Jerry Kraemer of Orland lets young visitors sit in the cockpit of his aircraft during the 2026 Old Tyme Fly-In at the Colusa County Airport, where they grip the control yoke and imagine themselves in the sky.

COLUSA, CA (MPG) – One by one, young children climbed into vintage aircraft Saturday at the Colusa County Airport, gripping control yokes with both hands while parents captured the moment with their cameras. For a few minutes, each child became a pilot, imagining life from the cockpit instead of behind an airport fence.

Among the visitors was 12-year-old Giovanni Andreotti of Colusa. An aviation enthusiast, he flies radio-controlled aircraft, recently earned Best of Division at the Colusa County Fair for a paper airplane model of his own design, and hopes to become a pilot of small aircraft one day.

"I'd say it's an interesting hobby to get into," Giovanni said.

Steve Schulte of Lincoln shows off his People's Favorite-winning 1942 Interstate Cadet during the 29th Annual Old Tyme Fly-In on July 11. Schulte said fewer than 100 of the aircraft are believed to remain.

Those moments are exactly what has kept the Old Tyme Fly-In going for nearly three decades.

"This is our 29th annual event," said Sherman MacPherson of the Colusa County Aviation Association. "We try to make it interesting every year with prizes and some good food to keep them coming back."

One of the aircraft drawing plenty of attention was Steve Schulte's 1942 Interstate Cadet, making its first appearance at the Colusa Fly-In and earning the People's Favorite award. Schulte said only about 320 of the aircraft were built, and he estimates perhaps only 100 remain today.

The 1942 Interstate Cadet was built just before the type shifted into wartime service, when roughly 250 airframes were taken by the U.S. Army and redesignated as L-6 liaison aircraft. The Cadet was stronger and faster than the Piper Cub, with a heavier steel-tube fuselage and spring-and-oleo landing gear designed to handle rough airstrips. However, that capability came at a price. The Cadet cost nearly three times as much as a Cub to build, keeping production low and making surviving 1942 examples especially rare.

Aviation enthusiast Giovanni Andreotti, 12, center, visits the 2026 Old Tyme Fly-In with family members to explore aircraft and displays.

After purchasing the airplane in Florida several years ago, Schulte expected a quick flight home to Lincoln. Instead, weather delays, engine trouble and an engine rebuild stretched the trip into six months before the aircraft finally reached California.

What Schulte enjoys most about flying the rare aircraft has little to do with its performance.

"People don't know what it is," he said.

Other award winners included John Cleveland, who flew from Modesto to earn the award for the longest distance traveled, and Jared White, whose 1941 aircraft received the Best Appearing Aircraft award.

For Giovanni's grandmother, Maureen Andreotti, attending the Fly-In for the first time was a chance to better understand her grandson's passion.

Families and pilots gather for the pancake breakfast during the 29th Annual Old Tyme Fly-In on July 11. The annual breakfast has welcomed generations of pilots and visitors to the Colusa County Airport.

"I take care of Giovanni so much and all he talks about are planes," she said. "If I don't get out here when he's out here and sees what he sees, I'm not going to be able to continue a conversation with him."

The annual Fly-In welcomed pilots and visitors from throughout the Sacramento Valley for the pancake breakfast, displays and awards celebrating the people and airplanes that make the event a tradition. While many attendees have returned year after year, the excitement on the faces of first-time visitors showed that a new generation of aviation enthusiasts is already discovering why the Colusa County Airport has remained a summer destination for 29 years.

One aircraft powers down from the north for a landing as another taxis toward the display area during the 29th Annual Old Tyme Fly-In on July 11, a steady rhythm repeated throughout the morning as pilots arrived from around Northern California.