Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Acts Are On Tap For 1st Air Expo

Off they'll go, into the wild blue yonder, flying high and flying fast.

"They" are the Shooting Star Airshows, along with Doug Watts, two aerobatic acts which will be featured in the First Annual Gurdon Air Exposition at Lowe Field Oct. 21, in conjunction with the annual Forest Festival.

Watts will be bringing his Forbes F-3 "Cobra" racing biplane, built in 1975 by airline captain Dave Forbes.

This tiny plane is part of aviation's racing history. It is powered by a modified Lycoming 0-320 cubic inch engine, generating about 200 horsepower at 3400 revolutions per minute (RPM).

In addition, this craft's engine has been specially tuned and balanced to turn the RPMs necessary to win pylon races, and to reach speeds of 240 miles per hour in straight, level flight.

The Cobra's appearance is so designed as to reduce the overall structural drag and increase speed.

Watts found this craft hanging in the Santa Monica, Calif. Air Museum.

He refurbished the plane and experimented with it in aerobatic flight, something the Cobra wasn't designed for.

What Watt learned was, because of the plane's excellent roll rate, performance and strength, it deserved to be demonstrated aerobatically.

However, each time this plane is flown aerobatically, Watts risks his life. The Cobra has no inverted system in order to keep its weight down to a scant 680 pounds. This means the craft has to be flown with a smooth touch to keep the engine from stalling in inverted (upside down) flight.

Should the engine stall out, Watts has no way to restart it, as it has no electric starter. A stalled engine means the plane and pilot crash.

But this hasn't happened yet. In fact, the Cobra has taken first place in the Texas National and Corvallas Oregon races, along with a race in Cleveland. In Reno, Nev. it finished second.

Another reason for people to come to the air expo at Lowe Field will be the Shooting Star show, featuring Dr. Galen Hutcheson and his highly modified Pitts S-1S.

Dr. Hutcheson, a former special forces ranger in the U.S. Army, hasflown since 1973. During his performance, Dr. Hutcheson wears the black uniform of the special forces.

When he left military service in 1973, Hutcheson worked as an undercover narcotics officer for the Arkansas State Police.

He left this profession in 1979 to return to school and study medicine, graduating from the University of Arkansas School of Medicine in 1986.

Dr. Hutcheson completed his three-year residency at St. Bernards Hospital in Jonesboro in family practice. He is board certified in the Academy of Family Practice and is currently medical director of the Mediquik Clinic in Jonesboro.

However, in 1987, he began flying aerobatically in a Pitts S-1C. Dr. Hutcheson took up airshows three years ago.

His new plane was added in 1994. It is specially designed and engineered to perform in the Unlimited Category in competitions.

The black with red, white and blue trim (denoting a patriotic theme) has plenty of white engine smoke and is rigged for wingtip smoke generators which can be fired from the cockpit to add colored smoke at key points in his routine.

The plane has a roll rate approaching 360 degrees per second. It has an operating speed from 0 to more than 200 mph in waivered airspace from 250 feet to 2,500 feet altitude.

These two aircraft won't be all at the expo, and this won't be the first airshow held at Lowe Field. It will, however, be the first annual air expo.

Along with Watts and Dr. Hutcheson, the Arkla Gas Co. will be providing its hot air balloon. Those interested can take rides in the balloon, weather permitting.

Additionally, KSSN will be doing a live remote broadcast from the airport.

According to Mary Burns, who is coordinating the expo, Barry Hoppert will be bringing his parachute act down for the festivities as well, with the jumpers firing colored smoke bombs on their way back to terra firma.

There is a possibility the Confederate Air Force will bring a couple of its planes to theexposition as well.

In addition, there will be a number of displays on hand. Burns is working on a design for tee shirts commemorating the event, with the logo "Have a High Time at Lowe Field."

Because the air expo will be held in conjunction with the Forest Festival, a shuttle service could be provided for those interested in participating in both.

However, to keep the two events from competing with one another, the Saturday of the air expo will primarily feature static displays while the acts prepare for their Sunday afternoon show.

There could be some events Saturday night, after the Forest Festival closes down.

Doug Watts is shown with his Forbes F-3 Cobra stunt plane. Watts, along with aerobatic pilot Dr. Galen Hutcheson and the parachute act of Barry Hoppert will be featured at the first annual Air Exposition at Gurdon's Lowe Field. The air expo has been scheduled in October to be held in conjunction with the 16th annual Forest Festival. The air show will be held Sunday, after the Forest Festival has closed down, with some acts possibly performing Saturday evening. KSSN radio will be on hand doing a live remote broadcast of the festivities, and there will be plenty of displays on hand for the curious. A shuttle service may be arranged to get people from the Forest Festival to the Air Expo, and vice versa.