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The Grumpy Gang

The Grumman Aircraft Pilots Association European Branch

Europe

by Evert Schraverus, Regional Director

The second Belgium AYA fly-in was held on May 18-20 at the airport of Kortrijk-EBKT.A total of 18 Grummans came from Germany, France, U.K., Ireland, The Netherlands, Denmark and, of course, Belgium, to participate.

All were particularly pleased to welcome at our fly-in two friends from the U.S., Stu Morse (New York) and Kenny Burke (Texas), who surely did enjoy the local Belgian beers!

After the barbecue at the airfield, most of the participants went to their hotels to catch a well-deserved good night's sleep and to be present for the early departure of the flight over the Delta works in The Netherlands.After filing flight plans and clearing customs, all Grummans headed north to The Netherlands. The view of the Delta works, in spite of the light haze, was magnificent and many pictures were taken. The Delta works is the closing of parts of the sea by dykes and locks in order to protect the lowlands from floods.

A stop was organized at the grass field of Seppe, Netherlands, where all friends enjoyed the local goodies in the form of calories.

After the return to Kortrijk, a bus was waiting for a sightseeing trip to Brugge, an old medieval city with a rich history and beautiful places, buildings, cathedrals and canals. For some, a glass of the local brew on a terrace was preferred over a boat trip on the canals or a ride in a horsedrawn cab

After the return to Kortrijk, the day was concluded with the traditional AYA dinner in a local restaurant, where performances of our dear Grummans were expressed in knots, kilometers, pounds and seconds in a variety of European languages. The next morning, most of us departed in marginal weather for their flight home to some country of the old continent. See you next year in France or the U.K.