Men And Their Machines
Airport heritage stirs to life for weekend

Planners for this weekend's experimental aircraft fly-in and autocross events met recently at the Greater Cumberland Regional Airport. Comparing their respective machines, from left, are Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 426 President Harry Dolly, National Road Autocross Timing and Scoring Coordination Pete Harrison and Cumberland Airport Manager Chuck Wiles.

For the Cumberland Times-News
 

WILEY FORD, W.Va. — Two big parts of the Greater Cumberland Regional Airport’s past will be alive and well this weekend with a full schedule of antique airplane and sports car programming.

On Sunday, the airport is hosting the year’s final Chapter 426 Experimental Aircraft Association Pancake Breakfast Fly-in. The Chesapeake PCA Pumpkin Carve Autocross is set to run both Saturday and Sunday. Vintage aircraft event organizers and local autocross promoters are each spreading the word to their respective audiences with enthusiastic results.

One local man with ties to the airport, and the history of private aviation and the old Cumberland sports car racing couldn’t be more pleased. Dr. Robert Poling, who recently co- authored a book on the history of local aviation, “Wings Over Cumberland,” with retiring interim airport manager Bill Armstrong, thinks Sunday will be a very entertaining day at the airport in Wiley Ford.

“EAA Chapter 426 has a colorful history dating back over 30 years. The group’s members put on a great show when they host their fly-ins. They deserve full credit for providing such great entertainment for those of us who love planes and enjoy talking to other pilots and enthusiasts,” said Poling.

“I’ve also been impressed with the effort put in by the autocross group to recruit competitors to visit our community and to be good tenants at the airport. I can’t think of anything better to do on a pretty day than come out and see grand old airplanes and well driven sports cars ... but then, again, I might be a bit biased on that score,” said Poling with a laugh.

With roots that trace back to the 1920s at the Mexico Farms grass airstripright “over the hill” from the today’s airport, the local EAA Chapter hosts pancake breakfasts monthly between April and October at their chapter headquarters on Cumberland’s Taxiway A. Turn-out depends mostly the weather, according to chapter president Harry Dolly, but the last event of year is often one of the biggest. Sunday breakfast begins at 7 a.m. and planes will be flying in throughout the morning.

The Pumpkin Carve Autocross will be the third motor sports event staged at Cumberland during 2003, the first such activity at the airport since 1971. Local organizers have begun to attract their own audience linked to the races staged at the airport beginning in 1973. Three national Autocross champions are scheduled to compete this weekend. Pittsburgh’s Karen Rafferty won her second straight SCCA national title in Kansas in July. Chesapeake Porsche Club racers Pat Gordon (son of Cumberland native Ron Gordon) and club president Dennis Howard won national PCA titles in Florida in August.

This is an Aeronca Champion N81855, belonging to Bill Armstrong, on the tarmac at Cumberland during a previous EAA fly-in.

Pittsburgh executive and Corvette racer Eric Dean has his own special reason to compete at the airport. Growing up in Cumberland, Dean attended races with his family and gained his love of fast cars by wandering through the pits and sitting on the hillside famous for its good views and early season sunburns.

“The revival of auto events at the airport has certainly energized me and seems to having the same effect in our Steel Town Corvette Club. Guys who used to just polish their cars and drive to dinner are now becoming competition fans again,” said Dean.

“It’s very much like the old days but with new ways to enjoy it. Some of the e-mail exchanged between our Pittsburgh crew and friendly Porsche rivals in the Chesapeake region convinces me that there is a bright future in meeting halfway to compete in Cumberland,” he said.

Autocross events begin at 10 a.m. both Saturday and Sunday with tech inspection and registration opening at 7:30 a.m. As of press time some openings remained in the field for both Saturday and Sunday. There is an entry fee to compete in the autocross.

The public may attend both the EAA Fly-In and the Pumpkin Carve Autocross. There is no admission charge for either. The general public is reminded to please observe all signs, control devices and barriers as runways and taxiways will in use for general aviation and the autocross competition.

Pittsburgh executive and Corvette racer Eric Dean attended the Cumberland Airport Sports Car Races as a young boy growing up here and will be among the many Pittsburgh area competitors this weekend.