Wallowa County Fly-In puts on a soaring spectacle

Published 8:00 am Saturday, July 16, 2022

JOSEPH — Planes lined the tarmac July 9 at the airport in Joseph as families, aerodynamic fanatics and other spectators filed through the gates to catch the Wallowa County Fly-In and Airshow.

Vendors sold a slew of foods and iced treats and pilots sat next to their planes, free to answer questions from curious attendees as the Joseph State Airport set the stage for an event that had been in the making for months and months.

Requiring tons of Federal Aviation Administration regulations and with more than 100 volunteers helping to put the event together, it was finally coming to fruition. The Wallowa County Fly-In and Airshow were about to begin.

J.D. Clay, the chairman of the North East Oregon Aviation Foundation, explained it had to make a three-dimensional box in the sky and evacuate everyone who lives under that box. Just another example of the work and coordination this tiny airport in Joseph needs to do to make the show possible.

“It takes a lot of work to make something like this happen. You just don’t see it at smaller airports, especially an airport this small,” Clay said.

One of the most unique air shows in the northwest, part of the allure for pilots and spectators comes from the stunning view that gives the airshow its setting. A bright yellow field of flowers sits below the Wallowa Mountains just south of the airport to create a beautiful scene for planes to pierce through.

“I’ve been to quite a few airshows, but I’ve never been to one in this dramatic of a setting. The backdrop, it is incredible,” said Brent Blakely of Sandy, who accompanied friends to the show.

Gary Miller came from Bend to watch the show, and keeps coming back after previous years partially because he admires the scenery so much.

“It’s just a beautiful airshow in a beautiful location. Look at those mountains, I mean really.” Miller said.

For visitors such as Blakely, the friendly vibe from the local volunteers and vendors makes this air show a lot more authentic than others he’s attended.

“It’s a neighborhood event, it’s not so much a commercial event,” he said.

Mike Webber from Tucson, Arizona, and his family were one of the groups of related spectators who turned up to the event which entertained those of all ages.

While he most enjoyed the noise and horsepower, he recognized that his little ones were enjoying themselves as well, especially his daughter and her sno-cone.

“Oh yeah they’re having fun,” Webber said.

For these reasons and others, this event is one that tends to bring out the whole community. Clay mentioned that they usually have around 1,000 people on the tarmac each year.

“That’s a sixth of the county,” he said, “so that’s a huge number.”

Around 10 a.m., everyone either in chairs, standing or laid out on the grass shifted their attention to the skies as the West Coast Ravens started to leave the runway. They did a six-plane performance that included different feats of formation flying.

The performance that seemed to stun the audience the most was the tandem two-airplane display from Undaunted Airshows, which included some creative smoke drawings like a giant loop right above Chief Joseph Mountain.

“I liked the two-ship (performance,)” Miller said. “I thought they were very nice. Really tight and you know, lazy-playing and enjoying themselves up there.”

Stephen Christopher pilots one of the planes along with his partner Todd Rudberg, who both travel all across the Pacific Northwest doing air shows and showing off their act. Being a professional, he finds it difficult to compare the feeling of flying a plane to anything else.

“Getting the experience of being up in the air, with the movement and motion of seeing everything, it’s very special,” he said.

He described Joseph as one of his favorite small town venues in the area, and he flew in the show last year when there was smoke coming from the fires.

“The farm community, the backdrop, the enthusiasm of the families and the kids,” Christopher said.

Luckily on a clear day, the plains and mountains are beautiful for everyone to observe on the ground. But Christopher’s view during some of his stunts in the atmosphere is breathtaking.

“I get to see most of that when I’m upside down. I get to see the world spinning by as a backdrop,” he said.

The show wasn’t just a meaningless display, the North East Oregon Aviation Foundation was fundraising for the STEM career technical program at Joseph High School to help expose students to aviation employment possibilities.

For the first time a four-dimensional experience from the U.S Air Force called “Operation Shadow Strike,” which simulates a special operations mission, was stationed toward the front of the tarmac. One of the event’s organizers, Joe Basile from Joseph, said that the purpose of the inclusion wasn’t just for entertainment purposes.

“The Air Force needs pilots, they need mechanics, they need technicians,” Basile said. “It’s a recruiting tool.”