Ski planes fly into downtown Dover-Foxcroft
DOVER-FOXCROFT — About 20 aircraft landed on the frozen Piscataquis River in downtown Dover-Foxcroft for the inaugural Ski Plane Fly-in on the morning of Saturday, Jan. 31.
The ski-equipped aircraft touched down from over South Street/Route 7, heading westward before turning and taxiing along a coned off route on the snow to park along the riverbanks.
Standing behind the Mill complex next to the Piscataquis River, local pilot and event organizer Chris Arno of Dover-Foxcroft said the fly-in was going well despite a windy start to the morning which delayed the arrival of some pilots until later in the morning.
SKI PLANE PARKING — About 20 aircraft came to downtown Dover-Foxcroft during the inaugural Ski Plane Fly-In on the morning of Saturday, Jan. 31. The ski planes parked on the frozen Piscataquis River to allow the community an up close look.
Once parked, community members could walk on the 16-inch thick ice for a close-up look at the ski planes.
Permission was granted for snowmobile access and a trail was groomed to the site right off the Maine ITS.
“They can come down and get on the river and enjoy the airplanes, enjoy the fire pit and enjoy the community,’ Arno said. “Which really is what it’s all about.”
CESSNA L-19 BIRDDOG — Ski Plane Fly-In organizer Chris Arno’s Cessna L-19 Birddog displayed at the Jan. 31 event in Dover-Foxcroft.
Based out of the nearby Charles A. Chase Jr. Memorial Field off Pine Street, Arno said, “It hit me late last fall, I was thinking of a place to have a ski plane fly-in.”
“The more I thought about it I thought this would be a great place to have a ski plane fly-in, we have a nice high riverbank, flat riverbank and access for people to drive in and come in and see the planes,” he said.
The location serves as seaplane base ME-85 in the summer.
COMING IN FOR A LANDING — A ski plane gets ready to land on the Piscataquis River on Saturday morning.
Arno hoped to see a number of aircraft on the river but “you never really know how many you are going to get until the day of the event and then they all get here.”
Many pilots came from Maine but one from New Hampshire and another from Connecticut both touched down.
Area visitors could dine at The Mill Inn + Café with the establishment offering extended breakfast and lunch hours and specials and a performance from award-winning Maine singer-songwriter Josiah Dyer.
TOUCHING DOWN — A plane arriving at the Ski Plane Fly-In in Dover-Foxcroft gets ready to land on the frozen surface of the Piscataquis River in Dover-Foxcroft.
“The pilots in the New England region, we pretty much know everyone,’ Arno said. “We all hang out together and go to events together.”
He mentioned the annual Wings for Wishes event at the Dexter Regional Airport in August to raise money for Make-A-Wish Maine.
Arno has been flying since 2019 when he earned his pilot’s certificate after a year of training. The next summer he received his float seaplane rating.
SKIING PLANE — In the wintertime ski plane floats are swapped out for skis.
His orange Cessna L-19 Birddog, rebuilt completely over three years, was parked next to the Mill. The aircraft was used by the military in Korea and Vietnam.
Arno wanted a more civilian paint scheme, with his wife Diane helping pick out the colors.
“That’s good and bad because if you mess up they know you did something bad in a hurry,” he joked.
DIRECTIONAL CONES — Pilots coming to the Ski Plane Fly-In in Dover-Foxcroft on Jan. 31 had directions to follow to park their aircraft.
Arno hopes to get the plane on floats for the summer on Sebec Lake.
“For the most part, put on skis,” he said about winterizing the aircraft.
Tape is placed over the oil cooler to make the plane run warmer and help keep moisture out of the engine, Arno said with 180 degrees the ideal temperature.
He wears a heated jacket when flying, saying the heaters are not the greatest and comparing these to those of a Volkswagen Beetle.