KLAM/EAA News:

Saturday, June 28, will be a big day for aviation enthusiasts, young and old, in northern New Mexico. The Los Alamos County Airport (KLAM), in cooperation with Chapter 691 of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), and Los Alamos ScienceFest, will host an Open House, 9 a.m. to noon, at KLAM Airport with a morning of aviation activities, exhibits, and fun.

This event is free and open to the public. The open house will feature displays of certified and experimental aircraft, paramotor and ultralight flying, RC aircraft, flight simulators, and an exhibition and presentation of beautiful aerial photography from around the region.

The day will kick off early with coffee and donuts starting at 8 a.m., followed by a full schedule of demonstrations and displays:

• 9 a.m. — Paramotor Demonstration: Watch a live paramotor flight—a parachute powered by a motorized fan strapped to the pilot’s back.
• 9:30–10:30 a.m. — RC Model Flying: See model aircraft take to the skies in a remote-controlled flying demonstration.
• Aircraft Displays: Get up close and personal with an exciting lineup of aircraft, including:
  • Classic Air twin turbine Medical Helicopter
  • Trike ultralights (lightweight, motorized hang gliders)
  • Microcopter (a mini helicopter)
  • Various experimental aircraft, many built in Los Alamos
  • Certified aircraft from the Los Alamos Airport and surrounding communities.
• Los Alamos Fire Department’s Aircraft Rescue Firefighting (ARFF) Truck: Tour the specialized fire truck used in aircraft emergencies.
• Flight Simulators: Try your hand at flying in the EAA Hangar’s simulators, perfect for all ages.
• Electric Dragonfly Project: Learn about an exciting electric aircraft under development by the EAA and how you can get involved.
• Civil Air Patrol: Meet cadets and learn about youth programs in aviation and aerospace.
• New Mexico Pilots Association (NMPA): Information and resources for pilots and aviation enthusiasts.
• Viva Skydive: Learn about skydiving opportunities in Northern New Mexico.
• EAA Young Eagles: Information about free introductory flights for youth, and programs that allow provide hands-on involvement with building and flying RC model aircraft.

Stunning aerial photography of New Mexico by award-winning photographer and pilot Chris Dahl-Bredine will be featured in the airport terminal. Large format photographic prints will be on display all morning. A slide show and lecture will begin at 11:30 a.m.

“I have always been fascinated by flight. For as long as I can remember, I have watched the birds in wonder. What does it feel like to fly through the air? What does our planet look like from up there?”

In 1999, Dahl-Bredine had a brush with death during the final week of the ski season at Taos Ski Valley. He climbed Kachina Peak, seeking the last best run of the year. He was about 60 feet above the cliff when the side of the mountain fell away.

“I started sliding; the snow swallowed me,” he said. “There was nothing I could do.”

When he came to, he was half buried but alive. His spine and wrist were fractured, but he didn’t need surgery. While recovering, “I realized that life can end at any moment, so I resolved to do everything I wanted with whatever I had left of this life.”

He decided to learn to fly.

“I knew I wanted to be in an open aircraft so I could truly experience and connect with the world around me as fully as possible,” Dahl-Bredine said.

He started looking around, checked out hang gliding, but it wasn’t quite right. He found a school in Arizona that taught ultralight flying.

Dalh-Bredine got into it but flying was rough. He didn’t like the turbulence often experienced in New Mexico. He figured out that he could avoid the problem by taking off at dawn and catching the early, gentle air. For a photographer there was another advantage: “I get up there at 5 a.m. and that first light …. oh, I was blown away.” He decided that this was his life.

Dahl-Bredine assembled his first aircraft from a kit in his garage, essentially a hang glider with a seat and landing gear. He quickly realized that the engine provided was not adequate for the mountain flying he wanted to pursue. He has since worked with a series of snowmobile engines that can surmount anything in the Rockies with plenty of room to spare.

Early in his flying career, he got a little point and shoot digital camera that couldn’t provide what he wanted, so he stuck with film for many years. Little by little, he learned, got better equipment, and learned more. A recent addition is a cinematic camera; “I can put it on my trike, take off, and get high-quality cinematic video, the kind I’ve always imagined.”

“With these images of our world, I hope to impart this sense of wonder and beauty and interconnectedness that is vital to what we all truly want: a peaceful, abundant and joyful existence where we can all reach our fullest potential as people of the earth, together.” 

For more details or updates on the Open House events: https://lacnm.com/openairport

To see images from Dahl-Bredine, visit his website or Facebook.