Mark Riley's Velocity Build: WWII Weekend and Summer Flying

Sean and I were going to do an all day Dad 'n Lad aviation day on Saturday. My old airport, Smoketown, was having a fly in at 8:00 and the annual World War II Days weekend at Reading Airport started at 10:00.

It was bright and sunny when I walked our early rising puppy with Nancy. Sean and I then drove out to Chester County Airport to hop in the plane. The airport is only 12 minutes from our house, but by the time we got there, it was gloomy and dark with the ceiling below 1,000 feet. No flying this morning.

The good news was that the airport restaurant, The Flying Machine Cafe, was empty, since no one could fly in. We decided to have breakfast and then drive to the air show in Reading.

When we got there, it was still cloudy, but also nice and cool. There were tons of great military aircraft and vehicles, re-enactors, etc.

_______________________________________________________________

There were lots of cool aircraft on display.

_____________________________________________________________

There really was a lot to see, with the weather clearing enough to start the airshow.

_______________________________________________________________

Boys always appreciate the nose art.

_______________________________________________________________

The re-enactors stage an assault on a French village, complete with soldiers with real guns, armored vehicles and dramatic deaths. The spectators watch from an adjacent hillside. This is probably Sean's favorite part.

________________________________________________________________

The re-enactors were very convincing and you could actually get the feeling of being in that time.

______________________________________________________________

Sean and I use a 60 inch anti-aircraft spotlight to get a picture.

_________________________________________________________________

Sean also likes trying out all the weapons. He was bummed out that we missed the flame thrower demonstration. Where else are you going to see that?

_____________________________________________________________

We had a tropical storm pass by over the past several days which dropped several inches of rain. As the day wore on, the soaked field became a mud pit. We decided to call it a day.

_______________________________________________________________

On Sunday, there was no mountain biking, since my friend John was re-roofing his barn. I decided to put the bike away and go flying instead. I promised them a different perspective from the air.

_______________________________________________________________