Copperstate’s 30th Anniversary

Copperstate celebrates its 30th anniversary at a promising new venue.
That’s the dustiest place on Earth!” the pilot said upon returning from Phoenix Regional Airport in late 2001. John Kemmeries, a Phoenix-based ultralight entrepreneur, had sent the pilot to check out the proposed site for the Copperstate regional fly-in. The pilot’s reconnaissance report suggested a dry and dirty venue for the Arizona fly-in, but he had no way of knowing the event organizer’s vision.
As I approached the area in BRS’s Cessna 172 Hawk XP for the 2002 fly-in, I found myself searching vainly for an airstrip among the desert’s uniform brown color. As the GPS led me along, I suddenly saw a large swatch of green dotted with colored tents. My uncertainty vanished; the site stood out like the proverbial sore thumb.
Welcome to the new, improved Copperstate as created by thousands of volunteer man-hours and the support of a local land owner. And by the way, “Happy 30th birtday, Copperstate.”
Desert Transformation
That large area of bright green grass was the product of a $200,000 investment in irrigation and grass seed. Only six weeks earlier the area had been as brown and dusty as Kemmeries’ pilot had reported. Long hours of labor and cooperation with Scott Ries, the developer of Phoenix Regional Airport, produced a worthy and welcome event for western flying enthusiasts.
The work of Copperstate chairman Bob Hasson and his team prepared the new location in a short time. Despite a few first-time-at-this-location hiccups, they ran a first-class regional airshow. With 7932 attendees, 650 aircraft, 40 ultralights, 122 campers and 73 exhibitors, it’s safe to say that Copperstate was a huge success.
The new venue itself excited both volunteers and visitors. Before last year’s hiatus due to September 11, the fly-in was held at the Williams airport. The location was closer to Phoenix, but it was known as a massive expanse of  asphalt. Attendees used to complain that their shoes got hot simply from walking around, and vendors and visitors had to ride a bus to get from the main display area to the ultralight area. Copperstate’s move to the new airport, which is located between Maricopa and Casa Grande, proved to be the correct decision.
Phoenix Regional is a privately owned, public-use airport with a 4500-foot paved runway, a self-service 100LL fuel station and additional pavement for aircraft parking. Plenty of camping space is available, and a good variety of hotels is available within a few miles. Locals didn’t know how to direct attendees to the event this year, but they certainly will in the future.
A Western Winner
Gregg Ellsworth, my BRS workmate and airshow partner, and I often comment that the western U.S. has no major shows to compete with Oshkosh or Sun ’n Fun. Despite having the largest population of aircraft, the west has never developed a truly strong fly-in. Arlington draws about 50,000, and Golden West is trying to start something good in the Sacramento area. But Copperstate benefits from southern Arizona’s sunny skies, and it can draw from the high-pilot-count states like California and Texas. When Copperstate stumbled last year, many thought it was the end of the fly-in. They were wrong.
Many of the vendors were western-based dealers rather than factory staff members, but a respectable number of national outfits attended. Those who passed on the fly-in this year will likely be back in 2003.
Copperstate’s airshow portion was smaller than the ones at the big events, but it had more enjoyable displays. Because vendors weren’t always inundated with inquiries, most were able to enjoy the exciting aerobatic routines. Many sellers indicated that they do better at smaller venues because they have more contact with customers, and I know my company will be back in 2003, probably with a larger display.
Copperstate Shines
I arrived a day early for the event and witnessed some of the volunteers’ last-minute efforts to prepare for the show. Into the night they kept at it, all for the love of flying. As the day turned into deep darkness, I enjoyed the bright stars over this undeveloped area. I have a feeling that Phoenix Regional won’t stay undiscovered for long.
Ries is currently selling lots for hangar houses on the north side of the airport. He has allocated commercial development to the south, invested in a new runway and helped fly-in volunteers provide acres of green grass. With the renewed vitality of the Copperstate Fly-in, you should make plans to attend in 2003.
The 2003 Copperstate Fly-in is scheduled for October 9-12. For more information, visit www.copperstate.org.