Back in the year 2005 Lincoln had as their Public Works Director, Mike Letourneau, a man of many talents. His duties included streets, sewers, the public water system and keeping everything groomed and mowed. Maybe while he was mowing the grass strip airport one day he had an epiphany about Lincoln’s underappreciated treasure.
What ever happened, he approached Jim Bentch with the idea of having a fly-in for small aircraft and the annual fly-in became a tradition for the town. Letourneau was also a pilot and was aware of the interest such an event could create.
A small group worked, sending out flyers all over the state within reasonable distance for a pilot to fly. A lot of word of mouth passed along the news and the planes came in 2005 and still do, if weather permits. They’ve had a few wash outs over the years but for the most part the event happens.
Through them all Jim Bentch has held steady at the helm and is always on hand to greet the pilots and make them welcome. When questioned about the most significant and memorable visitor he responded without hesitation, “It was the Pasped Skylark, fully restored.”
Since I had no idea of what a Pasped Skylark is, I asked. “There was only one ever made”, he explained. He said it belonged to a man named Buzz Penny who resided in the Bunceton, MO area. He clarified his answer by saying, “Stradivarius is a famous maker of Violins. If he had only made one, what a treasure. So only one Pasped Skylark is like only one Stradivarius violin.”
According to Wikipedia the Pasped Skylark is an American two-seat single-engine cabin monoplane designed and built by the Pasped Aircraft Company of Glendale, California. Its first flight was in 1935 but other two-seat aircraft of the era had a better performance so the Skylark did not go into production. The article stated the sole surviving example was airworthy in February, 2010 and the owner lived in the Versailles, Missouri.
Another favorite with Jim Bentch was the man with his home built airplane and his little dog Spike. Spike was a tiny Chihuahua that rode, tucked inside his owner’s jacket and came to the annual fly-in. Spike passed away and although the owner still attends the annual event, he never replaced his tiny co-pilot.
A local aviation fan, Larry Spencer, submitted an article to Fly Low magazine in October 2006, following the second annual happening. He wrote, “The second annual Lincoln Fly-in held on September 9, 2006 was a great success. 34 aircraft flew in. The weather started out chilly with sprinkling rain but finally became warmer and dry with a high cloud cover which prevented a lot of sunburns. Everyone that attended had a great time getting an up close look at the planes and listening to the pilots enlighten attendees with stories and histories of their aircraft.”
Lincoln’s annual Fly-in, September 7, 2024, is celebrating its nineteenth year and it’s just as much fun as it was back in 2005. If you have never attended you have been missing out on a one of a kind event and best of all, it’s free.
