• PRESS RELEASE •  

Large crowds enjoyed the aerial adventures at the 27th Annual Stearman Fly-In in Saint Francis, Kansas, on June 13 and 14, 2009.

An early morning rain on Saturday stopped the hot air balloons from free flying, but John Kugler of McCook, NE, inflated later in the morning and tethered the seven-story high balloon. While it floated gracefully, skydivers landed beside it. John and Linda Nash also inflated their balloon.

The five Stearman aircraft attending flew often, so there was nearly always an airplane in the sky. Click here to see a photo and video of a Stearman overflight.

Many spectators took rides in the Stearmans, which are WWII vintage, fabric-covered biplanes with radial engines. Over the weekend, skydivers made about 25 skydives, including the demo at the Friday night party. A total of 45 aircraft attended. While the weather was very good, the forecasts were ominous: that fact, coupled with the economic downturn, reduced the number of aircraft attending compared to previous years.

Perhaps the rarest bird attending was a 1945 Stampe' which was flown by Bud Silvers of Colorado Springs. The Stampe' sports a Renault engine. Stan Jones also brought his 1942 North American AT6 and Tim Liewer his 1936 Stinson SR7C.

The Balloon Bust contest was won by Dr. Curt Kimball, Sterling, CO, the originator of the event and the only Stearman pilot with a perfect attendance record.

If you have photos of this year's Fly-In that you'd like to share, please click here.