What tail dragger pilot doesn't like to fly their aircraft from grass? Many feel that operating an aeroplane with a tail wheel from grass is easier, if not safer, than from a paved surface. If nothing else, for some, nostalgia plays a part in operating from grass as, for those with vintage tail draggers such as the Boeing Stearman, grass fields were commonplace in the 1930s & 1940s.

Geneseo Airport, or Gen-Air Park (3G8), in Illinois is one of those wonderful grass strips that take you back to the early days of flying. With several T-hangars and a relatively wide, single, long grass strip of 2562', with corn fields on either side, it sits in the heart of Illinois farm country.

During the National Stearman Fly-in, a group of volunteers organise a luncheon fly-out for the visiting Stearman pilots and crews that make the 20 minute flight from Galesburg, Illinois to Geneseo, passing over many farms, a small town or two and dozens of wind turbines. The folks at Geneseo, both the volunteers and visitors who come from the local area by vehicle, make the Stearman folks feel very welcome.

Lunch is offered to Stearman pilots and crews first and the Geneseo folks always make sure the food is delicious, hot and plentiful. Tables and chairs are lined up in the long, main hangar and Stearman crews are taxied in to park before making their way to the food line and an enjoyable meal.

For several hours, from late morning to mid afternoon, Stearmans come and go. As the airport isn't overly large, parking was at a minimum so pilots of non-Stearman aircraft were asked not to visit due to record numbers of Stearmans expected. In fact, some Stearmans were parked at the very opposite end of the airstrip in the back yard of someone's home as the main parking areas filled. It was a spectacular sight to see so many Stearmans make the trip to Geneseo.

Ground crews were kept very busy, especially as Stearman pilots and crews who finished lunch and decided to depart, attended their aircraft to ready themselves to start up and taxi out to leave. For about an hour after lunch, Stearmans taxied down the side of the grass runway while other Stearmans departed, at times, every 15 - 30 seconds, for about an hour. It was more like watching aircraft at a major airport than from a small, grass strip.

As aircraft taxied down for take off and began departing Geneseo, many walked about talking to pilots and crews, taking photos and enjoying the aircraft, whether parked or coming or going. Everyone made sure people were safe and could enjoy the aircraft, the flying and the wonderful weather of the day.

For those Stearman owners and pilots who have never made the trip to Galesburg for the National Stearman Fly-in, make a point of researching what you need to do in order to make the trip for future fly-ins. Join one or more of the Stearman pages on Facebook and ask other owners and pilots what you need to do in order to become part of a truly wonderful experience and to enjoy one ore more of the fly-out luncheons that take place such as this one at Gen-Air Park.