— Text and photos by Gus and Clara Corujo

COPA Flight 70 Durham Region hosted its 3rd annual North Port Fly-In on Saturday, August 19. With a 2,200-foot grass strip situated by the shores of Lake Scugog in Ontario, North Port, CNP4, is owned and operated by Manny and Connie Rosario. The beautiful grass strip holds about 40 parking spaces for aircraft and new dock facilities for seven floatplanes.

It was a fantastic turnout, with a great number of visitors coming in to participate. Considering quite a windy day, more than 15 visiting aircraft flew in. BBQ lunch and refreshments were available to purchase on site as a fundraiser by the 2nd VandenBos Whitby Royal Canadian air Cadets Squadron. There was a camping area, children’s bouncy castle and lots of picnic tables set up. There were Raffle tickets to win prices, 50/50 draw and the grand price was for a Mustang P-51 ride.

The day was highlighted by the presence of Manfred Harder with his beautifully restored Bell OH-58A. COPA Director for Southern Ontario and Eastern Vice-Chair, Ashlynne Dale flew in with her high performance and multi-role capacity Airbus Helicopters H125. Desmond Lightbody also made a striking entrance, piloting his impressive Pitts Special S2 known for its exceptional climb, high-speed maneuverability, and rapid agility.

A special thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Rosario, organizers, volunteers and all parties involved for making the 3rd annual North Port Fly-in a success.