Well we debated which airplanes to fly down to Arlington for the 41st annual Arlington Fly In for a few days. We knew the Piper Clipper and Ryan STA-Special were going and we had hoped to fly the F24 down, but the cylinders weren’t back from the shop yet. So in the end we flew the Waco INF down instead. And after taking the Ryan out of the hangar, it’s neighbor, the Mooney Mite, looked eager to go as well. It was a good choice, as the tiny Mite attracted a lot of attention.

We were lucky enough to park next to Addison Pemberton’s spectacular Boeing 40C. It is an amazing airplane and the workmanship is truly remarkable, a fun airplane to be parked next to for the show.

In the end it was an award winning place to be parked as well. The Clipper took Grand Champion in the classic category and the Boeing took Grand Champion in the antique category. It was quite an honor for the Clipper, a relatively simple airplane. But just about everybody who took a look at the PA-16 was in awe of the craftsmanship Jim and Drew put into the plane. Like our other Short Wing Pipers, it looks nicer than the day it came off the assembly line. It will be added to the aircraft section soon, and expect more photos to showcase the Clipper as well.

The Piper wasn’t our only award, the STA-Special took home a champion plaque in antique, and the last minute/visitor favorite Mooney Mite took home a workmanship award in the classic category. The Waco wasn’t judged as we are waiting until it goes through restoration hopefully in the next few years.