High Sierra Fly-In Special Gallery

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • The High Sierra Fly-In (HSF) is a significant annual gathering of over 200 aircraft, predominantly taildraggers, and hundreds of aviators on a remote dry lakebed in the high country of Nevada.
  • The event celebrates backcountry flying, featuring a diverse range of aircraft from Super Cubs to powered parachutes, with highlights including STOL drag races and informal "hangar flying."
  • HSF embodies a DIY and communal spirit, with attendees camping, enjoying homegrown entertainment like fireworks, and embracing the brisk, often windy conditions of the remote desert environment.
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1959 Cessna 182 at the High Sierra Fly-In
Nosegear airplanes, like this pretty 1959 182, do just fine at Dead Cow Lake—the lakebed is like a gigantic paved surface with a runway in any direction you care to land. In the STOL drag race, however, STOL taildraggers still get the edge. PHOTO: Frank Testa
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