Challenger's 20th Birthday party at Erie Airpark
By Brian Gilomen
Quad City Ultralight Aircraft Corp. celebrated 20 years of continuously manufacturing the Challenger line of aircraft with a fly-in at the Erie, Illinois, Airpark over the weekend of September 20-21. More than 50 single and two-place Challengers showed up. Enough other ultralights and light aircraft flew in to top 80 planes. The airpark is owned by Jim and Sue Robinson, is home to 27 aircraft (including 25 Challengers), and is located 20 miles east of Moline, where the Challenger factory can be found. Attendees were shuttled by the Quad Cities staff to and from the factory for tours. Awards were given to the oldest single and two-place machines. Gene Clark, of Monroe, Wisconsin, had the oldest single-place Challenger, serial number 11, in which he's logged more than 1,900 hours since 1983. Steve Greer, of Sherrard, Illinois, recently purchased the very first production two-place Challenger and is currently rebuilding the aircraft. Jim Hayward, of Rapid City, South Dakota, received the award for flying his Challenger the farthest to attend the fly-in.
The FVFC made its usual excellent fly-in showing. For my part, I first flew into Cushing to join up with some of the other FVFC members, and -- more importantly -- to chow down on a stick-to-your-ribs breakfast with the usual suspects:
Brad and I were the only ones who planned on spending the night. Rickey almost had to also, however, because his plane was displaying its usual bad manners on start up. Fortunately for Rickey, Kevin saved the day with his expert hand-propping abilities:
Too bad the rest of the gang high-tailed it out of Erie so soon. Brad and I were able to take a leisurely pre-dinner flight over the Mississippi:
Although Brad and I got back from our trip over the Big Muddy (and a quick touchdown in Clinton so that Brad could log a landing in yet another state) too late to claim the slab of ribs that we were looking forward to (they were snapped up quickly!), we were able to make due with a succulent Pork Tenderloin sandwich. Then, along with the rest of those who were spending the night, we enjoyed an old-fashioned, huge bonfire with about 25 other people, swapping stories and a pint of Jack. Our host, Jim Robinson, played the guitar and sang folk songs.
It got chilly in our tents that night, but Brad and I survived. We got up a little before 6:30 the next morning, grabbed a cup of coffee, packed our tents away, and were in the air by 8:00. We flew the 80 or so miles to Hinckley -- where we planned on joining up with folks going to the Sunday fly-in there -- in about an hour and a half. The only time I felt a bump was when I was doing tight circles, when I hit my own prop wake. We passed the Windmill Power Farm on the way:
Where to now?:
Challenger 20th Birthday Party