Sentimental Journey to Cub Haven up and flying

LOCK HAVEN, PA – The Sentimental Journey to Cub Haven is underway at the Piper Municipal Airport and will continue through Saturday. The 37th annual event draws hundreds of aviation enthusiasts to the airport and the adjacent Castanea Fire Company picnic grounds. But this year’s event has been hampered by diminished air quality from the Canadian forest fires and a weather forecast calling for rain for parts of Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Event organizers told therecord-online on Wednesday that while there has been considerable “in-and-out” same day plane traffic on Tuesday and Wednesday, the forecast has deterred some would be attendees from making the flight to Cub Haven for the multiple-day event..

Daily hours are 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.. Special events include the daily airshow staged by Greg Koontz and the Alabama Boys, show times are 1 p.m. on Thursday and noon on Friday. Koontz said he first came to the fly-in on Piper Aircraft’s 75th anniversary 11 years ago and has been returning ever since.

Also in attendance were campers from Camp FUBAR, some making the pilgrimage to Lock Haven since the late1980s. A spokesman said this is the only such event they attend annually. Fliers come from up and down the Atlantic coast, New York to Florida.

Another highlight, the Berlin Airlift Flying Museum, had to be scratched as the plane operator was still awaiting a part to make the craft flyable.

The annual Fly-In banquet will hear from guest speaker author Jim Busha. Featured planes this year are the PA-20, PA-22 and PA-22-108.

While there is an admission charge for the general public, Saturday is free admission. Hundreds of local residents have lined the levee adjacent to the airport to view the return of the Piper Cub and its cousins to their birthplace.