Record Attendance at Stanstead Fly-In

September 2018

Weller Farm, Stanstead, right on the U.S. border in Quebec, raises beefalo, genetically three-eighths buffalo (North American bison), five-eighths domestic cattle, and a recognized breed in its own right. George proudly offers beefalo burgers at this annual fly-in. As you will see, there were plenty of enthusiastic takers for the delicious burgers. — Ed.

If you include the airplanes in hangars and the drone, there were 63 aircraft present Sunday, September 9, and one RV-9A came all the way from New York City direct for a flyby.

There were aircraft everywhere.

The aircraft ranged from a Hummelbird with 30 hp to an Antonov An-2 with 1,010 hp, with a large number of homebuilts.

Hummelbird.

Russian-designed Antonov An-2 made in Poland.

Everyone said they had a great time, and many first-time attendees said they would come back and would spread the word around. We (son John, wife Tonie, and I) were exhausted at the end from cooking and running to get more beefalo from the freezer and corn from the organic garden.

Enthusiastic crew cooking beefalo burgers.

Hungry pilots lining up for burgers.

Many picked fruits and veggies for their return trip. We may have the only fly-in you-pick operation in Canada, and maybe the United States, too.

A gaggle of autogyros.

And a trickle of trikes.

To think, it all started when I purchased a 1946 Aeronca 7AC Champ on December 31, 1980, to work on my private license. Helping my wife and I repair it led to my oldest son getting his aeronautical engineering degree at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and to us building CTQ2 — our “field of dreams” on our farm over the years. I couldn’t afford to keep my Champ Bluebird at the local airport, but I did have the farm here in Stanstead, Quebec. We have always been do-it-yourselfers, and built all of our buildings, roads, ponds, and the airport, which was given the identifier CTQ2 by Transport Canada.

Town of Stanstead.

Maybe you’d like to swing by next year for a beefalo burger. We have the space.