Planes, Cars Pack Breezy Point Aviation Day

This year's version of the Breezy Point Aviation Days took place Saturday, May. 1. A sunny and unseasonably warm forecast produced lots of visiting aircraft.

A quick count tallied almost 80 total aircraft, and those attending enjoyed a pig roast, static displays, emergency vehicles and a medivac helicopter, pilots and friends social time, and a well-attended classic car show.

The first aircraft touched down on Runway 35, but a wind shift soon favored Runway 17. Before long, a steady stream of aircraft entered the pattern.

There was the usual assortment of Pipers and Cessna's, but other arrivals included an assortment of aircraft, including a Piper L-14, an excellent example of a WWII era aircraft.

Those listening on advisory frequency 122.9 heard the check-in from a Cirrus Vision SF50. A quick check on Flightradar24 showed 848WT inbound for Runway 17. I adjusted my camera settings from "prop mode" to "jet mode" and snapped away.

The arrivals continued, and included some sharp homebuilt aircraft. As the pace settled down a bit, Cessna Citation N351CJ checked in, requesting Runway 17.

After a few minutes passed to get all the incoming pilots organized, the crowd was treated to a "big" jet landing on a shorter runway. The thrust reversers did a good job of dusting off the runway!

The first departures started just after 10 a.m. and included Young Eagle flights from EAA Chapter 610. The next generation of aviators was getting their first ride.

The Wings of the North had two of their aircraft completing their annuals at AirCorps Aviation in Bemidji. The non-profit organization had scheduled a return to Flying Cloud the same day as Breezy Point's event. Lucky for the gathering crowd, the Brainerd Lakes area is right on the way. We got a couple of nice passes from P-51 Sierra Sue and the Grumman TBM.

The sounds from the big WW II engines provided pure exhilaration. The Merlin V-12 produced a high-strung sound, contrasted to the distinct

rumble of the Wright R-2600 14-cylinder radial.

North Memorial Health Air Care brought one of its air ambulances to the fly-in. This aircraft was called out to an incident during its first approach, but a few minutes later the pilot checked back in and was back in the pattern for Runway 17. Landing just south of the runway, the helicopter kicked up a lot of dust.

North Memorial owns and operates nine Agusta 109 helicopters, the fastest civilian helicopter on the market, which can reach speeds of 180 mph. They fly out of seven bases throughout Minnesota and Western Wisconsin.

"Putting together a fly-in takes a lot of behind the scenes work. Cliff Mueller and his team of volunteers and partners pulled off another great event. They were assisted by the city of Breezy Point and the surrounding community. The Crow Wing County Sheriff's Office was in attendance with its boats, cruisers and drones."

The Sixth Annual Breezy Point Aviation Day was a real community event, In addition to the fly-in, there's a well-attended classic car show.

A variety of classics, muscle cars and exotics were in attendance this year, with a total of 70 vehicles participating. All in all, it was a wonderful day.