The fly-in

Here is the draft plan for event day.

This is a draft plan. It depends on insurance, permits, and approval from the airport and county, and any local groups that join us, and it may change.

What to expect

A family-friendly fly-in and history day at the Willows-Glenn County Airport, celebrating three chapters of local aviation: the Doolittle Raiders’ final training here in March 1942, the pioneering aerial agriculture of the Nolta family and others, and the origins of aerial firefighting.

Draft schedule

Morning

Volunteer breakfast at Nancy’s Cafe.

7:00 am

Volunteers and flight line monitors are briefed. The safety line is set and responders are staged.

8:00 am

Fly-in arrivals open. Pre-registered pilots check in and get their briefing.

9:00 am

The public opens: vendor fair, food trucks, hangar open house, static displays, and the history exhibit.

10:55 am

Final arrivals are down. The hard stop begins at 11:00 am.

11:00 am

Opening ceremony, listed below.

11:30 am to 2:00 pm

Lunch from the food trucks and tri-tip (partner to be confirmed), hangar tours, kids’ activities, and the vendor fair. Local storytelling and oral history of the Willows airport, the Nolta brothers, the Mendocino Air Tankers, the Korean flight school, and more.

1:30 pm

Flour bombing competitors get a separate safety brief. The drop zone is checked and cleared.

2:00 pm

The hard stop ends and the airport reopens.

2:15 to 3:45 pm

Flour bombing competition. The emcee narrates, the public watches from behind the safety line, and flights are scored as they happen.

3:45 pm

Awards, including the Doolittle Cup and class winners. Thanks to the sponsors.

4:00 pm

The event closes with the retiring of the colors. Departures resume, and the flight line stays staffed until the last aircraft leaves.

Opening ceremony, 11:00 am

• A brief welcome and a one-line safety note
• Posting of the colors by the VFW or CAP color guard. The colors stay posted all day.
• The pledge and the National Anthem (the Willows High School Band, perhaps)
• An invocation and a moment of silence
• Remarks of about two minutes each from invited local leaders, such as the city, the county, and community groups
• The “Why Willows” story, told in three to four minutes, on Lt. Miller, Doolittle, and Nolta
• A Raiders tribute with the names, a toast to the silver goblets, and Taps, live if possible
• Veterans recognition by branch
• Announcements and thanks to the sponsors

Flour bombing

• Daylight. Sunset is around 6:10 pm in mid-October, so finishing by about 4:00 pm leaves a wide margin for departures.
• Three heats, named for the airport’s three chapters: the Nolta seed drop (commercial pilots), the Ely tanker drop (private pilots), and the Raider bombing run (open field, any pilot).
• Departures. Other aircraft hold at the ramp during competition rounds and leave between rounds or after the awards.
• Rules. Drop height, sack weight, target size, and spectator location will go into the pilot brief, and will be set with airport management, the Willows Fire Department, and our insurer.

Static displays and visiting aircraft

• B-25 Mitchell. A B-25 Mitchell based in the Woodland area (location to be confirmed) is pending confirmation, depending on its availability that weekend.
• An original N3N air tanker. Gary Hendrickson recently bought his father’s N3N air tanker, so the event could feature an original from 1956, the year the Mendocino Air Tanker Squad began. This is pending confirmation.
• Military Minute Museum. The museum would host a static display (to be confirmed).
• Tankers and others. We are reaching out to CAL FIRE and military groups about static displays. We also plan to contact the U.S. Forest Service about tankers, and to look for other interesting aircraft.

Open hangar ideas

The county’s airport master plan counts about 45 hangars on the field, and the airport’s history suggests plenty to show in them. These are ideas, not commitments. Each depends on the hangar owner saying yes.

• An agricultural aviation hangar. Willows was where major agricultural flying began, with rice sowing, fertilizer, and aerial pest control. An ag operator could show a working crop duster, the hopper and how it has changed since Floyd Nolta’s 1928 version, and what an ag pilot does in a season.
• An air tanker hangar. Pair an original N3N or Stearman with photographs of the 1956 squad, the drop-test grid, and the story of Ely, Sherwood, and the eight pilots.
• A Raiders hangar. A B-25 or model, the history exhibit, and the story of how the crews practiced short takeoffs here in March 1942, with a walk out to Runway 13-31, where they flew.
• A beacon tower stop. The 51-foot steel beacon tower from 1928 is still standing and still turns. A short guided stop could explain the air mail route beacons that once guided pilots at night.
• The plaque and the cafe. The Birth of the Airtanker Program plaque stands near Nancy’s Airport Cafe, which makes a natural walking stop between the hangars.
• A Korean aviation school table. Photographs and the story of the 1920–21 school, and of the Willows Airmen it trained.
• Pilots’ own hangars. Many airplanes based here are owned by local pilots, and an owner could open a hangar to show a restoration, a homebuilt, or a family airplane.

If you own or rent a hangar at Willows and would like to open it for the day, email us.

Hangar count and tenants from the Glenn County airport master plan, Chapter 1. The agricultural, air tanker, and Raiders history is covered in more detail in The farmers, The firefighters, and The raiders.

Plan your visit

When

Saturday, October 16, 2027. The public opens at 9:00 am and the event closes at 4:00 pm.

Where

Willows-Glenn County Airport (KWLW), Willows, California.

Admission and parking

Admission is free. Parking details are to be announced.

Accessibility

To be announced. If you have questions or needs, email us and we will do our best to plan for them.

What to bring

It will be mid-October on an open airfield, so bring sun protection, a jacket for the morning, water, and hearing protection for children. The public stays behind the flight line safety line.

Eat

Food trucks and a tri-tip lunch (partner to be confirmed) are planned on site. Nancy’s Airport Cafe is at the airport too.

Stay

Lodging suggestions are coming. Email us if you are traveling and want help planning.

For pilots

Fly-in arrivals open at 8:00 am for pre-registered pilots, who check in and get their briefing. All arrivals need to be down by 10:55 am, because no aircraft move from 11:00 am until 2:00 pm. After the hard stop ends, flour bombing runs from 2:15 to 3:45 pm, and other aircraft hold at the ramp during competition rounds and leave between rounds or after the awards.

Registration, rules, and the arrival briefing will be posted here. We expect to open pilot registration in spring 2027. Until then, sign up for updates and we will email you when it opens.

Volunteer or vend

The day depends on volunteers, flight line monitors, and a vendor fair. Tell us what you would like to do.

Questions

What if it rains?

We have not set a rain plan or date yet. We will post it here once it is agreed with the airport and any groups that join us.

Is it free?

Yes, admission is free.

Can I bring my kids?

Yes. It is meant to be a family day, with kids’ activities, hangar tours, and aircraft to look at. Everyone stays behind the safety line.

Which aircraft are confirmed?

We will post the list of confirmed aircraft here as it comes together. Two aircraft we hope to feature are still pending confirmation: a B-25 Mitchell, which depends on its availability that weekend, and an original N3N air tanker from 1956, the year the Mendocino Air Tanker Squad began.

I have a question that is not here.

Email us at AHSWillows@gmail.com.