St. Charles Flying Service and MO CAF Wing Host Fly-In and Pumpkin Drop Competition

By Carmelo Turdo

St. Charles Flying Service and the Missouri Wing of the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) hosted this year's annual fly-in and pumpkin drop competition at St. Charles County Airport Saturday. The weather was beautiful, and the ramp was busy all day with aircraft arrivals, sight-seeing rides and everyone's favorite - the pumpkin drop competition. While on the ground, visitors could talk to pilots about their planes, view antique and classic cars, tour the MO CAF Museum, and get some lunch as well. A wide variety of aircraft were on hand, such as an Alon A2 Ercoupe, two Navion Bs, a Boeing E75N1 (Stearman), a Douglas C-47, the MO CAF B-25J Mitchell Show Me and TBM Avenger, and dozens of Comanches, Cherokees and 172s of all stripes.  Pumpkins were dropped from various high-wing aircraft (mostly Cessna 172s and 152s), culminating with B-25 pumpkin bomb runs right on target. 

MO CAF Wing vehicles

1925 Ford Model T Touring Car Owned by the Thum Family

St. Louis Corvette Club members brought their cars

Special Budweiser Shootout at Daytona Car

More Corvettes

MO CAF Wing TBM-3E Avenger and Torpedo

Ozark Airlines Museum C-47 on display

Alon A2 Ercoupe taxis in front of the MO CAF B-25J Mitchell

Boeing (Stearman) E75N1 training aircraft

Greg Vallero's AT-6F Texan gave flights all day

Greg Vallero's reflection off his highly polished Texan

Ryan Navion B based in Minnesota flew most of the day

Locally owned Navion B also joined in the action 

Tom Crosby's American Aviation AA-1 Yankee on the ramp 

1940 Porterfield LP-65 "Spirit of the Lone Eagle"

Lawrence Low's 1959 Cessna 172 still looks great

Cubcrafters CC11-100 is an evolution of the classic Cub

Ramp full of Pipers, Mooneys, Beeches and Cessnas

Lancair 320 and RV-4 formation takeoff

RV-6 makes a low pass over the runway

Davis DA-2 homebuilt aircraft strikes a unique pose

Robert Heimberger's Magni M-16 gyrocopter

Magni M-24 owned by Scott Gaitros

Pumpkin drop performed by this Cessna 172N Skyhawk

Another 172N makes a pumpkin bombing run

MO CAF Wing B-25 J Mitchell readied for pumpkin bombing

MO CAF Wing B-25J Mitchell after its pumpkin bombing run