Events Archives - Aerial Archives

Clear Lake Aviation Gathering | 2023

May 4, 2023 June 22, 2023 / By Herb Lingl / Aerial Photographs, Aerial Photography, Aircraft, Events, Historical Aerial Photography, Seaplanes

Lake Buccaneer, LA4-200, N6176V, amphibious aircraft approaches a beach at Lake Berryessa during very calm conditions during the Clear Lake Aviation Gathering Fly Out on April 23, 2023 — Lake Buccaneer, LA4-200, N6176V, amphibious aircraft approaches a beach at Lake Berryessa during very calm conditions during the *Clear Lake Aviation Gathering* Fly Out
Image ID: AHLC4670
© Herb Lingl/aerialarchives.com

A diverse group of seaplane pilots, aerial photographers and other aviation professionals attended the Clear Lake Aviation Gathering that took place at Lampson Field Airport (1O2) in Lakeport, California on April 22 and 23, 2023.

The Clear Lake Flying Club (CLFC) hosted the conference and produced it with the Professional Aerial Photographers Association (PAPA).

Herb Lingl, education director of the CLFC noted that “One of the conference objectives is to develop opportunities for young people in Lake County, California to pursue careers in aviation.” Details about the youth program are at Clear Lake Flying Club Youth Program.

Conference Sessions

Attendees at the Clear Lake Aviation Gathering listen to the presentation by Dr. Stephen Bateman of AOPA. Among the pilots in the photograph from left to right are Amy Hartsfield, Rick Long, Mike Hayes, Tom Beattie, Tom Lincoln, Bryan Sydnor, Jason Johanson, Gordon Mills, Missy Lee, Tim Neuharth, Kent Carlomagno and Tom Wasson — Attendees at the *Clear Lake Aviation Gathering* listen to the presentation by Dr. Stephen Bateman of AOPA. Among the pilots in the photograph from left to right are Amy Hartsfield, Rick Long, Mike Hayes, Tom Beattie, Tom Lincoln, Bryan Sydnor, Jason Johanson, Gordon Mills, Missy Lee, Tim Neuharth, Kent Carlomagno and Tom Wasson.
Image ID: AHLC4669
© Herb Lingl/aerialarchives.com

The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) sent Dr. Stephen Bateman to the conference from Frederick, MD to make presentations about flying clubs and the AOPA Foundation High School STEM Aviation Curriculum which AOPA makes available to high schools at no cost. Details about the curriculum are at AOPA Foundation High School STEM Aviation Curriculum.

Paul Koscheka, the Federal Aviation Administration’s FAASTeam Program Manager at the Sacramento FSDO, provided a briefing on the WINGS Pilot Proficiency Program. Three of the seminars at the conference qualified for WINGS credit.

Additional presenters at the conference included Tom Beattie, instructor and test pilot for ICON Aircraft, Kent Carlomagno, Terry Hayes from Foothill Aviation and the Backcountry Flying Experience, Gordon Mills from Alpine Aviation, Missy Lee, the owner of Alaska Floats and Skis, Herb Lingl, Rick Long, Jason Johanson who provides multi-engine seaplane training in a Twin Seabee and Tom Wasson from Tom’s Aircraft Enterprises.

During the session entitled Which Seaplane Is Right for You?, Tom discussed the ICON A5, Kent the SeaMax, Gordon the Lake Buccaneer, Rick the Quicksilver on floats and Jason the Twin Seabee.

Terry, Gordon, Missy and Jason were the panelists for the Emergency Procedures in Seaplanes session. They discussed emergency procedures as they applied to the specific flying environments in which they operate.

The conference included a session about the History of Aviation in Lake County. Lake County Museums curator J. Clark McAbee prepared a presentation about Navy and Pan Am seaplane operations at Clear Lake entitled Wings Over Water: Flying Boats on Clear Lake circa 1939-1958. Retired high school teachers Miles Turner and John Wiegand described the high school aviation programs they taught at the Lower Lake and Kelseyville High Schools in the 1970s. Paul Loewen, who built a globally recognized Mooney modification firm based at Lampson Field, described the airport’s history from the 1960s, his experience teaching aviation at Mendocino Community College and his experience flying a Fleetwings Sea Bird, a high school aviation project that Paul and his wife Shery flew to Clear Lake with Paul’s high school aviation teacher.

The conference session about the Future of Aviation in Lake County examined plans for the future of aviation in Lake County, including the possible construction of seaplane docks and a seaplane ramp in Lakeport, CA, and a presentation by Dave Dietz of Armstrong Consultants, which specializes in airport engineering, about developing vacant land at Lampson Field for the construction of new hangars.

Seaplane Flight Training on Clear Lake

Gordon Mills from Alpine Aviation provided flight training in the Lake Buccaneer, LA4-200, N6176V, shown at the top of this page to conference attendees who booked flight training before the conference.

Aerial Photography Exhibition

The conference included an aerial photography exhibit and competition. Aerial photographer Amy Hartsfield, PAPA Vice President of Programs, made a presentation about the Professional Aerial Photographers Association and presented information about the aerial photographers whose work was selected to be exhibited at the conference.

Wine Tasting and Catered Hangar Dinner

After the conference sessions, attendees sampled some of the finest wines made in Lake County. These included wines from the Shannon Family of Wines and Lincoln Wines produced by Tom and Ruth Lincoln.

The conference dinner was catered by Lake Event Design, Lake County’s premier event company.

After the dinner, conference attendees voted Jean Luc Kaiser’s aerial photograph of the private Islet of Loreto in northern Italy as their favorite photograph on display. The islet is close to Aero Club Como, one of the oldest seaplane flying clubs in the world. Jean Luc, who owns L’Europe vue du Ciel, a French aerial photography company, received a cash prize for his winning entry.

Raffle Prizes

Raffle winners also received their prizes after the dinner. Donors of raffle prizes benefiting the Clear Lake Flying Club Youth Aviation Program included:

Kent Carlomagno
Mike and Terry Hayes
Tom and Ruth Lincoln and
Herb Lingl

and

Aerial Archives
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association
Airport Muse
Clear Lake Flying Club
Clear Lake Pilot Supplies
Meadowlark Publishing
Nalas Cleaning Expertise
Professional Aerial Photographers Association and
Tailwheel Ferry Pilot

Fly Out to Lake Berryessa

Seaplanes beached at the shoreline of Lake Berryessa during the *Clear Lake Aviation Gathering*, as a Lake Buccaneer approaches (background left).
© Byron Hernandez
Image ID: AHLC4668

Sunday featured a seaplane fly out to Lake Berryessa.

The fly out included an ICON A5 flown by Tom Beattie, two Lake Buccaneers, one flown by Gordon Mills the other by Henry Roberson from Air Carriage Inc. and a Cessna 206 on floats flown by Byron Hernandez.

More Information

The full conference program is at Clear Lake Aviation Gathering 2023 Program.

An article that appeared in the magazine Water Flying about the conference is at Water Flying article.

An article that appeared in the magazine In Flight USA about the conference is at In Flight USA article.

An article that appeared in the Lake County Record Bee about the conference is at Record Bee Article-Print and Record Bee Article-Online.

More information about Lampson Field airport is at Lampson Field.

For over forty years, Lake County has hosted the Clear Lake Splash In. This year’s Splash In is scheduled to take place on September 23-24, 2023 in Lakeport. Photographs of previous Clear Lake Splash In events are at photographs of the Clear Lake Splash In.

A selection of aerial photographs of Lake County are at aerial photographs of Lake County.

More information about Lake County, California is at Lake County Visitor Information.

Clear Lake Splash In 2021: September 16-19

April 7, 2021 April 7, 2021 / By Herb Lingl / Events, Seaplanes

ICON A-5 at Clear Lake Splash In — ICON Aircraft chief pilot, Rich Bookbinder, demonstrates the ICON A5 amphibious light sport aircraft at the Clear Lake Seaplane Splash In, Lakeport, Lake County, California
Image ID: AHLC3945
© Herb Lingl/aerialarchives.com

Please mark your calendars, Clear Lake Splash In dates for 2021 have been set. The 41st annual Clear Lake Splash In is scheduled to take place from Thursday, September 16, through Sunday, September 19, 2021 in Lakeport, California (provided that there are no unexpected pandemic related developments).

The 41st annual Clear Lake Splash in was originally scheduled to take place in September of 2020. The cancellation of the event in 2020 because of pandemic considerations marked the first time in the event’s history that the annual event was cancelled since its inception.

The Clear Lake Splash In carries on the long tradition of seaplane operations at Clear Lake.

The Pan American Airlines Clipper flying boats which operated a Trans Pacific service in the 1920s and 1930s used Clear Lake as a back up landing location when the San Francisco Bay Area was too foggy for operations into the the Pan American seaplane harbor at Treasure Island. The Pan Am Clear Lake ramp was in Lakeport not far from the location of the Splash In.

Over the years, the Clear Lake Splash In has evolved into the largest seaplane fly-in event in the western United States.

The event has hosted a wide variety of seaplanes over the years including some of the largest seaplanes in the world, such as the Grumman Albatross (one year two Albatrosses participated), impeccably restored seaplanes of unique historical significance, rare seaplanes, and some of the latest innovations in the field of seaplane flying.

The event has also featured seminars about aviation and seaplane flying which impart unique information, sometimes difficult to obtain elsewhere.

The 2019 event featured three presentations by Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) ambassador Kay Sundaram.

The seminar entitled Career Opportunities In Aviation outlined the bright opportunities for young people in aviation. The seminar supported efforts by the Lake County Chamber of Commerce and others in northern California to build interest in the adoption of the AOPA High School aviation curriculum by Lake County High schools. AOPA makes this comprehensive curriculum available at no cost to high schools who apply and are accepted to participate in the program.

Kay also presented two other seminars, one entitled Maximum Fun, Minimum Cost: How to Start and Run a Flying Club and You Can Be a Pilot a fast paced, inspiring video presentation for prospective flyers.

As has been the tradition each year, Splash In volunteers provided a free shuttle service between Lampson Field (102), the closest general aviation airport to the event (only 4 miles away), and the former Natural High School grounds where the event takes place for those who choose to fly land planes to the event.

This year’s Splash In takes place at the former Natural High School property in Lakeport, which has been the traditional venue for the event each year. This will be the last event on the property before the City begins the construction of the Lakefront Park project, which is currently scheduled for October of 2021.

The State of California awarded the City of Lakeport a grant of $5,947,621 to fund the City’s purchase of the 6.9 acre property located at 800 N. Main Street from the Lakeport Unified School District for the Lakefront Park project. Funds also cover the construction of a new amphitheater, an exercise circuit, a skate park, a splash pad, a basketball court, and five picnic areas with shade structures and restrooms. The plan also envisions preserving the area that has traditionally been used as the ramp area for seaplanes at the Splash In for continued use for seaplanes.

Volunteers from the community have been essential to producing this event. In addition, members of community organizations have volunteered to help produce the event. The Lake County chapter of the Sea Scouts, for example, provided ramp safety services. Volunteers from the Lake County Amateur Radio Society provided communication services and shuttle services from Lampson Field.

If you’re interested in this event and would like to participate as a pilot, volunteer or sponsor for the 2021 Clear Lake Splash In, please get in touch. You can use the contact link on the top right of this page or the contacts available at the web pages referenced in the links below.

Areas where volunteers would be invaluable for this year’s event include help with event planning and fund raising, social media, seminar planning and event marketing.

If you’re a seaplane pilot and have ideas for this year’s event, please pass those along.

To view photographs of the 2019 and previous Splash In events, please visit Clear Lake Splash In photographs.

To follow the Clear Lake Splash In on Facebook, please visit Clear Lake Seaplane Splash In on Facebook.

For details about Lampson Field (1O2), the closest general aviation airport to the event, please visit Lampson Field Airport.

To plan your trip to Lake County, please visit Lake County | Clearly Different! and the Lake County Chamber of Commerce.

Free Airplane Rides For Kids Ages 8-17 at Lampson Field, Lakeport, CA

November 8, 2019 November 21, 2019 / By Herb Lingl / Aircraft, Events

The Lake County Chamber of Commerce and Chapter 124 of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) based at the Charles M. Schulz – Sonoma County Airport are teaming up to raise awareness of outstanding career opportunities for young people in aviation. The centerpiece of the effort will be free flights for young people at Lampson Field airport in Lakeport, CA on Saturday, November 23 provided by EAA Chapter 124 as part of the EAA’s Young Eagles Program. Any interested individuals between the ages of 8-17 are invited to participate in this EAA Young Eagles rally.

Registration for the event by young people aged 8-17 has been strong.

There are currently 12 pilots providing free flights scheduled for 54 young people, with another 58 young people on the waiting list. Volunteer pilots are a diverse group that includes a senior aviation executive and flight instructor, a practicing attorney, a retired airline pilot, aircraft builders and an aerial photographer.

Volunteer pilots provide the free rides in their own aircraft as part of an EAA program that has provided free rides to over 2 million young people. Among the aircraft that volunteer pilot owners are making available for the event are a Cessna 340, a Cessna 195, a Mooney, a Piper Arrow, an Aeronca Champ, a Taylorcraft, an RV6 and an RV12.

The Lake County Chamber of Commerce and EAA Chapter 124 organized the event as part of an effort to make members of the Lake County community aware of the outstanding career opportunities for young people in aviation. In addition, participants will learn about opportunities for Lake County high schools to obtain a high quality aviation curriculum developed by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) at no cost.

Unlike many fields where jobs are disappearing, career prospects in aviation are bright. Boeing’s CEO, Dennis Muilinberg noted at the Paris Air Show in July, 2019 that there will be a need for 800,000 new pilots in the next 20 years, and that there will be a severe pilot shortage. Each of the major US airlines has already begun investing capital to deal with this shortage.

As Lake County Chamber of Commerce CEO Melissa Fulton notes that “It’s important that students and parents in Lake County become aware of the career opportunities in aviation, including jobs as aviation mechanics, avionics technicians, corporate, airline and military pilots and aerial photographers.”

The Young Eagles rally begins at 9 am in the hangar of LASAR (Lake Aero Styling and Repair). LASAR is one of the world’s largest Mooney Service Centers.

LASAR is located at:

900 F Sky Park Dr.
Lakeport, CA 95453

During the rally, pilot John Swanstrom, a member of EAA Chapter 124, will present his visually dynamic seminar about the basic principles of flight and aviation. The ground school also includes a presentation entitled Career Opportunities in Aviation, an overview for students and parents produced by Clear Lake Flying Club director of education Herb Lingl.

A number of aviation professionals will be available to answer questions about careers in aviation that the young people and their parents may have. These include, in addition to the aviation professionals providing rides in their aircraft, employees of REACH Air Medical Services, which provides helicopter transportation services from Lampson Field and mechanics and pilots based at Lampson Field, Sonoma County airport and elsewhere, including a retired United Airlines mechanic that spent 35 years working for the airline.

The Clearlake Modelers will also have on display a number of model aircraft. Members of the model aviation flying club will be available to answer questions about their aircraft and how to become involved in flying model aircraft. Building and flying model aircraft is a great way for young people to learn more about aviation.

After receiving their ground briefing, participants will be assigned to an aircraft and take their FREE aircraft flight! Afterwards, participants will receive a certificate and a starter logbook to record their flight time.

“Ín addition to getting young people excited about flying and about the career opportunities in aviation, we hope the event will help us identify individuals who might be interested in teaching the AOPA curriculum”, says Lingl. The members of the Lake County Chamber of Commerce are working with Lake County schools to encourage them to submit applications to AOPA to teach the curriculum in the coming 2020/2021 school year.

To register for a November 23 Young Eagles Flight (wait list only available at this time, but even if you don’t get a flight this time you’ll get an invite to our future events) please visit:

To learn more about Lampson Field airport, please visit:

Lampson Field.

To learn more about the AOPA High School Curriculum please visit:

AOPA High School Curriculum.

To learn more about the EAA Young Eagles program, please visit:

Young Eagles Flights.

A pdf file to help promote the event is available for download at:

Young Eagles Rally Poster.

A pdf file in Spanish to help promote the event is available for download at:

Águilas Jóvenes.

If you are interested in teaching the AOPA High School Curriculum or donating aviation related items for use by the Clear Lake Flying Club for its youth initiative, please visit:

Clear Lake Flying Club Youth Initiative.

The participation of businesses, trade organizations and local government has been essential to producing this event.

Participating organizations providing resources for the event include:

Aerial Archives,
the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association,
the Clear Lake Flying Club,
the Clearlake Modelers,
the Experimental Aircraft Association,
EAA Chapter 124,
the Lake County Airmans Association,
the Lake County Chamber of Commerce,
the Lake County Office of Education,
the Lake County Department of Public Works,
Lake County Aero Styling and Repair (LASAR),
REACH Air Medical Services,
the Sonoma Jet Center
and Tom’s Aircraft Enterprises.

Clear Lake Splash In Dates For 2020: September 17-20, 2020

October 23, 2019 October 31, 2019 / By Herb Lingl / Events, Seaplanes

ICON Aircraft chief pilot, Rich Bookbinder, demonstrates the ICON A5 amphibious light sport aircraft at the Clear Lake Seaplane Splash In, Lakeport, Lake County, California
Image ID: AHLC3945
© Herb Lingl/aerialarchives.com

The 41st annual Clear Lake Splash In is scheduled to take place from Thursday, September 17, through Sunday, September 20, 2020 in Lakeport, California.

The Clear Lake Splash In carries on the long tradition of seaplane operations at Clear Lake.

Over the years, the Clear Lake Splash In has evolved into the largest seaplane fly-in event in the western United States.

The event has also featured seminars about aviation and seaplane flying which impart unique information, sometimes difficult to obtain elsewhere.

The 2019 event featured three presentations by Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) ambassador Kay Sundaram.

As has been the tradition each year, Splash In volunteers provided a free shuttle service between Lampson Field (102), the closest general aviation airport to the event (only 4 miles away), and the Natural High School grounds where the event takes place for those who choose to fly land planes to the event.

If you’re interested in this event and would like to participate as a pilot, volunteer or sponsor for the 2020 Clear Lake Splash In, please get in touch. You can use the contact link on the top right of this page or the contacts available at the web pages referenced in the links below.

Areas where volunteers would be invaluable for next year’s event include help with event planning and fund raising, social media, seminar planning and event marketing.

If you’re a seaplane pilot and have ideas for next year’s event, please pass those along.

To view photographs of the 2019 and previous Splash In events, please visit Clear Lake Splash In photographs.

To follow the Clear Lake Splash In on Facebook, please visit Clear Lake Seaplane Splash In on Facebook.