This weekend's annual Northern Regional Fly-In at Huronia Airport in the Midland area drew in collectors and classic enthusiasts to check out lineups of vintage cars, model trains and, of course, planes.
“I’m a classic car fanatic, but love looking at the planes as well,” said Tim Charlton, member of Wasaga Beach Cruisers. “I have a '95 mustang, but I love the older ones.”
Attendees were invited to browse, look inside and get closeup photos with their favourites as more planes flew in to join the event. They also got a chance to talk to pilots and learn about the history of the antiques.
“They’ve tripled the event since I was last here,” said Mary Anne McLaughlin, who was there with her grandson, Cameron. “This is awesome. We really liked seeing all the old cars, planes and model trains.”
Afterwards, they could enjoy a barbecue with funds going toward helping the airport and provide free rides to capture the interest of potential new flyers to their Flight Training School Xstream Sport Aviation.
“I have a lifelong love of aviation and events like this hope to spark that interest in the younger folks,” said Bill Snelgrove, member of Georgian Bay Aviators and president of Canadian Owners and Pilots Association (COPA).
“We want to introduce everyone to what we do here and raise money to help get more people involved," he added.
Folks were invited to their next event Discover Aviation on Sept. 14 where they will have eight to 10 airplanes taking ages eight years old and up on tour rides.
