Annual Seaplane Fly-In to be held

GREENVILLE – A long-standing joke among pilots at the International Seaplane Fly-In is that if they saw the late Judge George Grinnell in his sea plane in the air, everyone would scatter.

Grinnell, who continued to pilot his plane until he was up into his 80s and who was a great supporter of the annual event, will be recognized posthumously at this year’s fly-in.

The 28th International Seaplane Fly-In, the longest-running sea plane fly-in in the world, will be held Sept. 6-9 at the Stobie Air Hanger in Greenville. The event offers camaraderie, safety seminars, the latest in aircraft and a display of pilot skills.

Grinnell, a former district court judge in Derry, N.H., never missed a fly-in in this community, and when he couldn’t drive his vehicle because his health, he took to the air, say organizers.

“When we heard George on the radio, we scattered; we all learned to clear the air for him,” joked Frank Woodworth, president of the fly-in association and Grinnell’s friend.

Despite his flying abilities, Grinnell was well-respected among pilots. He died at the age of 89 in June 2000.

“He was a great guy and a well-respected judge,” Woodworth said Friday. It was because of his devotion to flying and his work to promote legislation in his home state favorable to private pilots that this year’s event will be in Grinnell’s memory, according to Woodworth.

Grinnell’s daughter, Susan Levesque of Saco, and other family members will be present during this year’s sea plane fly-in. A colorful character, Grinnell had many escapades over which the family still chuckles, including a near-miss with a former president.

Levesque recalled Friday that episode which still makes the family reel with laughter.

After a trip with Levesque’s late husband, Keith Lannigan, to New Brunswick, Grinnell returned Lannigan to the Biddeford Airport where he was to be picked up. Because Grinnell was hard of hearing, he failed to hear what controllers had said about the airport, that it had been closed because President George Bush had stopped there.

Grinnell landed his plane, nudged Lannigan out the door and took off immediately because he was so eager to return to his N.H. home.

“My father never knew,” Levesque said, chuckling. Lannigan was immediately surrounded by the Secret Service. “He was mortified,” she said.

This memory and more will be shared about Grinnell during the annual event, which will test pilots on their skills in a match of wits and experience through a series of take-offs, spot landings, accuracy drops and fly-bys.

Woodworth said a couple of A10 Warthogs, a war plane that looks like a bush plane with guns on it, will make a fly-by.

The DC3, the world’s largest plane on floats, will be on display.