Arlington Fly-In Canceled For 2020 Due To Coronavirus

The latest aviation event to hit pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic is the Arlington Fly-In, a popular sport aviation get-together held in Arlington, Washington, located about an hour north of Seattle, both located in a region hit hard and early by coronavirus infection and COVID-19 deaths. The organizers said that they plan to resume the event in 2021, so attendees have plenty of time to work on their latest projects. Ticket holders' purchases will be automatically rolled over to next year's show, as will exhibitors, according to a press release issued by the organizers earlier this week.

Even for those not planning to attend the show, the dates of the event should give pause. The original spot on the calendar, from August 14-16, 2020, is pretty far down the line. EAA, which hosts the annual EAA AirVenture Oshkosh fly-in, is planning to make its determination on whether or not to hold the show at some  point in May, after which, it says, it becomes logistically difficult or impossible to shift gears on an event of AirVenture's magnitude.

To get a read on how things might look come summer, observers have been keeping their eyes on non-aviation events, as well, and the news isn't promising on that front. In Germany, which has begun to reopen the economy in the wake of the pandemic, Oktoberfest, held annually in Munich, has been cancelled for 2020 ("Novemberfest" must have sounded too weird, not to mention too cold for beer). The popular news parody site theonion.com spoofed the cancellation, one observer saying that "Obviously, the first concern of Oktoberfest has always been its attendees' health." Major sport leagues here and abroad have also put their seasons on indefinite hold, and the prospects for the NBA and Major League Baseball to play in 2020 are looking dimmer as the weeks pass.

There was some positive news. The United States Air Force Academy graduated its class of 2020 in a live event during which Vice President Mike Pence gave the commencement address and the Thunderbirds put on a terrific aerial display. The graduates were not seated shoulder-to-shoulder, as is usually the case, and were instead seated with what President Trump called "a good amount of space." President Trump plans to speak at West Point's commencement in May. The Air Force Academy said that it has had no known cases of COVID-19.

We'll keep you updated on events as the news about them unfolds.