by Kathy Ahrendt

I’m not sure what it is but have you ever noticed that people who like old British cars also like airplanes? We’ve found many joint shows over the years and we found a really special one recently. The Perry Miller Fly-In was started as a fundraiser for his children’s cheerleading team. The first one was well attended and now it draws planes and cars from all over central North Carolina.

On a clear September Saturday a few members of CVBMC met up at a convenient location off the interstate and then traveled over to the show. We weren’t prepared for just how big the event really was.

When we arrived there were 20+ cars already lined up and about 25 planes parked along a grass field. The airfield area is home to many private residences of former pilots and they all have hangers on the field. Most put their planes out for all of us to see and get up close to. There were planes from the early days of flying up to the early 1960s on display.

We were allowed to walk the side of the airstrip to see all of the history and watch many of the planes land.

Once we made a pass of the planes we stopped at a couple of the hangers to view the memorabilia that was on display. So much to look at. By the time we got back to the car parking area, there were about 40+ cars and we counted over 60 planes and other aircraft.

Now that the cheerleaders have grown up the fundraising duties have been turned over to local groups who put on a great spread of hamburgers, hot dogs, salads, chips and soda. They had the food service down to a science and it very little time to get our food and then sit down with friends from some other clubs for a tasty lunch.

Since it was such a nice day we took our chairs and sat and watched as many of the plane owners offered rides to the spectators. It brought back many memories of my childhood spent in the back of a Beechcraft Bonanza. I was a “Beech baby” with my first ride at age 6 months. And I’ve loved flying ever since. I thought about trying to get a ride but the line was very long for that particular plane. Next time I’ll bring along my collection of memorabilia. Maybe I can make a trade for a ride.

So if you get a chance to join in on a combined planes and cars event – try to make it. You won’t be sorry you did.