Life Begins At Forty: An Anniversary Celebration of the AAA/APM Fly-In at Antique Airfield
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In Sep of 1971 the first AAA/APM Invitational Fly-in was held at Antique Airfield near Blakesburg, IA. At that point in time Antique Airfield had only existed for a little over a year. The move of the AAA and APM from the Ottumwa Industrial Airport had been a busy and exciting time though fraught with yet-to-overcome challenges and resistance from various quarters. But the die had been cast and the 1st AAA/APM Fly-in at Antique Airfield went on as scheduled. Despite the minimal facilities the fly-in was a success and set in motion four decades of fly-ins at Antique Airfield that continue to the present day.
Therefore the theme of the 2011 AAA/APM Invitational Fly-In was Life Begins at Forty, a celebration of the fortieth anniversary of the first fly-in at Antique Airfield.
1971 AAA/APM Fly-in Antique Airfield (looking South)
2010 AAA/APM Fly-in Antique Airfield (looking NE)
At that first AAA/APM Fly-in held at Antique Airfield, a Monocoupe 90a NC16427, owned, restored and flown by AAA Lifetime member Red Lerille of Lafayette, LA, emerged as the Grand Champion Antique. It is fitting then that the featured aircraft for the 40th Anniversary event was Monocoupes. A large number of the various models of 'Coupes turned out, including the APM's sole extant Monoprep as well as models 113, 110, 90 series, and the Mullicoupe.
The 1971 Grand Champion: Red Lerille's Monocoupe 90a,
NC16247
Along with the Monocoupes we recognized those notable antiques that attended and were the "stars" of those early days at Antique Airfield. That list would include such aircraft as the Hamilton Metalplane, Parks P-2, Waco QCF-2, Howard DGA-15, Travel Air Mystery Ship, Stearman C3-R, Curtiss Robin, American Eagle, Buhl Bull Pup etc..
Featured Aircraft that attended the fly-in:
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Monocoupe 90aw, NC15440 D.J. Short Warrensburg, MO |
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Monocoupe 90aw, NC18056 Brian Meuser Santa Rosa, CA Photo by Mike Shreeve |
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Monocoupe 110 spl., NC2064 "Spirit
of Dynamite" Richard Smith Seneca, PA |
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Monocoupe 90al, N52271 John Cournoyer Flown by Scott Johansson Ellsinore, MO |
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Monocoupe 90al, N262JL
Len Herbert Garland, UT |
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Monoprep Airpower Museum Collection Blakesburg, IA |
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Monocoupe 110, NC114V Warren Pietsch Minot, ND |
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Monocoupe 90aw, NX15429 Cam Blazer Leawood, KS Photo by Jim Koepnick/EAA |
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Velie powered Monocoupe 113, NC8934 Wayne Muxlow Minneapolis, MN |
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Monocoupe 90al, NC38905 Mel McCollum St. Louis, MO |
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Monocoupe 110spl, N2347 |