Airport Updates:

9/1/2012 Soar-the-Shore 2012 is coming to Campbell Field Airport on October 25-28 (Thursday-Sunday).  All PPG, PPC, Powered Hang Gliders and Ultralights are welcome.  And of course all general aviation aircraft are welcome to fly in and check out the activities.  Activities include spot landing contests, bean bag drops, slalom courses, and a pumpkin carving contest!  RV's and tents welcome.  More details to follow.

4/1/2012 Soup-on-Sunday:  First "SOS" in a while!  Great turnout of 30-35 aircraft.  Photos of the day are here.

4/1/2012: Happy April Fool's Day! Please Assist With the Capture and Prosecution of the "Soup-on-Sunday" Bandits.  See: www.campbellfieldairport.com/PDF/SOSBandits.pdf

Pompous Pilfering Pilots Surveillance Photo:

3/29/2012 Prep for "SOS":  I just sent out a mass mailing to everyone one that "SOS" is this Sunday, April 1.  Yes, it is April Fool's day and I hope that you all don't think I am joking!  I have about 48 hours of cleaning and prep work to get the place presentable between now and this Sunday, but overall the place is looking nice.  Already had to mow the field once, something that normally does not happen till mid April.  But I'll take this nice weather anyday.  I'll see you all this Sunday and that is NO JOKE!

10/20/2011 Never Build A Home:  If you ever have built a home you know what I am talking about.  It disrupts your life for the length of the build and requires your complete concentration and focus.  Combine that with a new baby and you have a double whammy.  So if you have wondered where the "SOS's" went and why this page has not been updated in a while you have your answer.  Just last week we finally moved into the new home and while there is still a ton of work to be done (we only have a temporary CO) my focus will be shifting back to the airport and all the activities there.  I look forward to hosting the next "SOS" and appreciate everyones' patience.  By the way, little Charlotte is having a wonderful life and turns nine months old in three days.

4/29/2011 Soup-on-Sunday:  Very nice Memorial Day weekend fly-in with 22+ aircraft on the field.  IFR conditions and haze in other areas north of here might have kept a few planes away but I had a great time with those that made it in.  A beautiful collection of RV's made the trip, including one just out of production and still waiting for paint.   Ralph Capen flew in on his newly painted RV, a Southwest Airline inspired paint scheme.  And our little girl Charlotte made her first appearance at a Soup-on-Sunday.  All in all a great Sunday! See the Picassa album for all the pictures.

Ralph Capen in his Southwest RV


Charlotte at her first Soup-on-Sunday, held by her grandmother.


A Piper Cub departing 9VG

4/1/2011 Spring Update:  "SOS" Schedule, Bieber Fever Hits the Shore.

I know some of you are disappointed today as no airport hoax turned up in your mailbox this morning. All I can say is I am sorry. I have just been too busy with all the recent activity at the airport and quite frankly just ran out of ideas. Over the past few months we have had some intensive flight training happening here and along with the birth of our daughter Charlotte, I have had little time for anything else. Read below about our celebrity solo happening this afternoon.

After a winter hiatus “Soup-on-Sunday” will be back April 10th. We look forward to seeing everyone back at the airport for some good food, conversation and great aviation above the Eastern Shore. The airport is in great shape and the runway is firm. I plan to host “SOS” weekly but between the weather and my travel schedule they may be a little less frequent. Please check the website for updates and if it does not say “SOS” is ON then assume it is OFF. Please tell all your pilot friends and let's make this summer a fun one at Campbell Field!

Later this afternoon an international celebrity with ties to the Eastern Shore of Virginia will solo at Campbell Field. Sixteen year old Justin Bieber, the YouTube sensation and now international pop recording star has been training for his private pilot's license over the past few months. According to instructor Ray Gefken, Bieber, who turned 16 this past March is all set to take his first solo flight later today.

His manager, Scooter Braun, was initially against Bieber learning to fly, but after a visit to Campbell Field and some discussion with instructor Ray Gefken he gave Bieber his blessing. His manager commented that flying is a high risk activity and Bieber is a high value asset but with the proper instruction the risk can be minimized and aviation will be a good diversion for the young Bieber.

Justin Bieber's training has gone off without a hitch thanks in part to the low stress atmosphere here at Campbell Field Airport. At any other airport we would've had throngs of his young fans clamoring to get a peek a Justin Bieber. Here he has been able to the train without the pressures of stardom and concentrate fully on the intensive training all private pilot's go through. In fact very few people have even been aware of his training here and only a few hard core fans have shown up to watch him fly. Justin's family has a home on the Eastern Shore and the singer, who hails from Canada, has been visiting the shore during the summer months for years.

Bieber has had a passion for avation since he was just a young boy, and his frequent air travel has only heightened his interest in aviation. Justin told me that a year or so ago he visited John Travolta at his Florida airport home and flew once with Iron Maiden's lead singer, Bruce Dickerson. Dickerson is not just the lead singer but Captain of the bands private jet. Justin said that Dickerson really stoked his interest to fly. His original goal was to solo on his March 1st birthday but he was touring during that time. After he passes his private pilot check ride Justin hopes to continue his training and one day fly himself around the world to his concert engagements.

Due to his solo flight this afternoon the airport will be closed to spectators. Please do not fly in or drive in as the local police will have the area secured. I will have pictures posted on the website by tomorrow of Justin Bieber's first solo flight.

3/08/2011 Bayford Road Cleanup:  A group of Boston College and Holy Cross students spent spring break on the Eastern Shore volunteering on projects.  The group of 15 or so spent over a day cleaning the entire length of Bayford Road which runs past the airport.  This is the second or third time we have done a group cleanup with them and I am always amazed at the amount of trash we find.  I estimate at least 100 bright orange bags were filled to the brim.  Fortunately the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) supplied the bags and picked them up when we were done.  At the next "Soup-on-Sunday" I am going to have a talk with all the pilots and let them know that dropping all your trash from the aircraft when doing your fly-by's is just not acceptable!  Thank you Boston College and Holy Cross!

Boston College & Holy Cross Students at 9VG

Bayford Road Cleanup, Boston College & Holy Cross Students

3/1/2011 Winter Update:  Another cold, wet, snowy winter on the Eastern Shore.  The airport has been in hibernation the last couple months with little activity.  But I have been sidetracked with other more important matters, namely the birth of our daughter Charlotte.  At this point "Soup-on-Sunday" will resume in early April.  We have a planned trip to Florida near the end of March and expect to be back by the first week in April.  Hope to see you all out at 9VG soon!

1/23/2011 Our baby Charlotte arrived!  6 lbs, 2 oz.  19.5 inches.  Adorable!!

12/31/2010 Happy New Year!  I fully expected to host at least one "Soup-on-Sunday" in December but then winter hit hard!  So adios to 2010 and I am hoping for better weather in 2011.  

12/30/2010 We lost an aviator, doctor and a fine gentleman, Dr. Nichols died today at the age of 62.  For over 30 years Dr. Nichols served the people of nearby Tangier Island.  He would fly his Robinson R44 to the island every week and was known to many as Dr. Copter.  For more info on his life's work and death see this Richmond Times-Dispatch article.

Dr. David Nichols at a recent "Soup-on-Sunday"

11/21/2010 Soup-on-Sunday:  Another almost perfect Sunday, a little haze moved in as well as a wind of 12-14 knots.  But for late November it was a comfortable day and around 20-25 aircraft made the flight in.  While every aircraft is special we did have one that you just don't see that much.  It was a UTVA-66 STOL aircraft produced by the former Yogoslavia.  With an empty weight of 2758lb and a usefull load of 4012 lb. it is an impressive aircraft.  Lots of photos of the UTVA-66 and the rest of the aircraft can be found here.  

Yogoslavian UTVA-66

Piper getting a treat!

11/14/2010 Soup-on-Sunday:  Perfect Day!  Lost count of the aircraft but there were over 40 on the field, probably close to 45 total.  14 tons of chili was served and at least 10 aircraft could not get back off the ground!  Just kidding, but we did serve a lot of food!  I took some great photos and posted them in this Flickr set.

Dr. Nichols and family enjoying the perfect weather.

Flight of three Pipers over the field.


Do aircraft get any prettier than this?
Cessna 195 departing 9VG.

10/24/2010 Soup-on-Sunday:  A great day for flying with clear skies and a 8-10 knot breeze right down the runway.  We had 35-40 aircraft show up today.  A very relaxing afternoon!  See this Flickr set for some great photos!  

Bruce Raymond turns the smoke on!


Richard Baggett in his beautifully restored Piper Cub.

6/16/10 AOPA Flight Training Magazine:  Ian Twombly did a short write up of places to go on the weekend.  Campbell Field was on the top of the list!   See AOPA Magazine (log in required)

5/30/10 Soup-on-Sunday:  After a several month rain delay we were finally able to host an event here.  With the field dried out nicely and the grass and trees turning green it was a perfect day for a "Roll On the Grass"!  Over thirty aircraft flew in and one Robinson R44 Helo.  

4/1/2010 Happy April Fool's Day:

Preparing the Stock for "Soup-on-Sunday" with some bones
found on the runway!  Happy April Fool's Day 2010!

PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release:
April 1st, 2010
PDF File
NOTAM TEXT

Temporary Airport Closure to Exhume Human Remains
Thought to be the remains of airport founder Darrell Kellam
Airport Closed via NOTAM through 4/8/10

Weirwood, VA – Human remains and burial artifacts were discovered yesterday in the middle of the airport runway. A Notice to Airmen has been issued closing the field through April 8th to facilitate the exhumation.

The remains were discovered by the current airport owner who attributes the find to the record rainfall and widespread flooding at the airport. “We had another downpour a couple of days ago and yesterday my dog was doing her daily rounds of the airport and she came back to the office with this enormous bone”, said owner Gordon Campbell. “I thought the dog looked cute with this big bone in her mouth so I took a picture and emailed it to some friends. One of the recipients was a doctor who immediately replied that it looks like a human bone my dog was chewing on. Now my dog has not been known to kill anyone so I thought there must be some human remains nearby.” A walk down the runway led to the area where the dog had found the bone. “The grave site is about 1000 feet from the southern end of the runway and exactly where the threshold for the runway used to be”, said Campbell.

While no analysis of the remains has yet been undertaken they are thought to be those of Darrell Kellam, the the founder of the Airport in 1933, who died in 1976. An old timer at the field remembers hearing that Mr. Kellam had been buried here; “Years ago someone passed through and recounted that Darrell Kellam had requested that he be buried at the end of the runway. I never really thought much about it but I know this airport was Mr. Kellams pride, joy and lifelong endevour. Darrells blood ran through this place and I guess that's no longer a metaphor”, commented Ray Gefken. There has been no further exhumation of the remains out of respect for the deceased but some careful probing of the site yielded a box containing burial artifacts. “There was a box of artifacts that was buried alongside the body. A Piper Cub Owner's Manual, a couple aviation books and a log book with Mr. Kellam's name in it.”, said Gordon Campbell.

Speculation is that flooding over the years helped “float” the remains to the surface.

“This airport has quite a history and this discovery is just one more footnote”, said Mr. Campbell, adding, “I always thought that when I go it would be nice to be buried here. Since the south end is already spoken for I'm happy taking the north end. At least I will be in good company.”

A NOTAM has been issued closing the field to enable a crew to carefully exhume the body. “I am going to do some research and if Mr. Kellam wanted to be buried at the end of the runway we will comply with his wishes but move the burial site to the present runway end that is thankfully on higher ground” said Campbell.

Pilot's should call Flight Service at 1-800-WX-BRIEF for current NOTAM information.
 

Piper with human bone found at 9VG


Burial artifacts found at grave site.


Recent flooding at the airport. 

3/15/2010:  It is with sadness that I report the passing of two regular visitors to Campbell Field and "Soup-on-Sunday":

• John "Doc" Dougherty passed away on March 8th.  He was 91.   Doc was a regular at the airport with his wife Marian.   Around 8-10 years ago Doc built a Kolb Firestar and just this past January Ray Gefken brought it from Docs home in nearby Machipongo to the airport and took it for a flight.  According to Ray it flew perfectly and I think I overheard Doc saying that Ray flew it perfectly (but can't confirm that).  We will all miss Doc and his ever present smile and his kind ways.   A memorial service will be held on Saturday April 10th, 5pm at the St. Charles Church in Cape Charles, Va.  Contributions in Docs memory may be sent to the Hospice & Pallative Care of the Eastern Shore, 165 Market St., Suite #3, Onancock VA  23417.  

Ray & Doc at the airport this past January.


Doc with his grandson greeting Ray after his flight in the Kolb Firestar.


Docs Kolb Firestar in flight.

• William Sprague,Sr. "Bill", a resident of Parksley, Virginia died on March 12th.  Bill was a retired Captain for Eastern Airlines and a long time friend and advocate of general aviation.  He sat on the Accomack County Airport Board and was active in the activies at Campbell Field.  Desipite his cancer battle he was a regular at "Soup-on-Sunday" often with his friendly Great Dane at his side.  Bill was 85

11/08/2009 Soup-on-Sunday:  Perfect day.  See photos at this PHOTOLINK.  Write up will follow.


9/17/2009 Kanye West disrespects this website:  For a short time today Kanye West took control of this website.  We are sorry for any inconvienience thi may have caused you but fortunately there was no damage other than to Kanye's reputation.

9/13/2009 Soup-on-Sunday

9/6/2009 Soup-on-Sunday:  After what seems like an eternity we had an awesome turnout this past Sunday.   We had between 35-40 aircraft fly-in and one Coast Guard HH-60J (might be the new MH-60T) Helo with four hungry souls aboard.  According to USCG pilot Lt. Lance Leone, the Coast Guard has not been a recent visitor to the field.  He might be right; the Navy uses the field often to train in their Knighthawks, the Army "Night Stalkers" have been in with their Littlebirds, and the Marines have been spotted a few times here in their CH-46's, but I have yet to see a USCG helo here.  So in these days of equal representation the rumbling got a little loud and orders came down from up high to get a USCG helo in here pronto!  Their refueling mission (hot dogs & chili) was a success and they were back on patrol in short order.

USCG HH-60J refueled on hot dogs and chili.

In the fixed wing department we had some beautiful planes fly in.  They included a 2008 Aviat A-1C Husky, that was enroute from upstate NY to NC, a 2001 Maule  MT-7-235 Super Rocket that was owned previously by the Civil Air Patrol but will now spend it's time in the Hampton Roads area, a beautiful 1953 Cessna 195, a 1929 Great Lakes Biplane that is a frequent visitor and always a head turner, a few Bonanza's, both V and straight tail, and 6-7 RV's.

Pulling through the cylinders on the 195 radial engine.

 
2008 Aviat Husky

6/13&14/2009:  75th Anniversary Fly-In & Campout:  (I'm working on it!...sorry for taking so long!)

5/30&31/2009 12th Annual Festival of Flight:  The Virginia Aviation Council just hosted their 12th Annual Festival of Flight at the Suffolk Executive Airport in Suffolk, VA.  It was a wonderful event and as one of the organizers I was grateful that we had perfect weather on Saturday as over 350 aircraft attended the event.  I would like to thank the hundreds of volunteers who did everything from parking aircraft to cooking pancakes to carrying out the trash.  It was an amazing coordinated effort of volunteers that made this event what it is and will become.  EAA just published a nice review of the event.  The EAA article also has a listing of aircraft judging results.  Photos and other post event info is being uploaded to VirginiaFlyIn.org.  Check out this video below of the event that was produced by the Virginia-Pilot.



5/24/2009 Soup-on-Sunday:  After a string of perfect days the weather turned to only marginal on Sunday.  It was still very flyable all day but rain was popping up on the radar in a few Virginia locations.  We had a good morning of flying tandem hang gliders but the turnout for Soup-on-Sunday was very low.  We were lucky if we had ten aircraft show up.   But ten aircraft is enough to make the afternoon a fun time.  In fact, I sort of like the smaller crowds because it gives me a little time to interact rather than making sure the food is warm and plentiful.   It was also our first full weekend of hang gliding at Campbell Field so "SOS" attendees were able to watch a few tandem hang gliding flights.  At least one "SOS" attendee took a tandem hang gliding flight and had a great time!



5/23/2009 Hang Gliding:  Our hang gliding operation, Eastern Shore Hang Gliding Center, is up and running at Campbell Field Airport.  There are no mountains to fly off of on the Eastern Shore so we use a method called "aerotowing" to get the gliders up to altitude.  We use a powerful aircraft, called a "tug", to tow the hang glider off the ground and on the way up the tug pilot looks for areas of thermal activity so the glider pilot can release in "lift".   If you have not a rated hang glider pilot you can still enjoy the freedom of flying hang gliders by taking an introductory tandem flight.  For all the details see www.SoartheShore.com.



5/18/2009  Kitty Hawk Kites Hang Gliding Spectacular:  After the Warbirds Over the Beach show we headed down to Nags Head, North Carolina, on the Outer Banks to watch the Hang Gliding Spectacular put on by Kitty Hawk Kites and held at Jockey's Ridge State Park.   If you have not been to the dunes at Jockey's Ridge you are missing out on a spectacular sight.  While you are there sign up for a hang gliding lesson and soar the dunes!



5/17/2009 Warbirds Over the Beach:  The Military Aviation Museum, located at the Virginia Beach Airport hosted the first "Warbirds Over the Beach", of what will become an annual weekend event.  Despite the gloomy weather, the event was attended by hundreds of spectators and hundreds of re-enactors.  The WWII re-enactors set up various true to life WWII scenes along the lenght of the runway and the two massive hangars hosted WWII vets signing autographs and a full stage with various entertainers.  Put it on your "must do" list for next year!



5/10/2009 Soup-on-Sunday:  Mother's Day brought a smaller than normal fleet of aircraft into Campbell Field.  Ten or so aircraft landed on this sunny spring day and all enjoyed a perfect afternoon.  I guess Mother's Day duties kept most of you at home!  I have embedded a slide show of the day's events.  Click on any image to view the image in Picasa Web Albums.



4/21/2009 Soup-on-Sunday:  Another good turnout of aircraft at Campbell Field.  Twenty or so aircraft came in today and enjoyed a nice afternoon.  I have embedded a slide show of the day's events.  Click on any image to view in Picasa Web Albums.



4/5/2009 Soup-on-Sunday:  Sometimes good things take a while, and that was certainly the case with today's "Soup-on-Sunday".  After a long, dreary winter of little activity here the fist "SOS" of 2009 was held on a picture perfect day.  A good part of the reason for the absense was that I decided to redo the airport bathroom, and it was not until I gutted the room that I realized what a project it would be.  Let's just say that over the years there have been many more termites visiting the hangar than pilots!  After a bunch of late nights I was able to pull it together enough to host the "SOS".  Work still needs to be done on the bathroom, including all the tile work, but it is a least functional.  

The perfect weather meant another record crowd (or close to it, I can't keep count), many will agree that there were over 50 aircraft in attendance.  While it seemed that they flew in from all corners of the world it is probably more realistic to say that the Mid-Atlantic region was well represented.   The Van's Airforce of RV's was well represented, as they often are.  Just one mention on the Yahoo Mid-AtlRVwing group has them throttling up their aircraft.  But I was especially impressed with all the locals that came out with the kids to enjoy the nice afternoon and amazing sights.  

We served around 160 hotdogs and 150 buns, yes, we ran out of buns!  Apologies to those that had to eat a naked dog, but to make you feel better this was the first week ever that I went without a hotdog!  I'll make up for it next time.

We had a number of photographers working today.  I like that because I don't have to worry about getting good shots for this site.  Many thanks to Mike Likavec, Travis Faudree and Alex Hrapunov.  Enjoy the pics below and I have listed several links to find more great pictures of the day.

 
Christine & Piper

Dr. Nichols (R) with family & friends

Larry & Susan Kennedy with their Grumman

Father & Son

Aeronca Champ





RV's

V-Tail Bonaza

Another RV!

For more great photos of the day's event please visit:
Flickr-Campbell Field Airport
Flickr-Travis Faudree
Flickr-Mike Likavec

4/1/2009 April Fool's Day:  Someone here at Campbell Field Airport got a hold of the mailing list and issued a Press Release indicating that the power lines at the south end of the runway were going to be raised 278 feet to accomodate incoming traffic.  While I have no official statistics it appears a few of you believed the tale, if not just for a few minutes.  If you did not get last years prank about paving the runway, then you get some sympathy.  But if there are any of you that fell for it two years in a row, well, maybe it is time for an examination (of the head)!  I was suprised how many of you indicated that with all the FAA's beauracracy, they just might approve something like this.  Some of you asked if there was any consideration given to departing traffic, missed approaches, or cost considerations.  No, there was no consideration given to those things because this was a joke that was thought up in about 30 minutes!  Oh, and the photo, it was just pulled from somewhere in the far reaches of the internet!  Good luck to you all next year!

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Happy April Fool's Day 2009!
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2/7/2009  Winter!:  It has been cold around here, seemingly more so than in past years.  Maybe I am just getting old!  During January I had a nice flight down to Florida for a couple of weeks.  I picked up Hang Gliding and Trike instructor Jonny Thompson (he works with Kitty Hawk Kites during the summer) at Currituck and we had a tailwind most of the way down to Quest Air Soaring Center, just west of Orlando.   Airnav.com did a great job of pointing out all the cheap fuel along the route (paid a low of $2.44 at Ormond, Fl.), I might never see that again!  After bumming around Quest for a few days and getting a few hang gliding tows in I headed down to Miami for a few days then worked my way up to Charleston, S.C., then to KVTA in Ohio to pick up our new airport mascot, Piper!  What was most amazing about the trip is that I had a tailwind on virtually every leg, you don't see that often!  Meanwhile the bathroom here at 9VG is a gutted miserable mess!  Time to get to work!

Old Pan Am seaplane operations terminal on Dinner Key, Coconut Grove, Fl.


Above the West Virginia mountains flying to 9VG from Ohio.


Piper, the new mascot of 9VG.

Older Airport & "Soup-on-Sunday" updates can be found following these links:

Campbell Field Aiport & "Soup-on-Sunday" Updates 2008

Campbell Field Airport & "Soup-on-Sunday" Updates 2006-2007

Campbell Field Airport & "Soup-on-Sunday" Updates 2005-2006

Click this link for a current interactive aeronautical sectional chart.
Address:
Campbell Field Airport
9114 Bayford Road, PO Box 64
Weirwood, VA 23413-0064
Airfield is located on the Eastern Shore of Virginia (ESVA) in the Weirwood Hamlet, Northampton County. We are near the towns of Exmore, Eastville and Nassawadox Virginia.
We love grassroots aviation and we are taildragger friendly.
Copyright Campbell Field Airport 2012





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