All eyes looked to the sky on Saturday, June 30, as small planes drew circles in the air in a series of acrobatic flights for the annual Stars and Stripes Charity Airshow at the Warren Airport.
A bright blue canvas dotted with white cumulous clouds provided the perfect backdrop for watching what event emcee Peter Boynton of Waitsfield called “gyroscopic tumbling,” as biplanes soared upwards at an angle almost perpendicular to the ground, only to turn and point their noses straight towards the ground in a spiraling free-fall, again and again.
True to the air show’s patriotic theme, the stereos blasted a mix of Americana and classic rock songs like “Danger Zone” as families sat on picnic blankets and ate hot dogs and ice cream, but when a silent, engine-less glider took the field following a series of much louder biplane routines by virtuoso pilots Dan Marcote, Dan Fortin, Charlie Lynch and John Egan, the music switched to a piano concerto and the small plane’s flight assumed an air of simple grace and elegance.
Another notable act, titled “Model Biplane vs. Big Biplane” featured recent high school graduate Riley Kissinger mirroring the moves of a full-size biplane piloted by Jim Parker on his smaller, remote-controlled aircraft. The model biplane, which Kissinger built, had a wingspan between four and five feet and “was designed to carry squirrels,” Boynton joked.
All proceeds from the aerial event, which was hosted by the Warren Airport-based Sugarbush Soaring and Jim Parker Airshows, will benefit the Vermont National Guard Charitable Foundation, a nonprofit organization that serves to meet the emergency financial needs of the men and women of the Vermont National Guard and their families. While donations from this year’s show are still coming in, so the final amount is not known, the air show has raised over $62,000 for the Vermont National Guard Charitable Foundation.
Click the image below for gallery of air show images
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