The High Sky Wing

Hops ‘n Props 2012

Posted on April 22, 2012 by Greg Gutting

Hops ‘n Props was a big success this year. Approximately 300 were in attendance, enjoying live music performed by The Cory Yeager Band, a silent auction, food, and, of course, plenty of hops. The band alone was well worth the price of admission.

The photo shows some of the HSW members that attended: (l to r) Paul Latham, Drew Diggins, Mark Russell, Patti Collins, Brent Collins, Jerry Perales and Paul Cooper try to find a Messerschmidt to shoot down from their waist-gunner position in a B-17. (Their family histories can be traced back to the Keystone Cops!)

(Photo by Greg Gutting)

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HSW Proudly Represented at 2012 Bluebonnet Air Show in Burnet, TX

Posted on April 16, 2012 by Jay Burns

The "Bluebonnet Belle" of the Highland Lakes Squadron (photo by Jay Burns)

The High Sky Wing sent eleven members and three aircraft to Burnet over the weekend for the Bluebonnet Airshow. This was the first overnight trip for this airshow season.

The flight down was mostly smooth, but weather moved in overnight making Saturday cloudy and cool. While the temperatures were perfect, windy conditions made the flying Saturday a demonstration of skill, especially for those demonstrating formation flying.

: Lance taxis the SNJ before leading a formation flight (photo by Jay Burns)

A few drops of rain did not deter a decent sized crowd from coming out to watch aerobatics, formation demonstrations, a cold war era HIND attack helicopter and plenty of warbirds.

The HSW sent the SNJ (pictured at right) piloted by Lance Sommers, the L-17 piloted by Steve Clinton and the Twin Beech piloted by owner James Martin. Perhaps it is pride in the wing’s aircraft, but it seemed as if the three airplanes of the HSW had the largest number of onlookers.

: Steve Clinton answers questions about the L-17 (photo by Jay Burns)

Lines formed around the L-17 Navion and Steve Clinton was all too happy to spend two hours answering questions and giving cockpit tours to children. All of the youngsters were smiling and talking about being a pilot after Steve worked his magic.

The threat of inclimate weather and high winds prompted the HSW planes to depart early. After a bumpy ride, all made it safely back to MAF and enjoyed recapping the weekend in the Ready Room. (On a side note, the skill and professionalism of the HSW pilots were on full display Saturday as they executed smooth, safe landings despite high winds; it truly is an honor to have these talented individuals flying for the HSW.)

The next scheduled airshow is The Big Country Airfest April 27-28 at Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene.

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New Member Tom Maunder Joins During Fly Day

Posted on April 10, 2012 by Greg Gutting

New Colonel Tom Maunder poses beside SNJ101, just prior to take-off on his first flight. Tom, and his wife Sue, recently arrived in Midland from Anchorage, AK and were excited to learn about, and join, our organization. (photo by H.A. Tuck)