August 2010
Arlington,
2010
It had been five years since I could
arrange a trip to the Arlington airshow,
but it came together this July.
Seasonal flying jobs were one reason for
missing the show but the slow economy has
cut down on the need for pilots this
year, so with this forced retirement came
the opportunity for me to do other
things. As it turned out,
Dennis and Lynda Seib planned to drive
down from Kamloops in their new
motorhome, and offered a seat and a bed
if I could make it. I wouldnt
turn down something like that, and was
very grateful for the opportunity.

So it was that we got away early on the
Friday morning, and following a long wait
at the border, and an equally long battle
with the Bellingham-area traffic, we got
to the Arlington airport late that
afternoon. On arrival, we found a
truck and camper parked half-way into the
camp spot Lynda had reserved, and there
wasnt room for the 30-foot
motorhome. The inconsiderate
owner was nowhere to be found, so Lynda
simply backed up to his door, and we shut
down right there. A good start to a
friendly weekend.
Our initial reconnaissance of the airport
and attractions was a bit disappointing
in my opinion. After a five-year
absence from Arlington, it was quickly
apparent that what we read about general
aviation in general, is true.
Things are on the decline. Fewer
pilots are being trained, fewer hours are
being flown, government regulations are
having their affect causing higher costs
and greater restrictions on where and how
we fly. Theres more than just
higher fuel prices to blame for the slide
in G.A. Even down at the south end
of the field where the ultralights
gather, there was so very little
activity, we could only hope things would
pick up on Saturday. Unfortunately,
they didnt. The early morning
flying that was always the wake-up call
at the campground didnt really
happen this year. Just a few planes
flew in the circuit in the early hours of
Saturday morning.

Exhibitors were scarce. There
wasnt much exciting presented for
showing. Several of the newer
LSA designs were on hand for inspection,
but for the most part, that section of
the field was pretty empty. Many
itinerant aircraft did show up, as pilots
with their families continue to fly in
and camp under their wings. And the
airshow was exciting each
afternoon. We didnt see too
many helicopters, and no gyrocopters this
year.

To anyone who has been to Arlington on an
annual basis, this may not seem a fair
assessment. You have to remember
Ive missed the past five shows, so
if theres been a gradual decline in
attractions, the regular attendees
wouldnt notice the big drop that I
saw over that period of time. But
make no mistake, its different now
than back in 2004/05, just as general
aviation is when compared through the
same time frame.
The weekend wasnt by any means a
loss or write-off. Other members we
see around Knutsford were camped there as
well, and the social part of Arlington
was up to par. Dick Suttie, Gerald
Gibbons and Dan Berwin showed up, as did
Larry Williams from Vernon and John
McDermott from Salmon Arm. One
activity I can recommend if you go next
year the downtown Arlington street
fair. That is one thing thats
probably bigger and better than
ever. We had a very enjoyable
afternoon snooping around and came back
to the campground loaded with plenty of
free giveaways.
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