Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Air Expo Planned At Gurdon's Lowe Field October 27

By JOHN MILLER

An invasion force is poised and ready to make its approach to the small town of Gurdon.

These invaders will be making their attack from the air, and those on hand at Lowe Field Sunday, Oct. 27 will be more than glad to see them.

This is because the invasion force will not be a hostile army or any other type of enemy. These invaders will be members of aerobatic flight teams who have flown down to participate in the First Annual Gurdon Air Exposition.

Fans of air shows will recognize most of the names who will be risking their lives for the entertainment of those on the ground. Bobby Younkin is bringing his Samson down, while Doug Watts has been scheduled to fly down in his Forbes F-3 "Cobra," the last of its kind. The flying physician, Dr. Galen Hutcheson will be there with his modified Pitts Special as well.

However, there will be more than stunt flying going on at Lowe Field during the weekend of Oct. 26-27. Most of the pilots will be flying in Oct. 26 to set up and get ready for Sunday's show. Along with the acts, several homebuilt planes, experimental planes and remote control groups will be in Gurdon strutting their stuff and showing off their wares and skills.

Additionally, a group of parachutists will be filling the skies with their feats of daring do as they leap from the safety of planes at 5,000 feet to perform their acts.

While the acts will be Sunday afternoon, from 2-5 p.m., Saturday's slate includes many static displays. Arkla Gas Co. has agreed to allow the Gurdon Airport Commission the use of its hot air balloon for rides during the weekend, while a helicopter company from Tulsa, Okla. will be down, giving rides for a fee.

McGruff the Crime Dog and Smokey the Bear are scheduled to appear as well, reminding children not to play with matches and help take a bite out of crime.

The Arkansas State Police will be present with its traffic helicopter, letting the audience see exactly what they can do with their "eye in the sky."

According to Mary Burns, a member of the Gurdon Airport Commission and coordinator of the air expo, the homebuilt planes and experimentals will be lined up from the back of the hangar to where the helicopter rides will be given. This is being done, she said, so those going for the rides will be able to examine and oggle the unusual crafts on hand.

Mike Fisher and other radio control clubs, as well as string controlled aircrafts, will be used to warm up the crowds before the real fun begins. It must be said the audience will be well warmed up as these RC clubs will be doing many of the stunts the aerobatic pilots will do only on a smaller scale.

In fact, one of the clubs is working on a scale model of Watts' Cobra. A member of the club had seen Watts perform at another air show, liked his plane and is building a smaller, radio controlled version, which may be on hand -- if it's finished at the time.

There will be a few small differences in the RC Cobra and Watts' craft. Watts' plane has no inverted systems, which means it has to be flown with a soft touch so the engine won't stall while he's upside down.

Should the engine stall out, Watts will meet the ground in a rude manner as his Cobra doesn't have an electric starter. So, when the engine dies, the plane comes down -- fast, as the Cobra flies at 240 miles per hour.

However, he could be lucky. With the flying physician, Dr. Hutcheson, on hand, Watts may be able to be patched up, hopefully this won't be needed and Dr. Hutcheson can thrill the audience with his aerobatic skills with no interruption.

Dr. Hutcheson, a former U.S. Army Ranger, will be flying his black, red, white and blue highly modified Pitts over the audience at 240 mph as well. His act includes an abundance of different colored smoke as he soars through the skies.

Andy McCain will definitely be an exciting act with his barnstorming pilots in biplanes. McCain's act includes old fashioned (and dangerous) stunts.

Don Morton's act could be one of the more unusual ones of the expo. Morton will be bringing in his powered glider for the show.

The finale will be spectacular as Younkin puts his Wolf-Samson biplane through its paces with his daredevil act, which includes snap and torque rolls along with loops and spins. Basically anything that can be done in a Samson, a plane Younkin says is the best stunt plane ever built, and the only one of its kind.

Some of the other static displays, Burns said, include the medical hospital from St. Joseph's Medical Center, and displays from the Civil Air Patrol, along with Dr. Bost and his hot air balloon. Baptist Medical Center will be on hand with its Med-Flight chopper as well.

The show itself begins at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 26, with the VooDoo Cowboys taking center stage at 1.

Burns said concessions will be available for those patrons whose nerves require food and drink to be calmed, or even if they're just hungry or thirsty.

Funds raised by the expo will be used toward the renovations of Lowe Field, including getting the runway widened and paved. Future plans include the construction of a new hangar with a pilot's lounge and residence for an on-site manager.

T-shirts for the festival are available at different locations in Gurdon including Horizon Bank, First State Bank, Thomerson Drugs, Honky's, South Fork truck stop and at the Gurdon City Hall. These shirts are $10 each and are worth more if worn to the expo.

Burns said tickets for the air show are $2 for adults and $1 for children ages 5-12. However, for those wearing the T-shirts, the tickets are $1 for adults and free to all others.