About The Fly-In
There's got to be something more than just an interest in aviation and a small two-seat airplane that brings people together to a rural airport in the heart of middle America each year. You can call it a fly-in, but attendees will also describe this once-a-year event as family reunion, as proven by close to two hundred return attendees each year. For the past 10 years, owners and renters from all corners of the United States, Canada, and overseas make the annual pilgrimage to experience more family fun, flying and friendship than one could imagine. Participants range from those with only a passing interest in aviation, to seasoned professionals.
For four days, the airport in Clinton, Iowa (KCWI) is filled with the largest concentration of Cessna 150's and 152's you'll find anywhere. (Although other makes and models of aircraft are indeed welcome!) With something always happening - be it flying contests, seminars, impromptu aerial excursions to points of interest in the vicinity or around the pattern, to getting reacquainted with old (and new) friends... or just relaxing under and airplane wing on a warm summer day, the Cessna 150-152 Fly-In has something for everyone. There's nothing like it - anywhere. Some participants have logged several hundred hours and tens of thousands of miles both in the air and driving to attend every Fly-In to date. There must be something that keeps them coming back each year.
Read on to find out!
What's Happening?
Each year the Cessna 150-152 Fly-In has a number of events of interest to everybody. There are things to do and see that will make you wish you got there earlier and that the Fly-In would last just a little longer.
The Fly-In may not officially start for several days, but each year more and more pilots show up earlier and earlier - some almost a week early - to help set up, relax, pick out their parking spots and get a head start on the Fly-In experience. Days are spent meeting and greeting the arrivals of other attendees, impromptu flying and relaxing as only friends can do.
The Fly-In officially kicks off with a Tuesday Night Early Bird dinner. Come as you are, no dress-up necessary! Dinner can be anything from Chinese to Mexican to a German Wurstfest, but always with a heavy dose of conversation and laughs!
Thursday night is the traditional Hawaiian Luau! Enjoy the atmosphere of a genuine Hawaiian Luau with all the fixin's . And don't forget to bring your loudest Hawaiian shirt!
But there's more than just food. This is, after all, a fly-in!
There are flying contests designed to test your aviating skill. Ever wanted to see how close you can get an object dropped from low altitude to a set point? Want to try your skill at spot landing? Think you have the eye of eagle to come out on top in a scavenger hunt? Well, here's your chance to show the world what you've got!
If you've got a curious bone in you to perhaps find out a bit more about something, sit in on one of our seminars. All you have to do is show up, grab a seat and listen! Past topics have included landing gear maintenance, the lost art of hand propping, testing for alcohol in gasoline, spin recovery, and more! A number of experts in their respective fields ranging from the art of creating breathtaking aerial photos and video to aircraft engineering are ready to share their knowledge and expertise. Sometimes the unforeseen mechanical glitches - a broken alternator... a stuck valve... a stuck flap switch - have provided impromptu real-life hands-on demonstrations of not only how to repair these bumps in the airways, but also how to avoid them.
Don't forget the daily "Dusk Patrol", where pilots strap on their planes and have a relaxing and enjoyable way to end the day aloft. Or join the gang as they relax in the hangar or under an airplane wing in lawn chairs under the Iowa stars. You'll probably want to investigate where the music is coming from as a number of attendees are quite accomplished musicians.
Friday night is the traditional capstone of the event - the Awards Banquet.
Saturday marks the official end of the Fly-In with the traditional Fly-Away Pancake Breakfast. Enjoy a few more hours with friends and fill up as participants depart to return home.
If this isn't enough for you, there are a number of things to do away from the airport. Clinton is home to a casino, offering exciting Vegas games and world-class dining and entertainment. Also the Clinton Historic District has many points of interest.
The Fly-In has been described as using airplanes as an excuse to get friends together. If you're new to the Fly-In, your stranger status ends the moment you step out of the airplane. For Fly-In Veterans, it's another eagerly anticipated family reunion.
We hope this site will give you an insiders look glimpse into the Cessna 150-152 Foundation Fly-In. Come join us at the Clinton, Iowa Municipal Airport (KCWI) in July, and find out for yourself why enthusiasts travel to be here every July for a celebration of flying, fun, and friendship.
We'll be looking for you!
Contests
Imagine proving to the world that you're the best. Think you've got what it takes to be a Cessna 150-152 Top Gun? Well, here's your chance! An assortment of contests and games of skill lead the way to the crowning of "Top Gun", symbolized by the annual Clyde Award.
So what do you have to do to be the annual Top Gun?
Well, you're gonna need a hand, so find your best buddy to ride along with you. They don't have to be a pilot either, but this is after all, a team effort.
Spot Landing
The goal is to have any part of the airplane (preferably the landing gear!) touch down in an area known as Green Acres. Green Acres is an area extending across the runway in use, 75 (seventy-five) feet long. A team of judges grades three landings on style and grace. However, should the aircraft land long or short, the landing is a scratch and receives a score of zero. Highest score wins!
Nerf Drop
Each aircraft has three Nerf Delivery Units. The pilot guides the aircraft to a point no lower than 200 feet AGL, where the Nerf Delivery Specialist releases the Nerf in an attempt to drop it in a barrel. Credit is given on a declining scale the farther away from the target the Nerf lands. Highest score wins! Think you can drop it in the barrel? Good luck. In ten years it's only been done once.
Scavenger Hunt
This is a true test of aviating teamwork. The pilot flies and navigates while an observer is tasked with finding objects on the ground directed by a list of written clues. The object is to correctly identify as many objects as possible in the shortest amount of time. Upon arrival, the list is turned in and a list of bonus questions must be answered - relying only on memory (oh ok, you can use the pictures you took too). Flying skill, navigation, an eagle eye and the memory of an elephant are necessary to win this one!
The results from all three events are combined, and individual awards in each event are presented to the pilot and passenger. The pilot with the highest combined score is crowned TOP GUN!
Everyone has a role in the Contests! Non-pilots are as important as the pilot in attaining the coveted Top Gun. Even if you don't feel like flying, you can still participate in the contests as a Judge or cheer on your favorite team!
Hospitality
Attendees have a choice of free camping at the Airport or a hotel room. Fly-In veterans all agree the camping option is the most fun and convenient to spur-of-the-moment flying, food, sing-alongs, games and fun. Plus the price is right! Get there early to pick the best parking spot! (pssssst... they're all good) Hot showers and the air-conditioned Terminal Building is available 24/7 and van service is provided for trips into town and to and from hotels. There is a Super Walmart close by to pickup that important stuff you left at home.
But, as the Air Force types would say, "Why dig in when you can check in?" Several good hotels are available in town. A list of Clinton hotels can be found under Frequently Asked Questions on this site. The Wild Rose has special rates for the Fly-In, but discount rates for the other hotels can be had by looking on the popular hotel or travel websites.
Food is available on the airport during the Fly-In. Water is provided free, soft drinks at a nominal charge, and adult beverages are BYOB.
Either way, camping or guesting, you're guaranteed to have a great time!
History
After a few sporadic gatherings in the 1980's the Cessna 150 and 152 were among the few aircraft types that did not have an annual gathering. The 150-152 Club itself was revitalized when Club president Royson Parsons and Lori Colunga grabbed the bull by the horns and injected a massive dose of energy and innovation.
The Fly-In began as an impromptu event in 2001, with a group of 150-152 pilots and others, meeting in Clinton, Iowa to discuss issues and items relating to their airplanes. Over the next few years, the event grew as the word got out. In 2005, and ensuing years, spurred by reports of the fun an ever-growing list of enthusiastic and diverse members, the Fly-In, sponsored by the Cessna 150-152 Club took on a life and synergy of it's own.
In 2009, saddled by the immense tasks of year-round planning for the event, the Club leadership announced that it was no longer capable to plan, staff, and run the Fly-In by it self itself. A call went out to the membership, and a large group of individuals responded. The Cessna 150-152 Fly-In Foundation was formed - separate of the Cessna 150-152 Club. Headed by President Kirk Wennerstrom, the Foundation seeks to perpetuate, grow, and improve the annual Fly-In, and make it not only a model to be emulated, but also an event to be anticipated.
