Honest Numbers From An Honest Fly-In Staff

With 7,750 attendees (up 10%), 695 aircraft (up 15%), 54 ultralights (a record number), 170 campers (up 41%), and 118 exhibitors (up 62%), the organizers of the 2003 COPPERSTATE Regional Fly-In, held October 9-12, are calling the event a resounding success. The aircraft population was comprised of 475 show planes and 220 transient planes. As part of EAA’s Young Eagle program, 93 children between the ages of 8 and 17 received a free flight.

Due to a dedicated arrival and departure procedure, this number was up a whopping 215%. In the ultralight area, 30 attendees received introductory flight lessons.

This was the second year the event was held at its new permanent home at Phoenix Regional Airport, located 25 miles south of Phoenix. Last year the entire event took place on 25 acres of grass, while this year the grass area was expanded to 80 acres. Viewed from the air, the site certainly appeared to be a true oasis in the desert. Immediately following the event, the airport developers will begin installing an underground irrigation system to maintain the oasis atmosphere.

The COPPERSTATE campus provided ample room for RV camping as well as a large grass area dedicated to tent camping. In addition, many pilots chose to camp under the wings of their planes. The first permanent COPPERSTATE building at PRA, initially constructed last  year, was completed just in time for the event. The building incorporates a combination meeting room and kitchen for the volunteers as well as showers for the campers, which along with the flushing toilets received rave reviews.

The main exhibit area took on a whole new look with a single gigantic tent housing the exhibitors. The tent was 100’ wide by 180’ long, and could be seen for miles. Only the food vendors and airplane exhibitors were housed in individual tents. The main exhibit tent allowed one-stop shopping for attendees to peruse the booths and catch a respite from the sun.

“We couldn’t be more proud of the success that COPPERSTATE has enjoyed at our permanent location. Our goal is to bring a first-class aviation event for the great Southwest, and we think our new location affords us that opportunity,” said Bob Hasson, COPPERSTATE Fly-in chairman. “I’d like to personally thank our great volunteer staff as well as everyone who attended COPPERSTATE this year. Without their dedication and support, this event would not be possible.”

The afternoon air shows continued to be a hit with spectators. The performers represented the best of the best this year, including a spectacular comedy performance by Kent Pietsch in his Interstate Cadet. Kent’s performance was so convincing that many spectators reportedly believed that the Cadet had indeed been stolen!

The COPPERSTATE air traffic control tower, purchased by donors on Ebay, was renovated and painted by volunteers in time to be used for the event. The communication gear used in the tower was donated by Becker Avionics Inc. and ICOM. Undoubtedly, the tower facility contributed to the outstanding service provided by the volunteer FAA air traffic controllers. Arriving pilots commented that they were handled in an efficient and expeditious manner.

The popular COPPERSTATE Dash was not run this year due to increased insurance costs. Copperstate organizers will be looking into other ways to cover the costs before next years event. The Luscombe Foundation also held a drawing for a restored Luscombe at the awards banquet. Darrell Lynch of Lawton, Oklahoma won the plane.

Awards in 11 show plane categories and 8 ultralight categories were announced at the sold-out awards banquet on Saturday night. The Grand Champion was a beautiful Bearhawk (N232PF) built and owned by Patrick and Carol Fagan from Pear Blossom, CO. The Reserve Grand Champion was a Van’s RV-8 (N184JH), built and owned by John Huft from Pagosa Springs, CO. A complete list of award winners is available at the Copperstate web site.

FMI: www.copperstate.org