On Saturday, Aug. 1, pilots from the panhandle area gathered at Perry Lefors Airport to compete in a flour bombing and spot landing contest. The first contest was back in March when several local pilots came up with a better reason to go flying by dropping flour bombs and to see who could land closest to a line drawn on the ground. It was so much fun they decided to do it again.
The flour bombing contest consisted of a pilot flying at 300 feet above the ground dropping three flour filled paper sacks on a target with the closest to the target winning the competition. The winner of the spot landing contest is the pilot who lands closest to a line on the ground. Eight pilots competed in both competitions, Clay Tyson of Higgins, flying a Aviat Husky bush plane, won the spot landing contest with a 25 foot score. Morris Morgan of Pampa, flying a vintage 1946 Yellow Piper Cub, won the flour bombing contest with a 37 foot score.
Some background of the competitors, Steve Martin of Miami, and Flour Bomb winner Morris Morgan of Pampa are partners of a 1946 Piper Cub, Terry O’Neal and his son Royce O’Neal of Pampa flew Terry’s 1946 Cessna 140, Paul Weinheimer of Panhandle piloted a 1963 Cessna 150, Brian Graves of Wheeler piloted a 1975 Cessna 150. Another vintage airplane, a 1950 Cessna 170A flown by James Bagley of Pampa.
A pleasant unexpected surprise came when three pilots flew their aircraft in formation from Amarillo’s Blue Sky airport. Mark Britain flew his bright yellow Pitts Special, a highly modified aerobatic aircraft, Barry Burns flew his WW2 vintage Consolidated Vultee BT-13 and Dr. Tom Nichols piloted his Beechcraft T-34 Mentor. These beautiful aircraft were set up as static displays for people get a close up and ask the pilots questions about their aircraft. As the Blue Sky trio departed for home, they flew in close formation over the air field.
Saturday was a perfect day for flying and fellowship at the airport where typical hot August temperatures gave way to a cooler day. All the pilots are already talking about the next air-fest at the airport in the fall, perhaps the trend will continue to grow, bringing a great excuse for taking to the skies in the panhandle of Texas.
