Sixth annual Olympic Peninsula Air Affaire and Sequim Valley Fly-In

When: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.-Sunday, Aug. 25-26

Where: Sequim Valley Airport, 468 Dorothy Hunt Lane, Sequim

Events:

Cost: $5 per car load to attend main event

• Balloon rides 7 a.m. daily, fees apply. Contact 360-601-2433 or e-mail airboss@nwplace.com

24-hour notice needed.

• 9 a.m. both days, remote control plane demonstrations, car show, food, music, bounce house balloon, helicopter rides (fees apply), safety fair, wing walker, and more.

• Car Show: $10 fee on Saturday. Prizes awarded. Call 417-0676 for more information.

For more: Visit olympicpeninsulaairaffaire.com or call 670-6294.

Like a drive-in movie, organizers for the Olympic Peninsula Air Affaire and Sequim Valley Fly-In encourage visitors to pile in as many people as possible and experience the sights and sounds of Sequim’s airport.

A plethora of planes soar into Sequim Valley Airport, 468 Dorothy Hunt Lane, Saturday-Sunday, Aug. 25-26 for the sixth event show along with hot air balloons, remote control airplanes, cars, trucks, motorcycles and more. Last year, organizers estimated about 3,000 people visited and about 6,000 attended at its busiest a few years ago. Organizers continue to recruit a variety of planes and modes of transportation and similarly to each year, who comes and how many visit mostly depends on the weather.

Doug Platten of Port Angeles plans to offer rides each day on a first-come, first-served basis in his 1943 Meyers OTW-160 bi-plane.

Platten said the plane was designed in late 1930s and 102 were built for the civilian pilot training program.

This summer, he’s been making the rounds at Washington air events and loves to share the joy of his plane with others.

“When you put a 3-year-old in the back seat of a plane for the first time, their eyes just bulge out in excitement,” he said.

If flying high isn’t your thing, Air Affaire organizers offer two scavenger hunts for children 8-and-under, and 9-and-up where they seek out multiple sights around theairport. If the page is completed, they can submit them to the information booth for a chance for gift certificates to Sequim’s Sweet Spot frozen yogurt shop.

Along with Platten’s plane and a scavenger hunt, most of the staple experiences return for the event.

RC planes

Remote controlled airplanes flown by the Sequim R/C Aeronauts and Port Angeles’ Olympic RC Modelers continue to soar their models in Sequim in support of Volunteer Hospice of Clallam County.

Barry Johnson with the Sequim R/C Aeronauts said last year they raised about $4,000 through raffle prizes and donations.

This year, pilots with the clubs plan to bring in more stunt fliers and cool planes including an RC jet, hold a candy drop, and offer hands-on flying for people of all-ages with seasoned instructors.

Balloons

Captain Crystal Stout with the Dream Catcher Balloon Program hosts flights in hot air balloons around 7 a.m. Friday-Sunday. Before the event, she and another balloon will fly at 7 a.m. and depending on interest a third balloon might come to Sequim, too.

Rides cost $275 per person and 24 hour notice is needed by contacting her at 360-601-2433 or e-mail airboss@nwplace.com.

As tradition, she plans to turn one of her balloons into a bounce house during the Air Affaire and/or offer tethered rides depending on the weather. Tethered rides cost $20 with donations supporting the Dream Catcher Balloon Program, which offers flights for mentally and physically impaired people.

Small children can sit on parents/guardians’ laps during tethered rides of 25-50 feet, Stout said.

Returning fliers, drivers and singers

The Black Jacks of Arlington plan to fly over the runway three times in formation around 11 a.m. Saturday. Air Affaire co-organizer Emily Westcott said they were a hit last year zooming over.

Wing walkers Mike and Marilyn Mason of The West Coast Spin Doctors plan to fly each day of the event around 1 p.m. in their 1943 Stearman.

The Air Affaire’s car show, branded “Year of the Dog” returns for its sixth year with an 100 vehicles anticipated on Saturday. Registration costs $10 to enter with awards at 3 p.m. Children can sit in antique police cars and everyone listen to music from the 1950s. No awards will be give out on Sunday. To sign-up, contact George March at march@olypen.com or 360-417-0676.

Members of the Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 430 will bring out their planes in full force, as well.

Atomic Helicopters flies both days again offering rides for a fee depending on the number of passengers and route.

A Kids/Safety Fair returns with various state agencies bringing in vehicles both days, and Boy Scouts bringing in a rock climbing wall on Sunday.

Jonathan Simonson organized the music for the show with headliners including Bread & Gravy at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, and “Locals Only” at 2 p.m. Sunday.

The Air Affaire began in 2013 as a joint celebration for the City of Sequim’s centennial and the airport’s 30th anniversary. Cost to attend remains $5 per carload.

For more information on the Olympic Peninsula Air Affaire and Sequim Valley Fly-In, visit olym picpeninsulaairaffaire.com.

Reach Matthew Nash at mnash@sequimgazette.com.

If you’re interested in flying this weekend, Doug Platten of Port Angeles plans to offer rides in his 1943 Meyers OTW-160 bi-plane each day of the Olympic Peninsula Air Affaire and Fly-In on Aug. 25-26 at the Sequim Valley Airport. It’s one of 102 planes of its kind, he said. Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash

A car show runs on Saturday for the sixth year at the Olympic Peninsula Air Affaire and Fly-In. Organizers anticipate about 100 cars, similarly to last year.