Have you ever thought about the time needed to prepare for an Air Show or Fly-In Breakfast? I never gave it too much thought until I discovered an envelope containing preparation notes and a “Sign In” sheet from a 1982 Fly-In Breakfast at BAP that my mother Ruth saved. It’s always interesting when I find these “Hidden Jems,” and it helps to fill in the vast history of Buffalo Air-Park!
I also have a couple of art posters my brother Doug designed for past air shows, but unfortunately, they aren’t for this particular event. I am still determining what years they were for, but I would guess the late 1970s or early 1980s.
Both newspaper clippings are from the 1978 Air Show, featured in The Buffalo News and the Courier-Express papers. After reading these articles, I remembered this event and was excited to see the hot air balloon! I’ll always remember the sound of the burner, and I highly recommend seeing a balloon launching in person.
The Hot Air Balloon was always a featured attraction, and I find it interesting how my brother Doug drew the 1981 Sitemap for that year’s air show.
Let’s get back to the June 13, 1982, Fly-In Breakfast. I hope you can read the notes, and it always touches my heart to see so many people helping in different positions to ensure a smooth running event. I did help out at this show, along with my best childhood friend, Chris. Although we were assigned various jobs, we mostly helped with spectator parking and trash pick-up.
Here are the sign-in sheets from the Fly-In Breakfast. I know this is going out on a limb, but do you recognize any of these names? I’m on page 3 with my sister Carol, my brother-in-law Greg, and my friend Chris.
I can’t express this enough, but the aviation community is family! We share a common bond and are willing to lend a hand when needed. These people are my extended family, and I am thankful for their shared experiences! So, if you are interested in learning to fly, visit your local airport, and if you have any aviation experience, please pass it on because it’s life-changing!
Thank you again for reading what I have to share, and again, I’ll see you in my next post! Please comment below because I would love to hear about your Fly-In Breakfast experiences!
Buffalo Air Park 
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