Thorp T-18 out of Manassas, VA. By the way both the Pazmany and the Thorp are homebuilt experimental aircraft. While some may cringe at the notion of an experimental aircraft the experienced will tell you that often you get a better, safer and more reliable plane by building it yourself. Just look at all the great RV's and Lancairs out there. One of my favorite aircraft, a Maule M-5, arrived from Maryland. A Maule really is at home on a grass strip.
3/12/2006
Soup-on-Sunday: Well today was a lot of fun. The "Soup-on-Sunday" went
great. Not a huge turnout due to 15-25 knot winds but a fun crowd. Earl
in his 172 was the first in and I think he holds the attendance record
for "Soup-on-Sundays". He even shows up when they are
cancelled!
Two doctors came in from Norfolk in a
182 RG. One of them is a AME.
After several hot dogs and some chilli I stayed away from him fearing
that he might invalidate my medical!
Then a A&P/IA
strolled in and between sips of coffee he kept a close eye for any
botched landings that might be in need of his services! Maybe I am in
cahoots and we put those bumps there on purpose! A few of those bumps
were felt by the small tires on a great looking Glasair
out of Chesapeake. Then a Cessna 150 came in using up not
more
than 200 feet of runway and made me wonder why in the world I spend
hours mowing 3000 feet!
Once again the Grumman Tigers
were out in force with two landing today. That made three on the field
including mine. I would of flown the Tiger today but my new Phantom
Ultralight was begging to be flown.
And that brings me to why today was
special. By 4PM,
after eveyone had departed, the winds died and I decided to try out my
new Phantom. I did a few crow hops the other day but had not flown
higher than 20-30 feet. Today I filled it up with 5 gallons of gas,
taxied out, did a few crow hops then blasted off! What a fun machine!
After years flying the Grumman Tiger I just saw flying in a different
perspective. After a few minutes in the pattern to get comfortable with
the Phantom I headed over to Nassawadox
Creek
that flows into the Chesapeake Bay. Flying at 200-300 AGL at
40-50 mph was an incredible experience. I followed several forks of the
creek and waved to people out on their docks. I then transversed the
peninsula we call the Eastern Shore, tried to keep up with some cars on
Route 13 and then flew a few circles over Red Bank, a small community
on the sea side. I can't wait to fly over to the barrier
islands in the upcoming months and I will be sure to post
some great photos from my flights here.
Other planes that trickled in during the afternoon included
a great looking 1952 Cessna 195.
Supposedley the plane has been declared "totaled" three times! (See
article in SportsmanPilot.com)
I would like to complement the owner on the quality of the restoration
but he has owned it some 38 years so he had plenty of time to make it
look nice! I guess it gives me another 25 years to get around to
washing and waxing my Grumman. The pilot is also a seaplane instructor.
Go visit him at ChesapeakeSeaplanes.com.
From the South two Stinson
108's
arrived in formation. One was from New Bern, N.C. (his 2nd
"Soup-on-Sunday") and the other from Raleigh, N.C. From the North a
Piper arrived from Neward, DE., and a Grumman (One of two
today) was from Laurel, MD. The other Grumman was from Gordonsville,
VA (Near Charlottesville). I was told the town was named
after yours truly.
In addition we enjoyed the company of
several
Cessna's, Pipers and a shiny RV8 (Used exclusively to transport the
President of EAA
Chapter 571).
Forecast for this coming Sunday is 70
and sunny so GO FLY!
Couple of Stinson 108's enjoying
a "Roll on the Grass".