I'm a little behind on getting this posted (imagine that!), but that's about the normal schedule for me!

Each year EAA hosts several "fantasy camps" at Pioneer Airport and EAA HQ.  There are camps for the B-17, the Ford Tri-Motor, the Bell 47 helicopter, and the focus of this post - Biplanes!  The Biplane Fantasy Camp was a little different this year for a couple of reasons.  First, the camp was expanded to be a "Vintage Airplane Fantasy Camp".  Rather than focus only on the biplanes, the camp this year included the Spirit of St. Louis.  Camp participants got rides in two different biplanes (more on that in a minute) and also EAA's replica of the Spirit.

Which brings me to the second thing different about this year's camp - it included my Waco!  In the past the folks running the camp have sometimes run into problems with getting everyone up in the biplanes.  Either weather or mechanical issues often threw the schedule into disarray, making it difficult to get all the rides taken care of.  So this year they asked me to provide the Waco as a "backup" in case they had problems.

So the first "first" was bringing the Waco into Pioneer airport.  I've landed at Pioneer a few times during the ski plane fly-ins in my Cubs, and I fly there as a helicopter pilot in the Bell 47.  But the Waco had never been on the ground at Pioneer until this year's fantasy camp.  Here's a picture taken shortly after I arrived with the airplane.

Landing at Pioneer is really enjoyable, and a bit challenging at times due to the proximity to Wittman Field.  But it's a neat airport and a great benefit to EAA members and museum visitors.

Here's a view across the runway toward the EAA museum.

The other biplanes being used for the camp were the EAA's Travel Air and Swallow.  Here they are, ready for action.

As it turned out, the Waco was pressed into service to haul a few rides when the landing gear shock cords on the Swallow started to show signs of problems.  I was happy to fill the gap and give some rides in the Waco, and the campers who rode in the airplane really enjoyed it.

After the camp activities concluded I finished out the weekend by hauling some rides in the Bell 47.  A couple of the biplane campers took rides in the helicopter with me as well.  All in all, a great weekend for all involved.

There won't be much more flying for the biplane this winter, so my next post may very well be retirement of the Waco for the winter.

Cheers!