Mulberry Jam

We made a discovery last Sunday, when Mark and I went out for a drive in our little convertible. In the Virginia countryside north of the town of Orange, Virginia is an old-fashioned barnstorming air show– The Flying Circus in Bealeton, Virginia. Not Monty Python’s, but the real deal with biplanes and stunt planes, sky diving and wing walking demonstrations.

We had no intention of stopping when we set out in the morning, but as our route took us in that general direction I saw the airfield marked on the map and steered us in that general direction. As we got close we could hear the sound of the plane engines up in the sky and looked up to see a yellow biplane going into loops and stalls in a bright blue sky filled with puffy white clouds. We pulled over next to the gate at the airfield and we could see it’s a small operation– no tarmac, just grass runway and handmade plank benches next to the field for the spectators. A little shack selling hot dogs and ice cream, a gift shop and some bathrooms complete the setup. We impulsively decided it looked like too much fun to miss so we decided to stay.

One of the biplanes in the Flying Circus

And I’m so glad we did! The actual airshow started about forty-five minutes after our arrival and lasted for 90 minutes of non-stop entertainment. By the time the show started there were a couple of hundred people there, mostly families with kids of various ages. The grassy airfield setup makes it easy to tailgate or picnic, and many people had wisely brought beach umbrellas to ward off the strong July sun. With the admission ticket price of $10 a person plus a $10 lunch for two, it was bargain entertainment. If you’re really enthusiastic, you can even buy rides in the open-cockpit show planes. Prices this summer are $70 for a standard ride, or $130 for an aerobatic ride, where the pilot will take you through loops, rolls, dives and stalls in an open biplane.

To get there by the most direct path, go south of Manassas on Route 28 for about 25 miles and turn left onto Route 17 South. Continue for 4 miles, then make another left turn onto Ritchie Road (VA 644). The Aerodrome will be on your left. They have shows every Sunday from May through October. Coming up in August is a special weekend balloon festival when there will be balloon rides on both Saturday and Sunday August 15-16.