I had heard about the Tigers Boys open house many years ago but never managed to
make it to the event until this year. Admittedly you don't see a lot of promotion for
the event but after attending it I think it works in the their favour for two reasons.
Firstly the layout of the Guelph Airpark located just east of Guelph Ontario where
the Tiger Boys call home, doesn't have a lot of space available for parking so attract‐
ing large crowd would just leave a lot of people frustrated with the classic parking
hassles of larger shows. More importantly though, the smaller nature of the event
made for a much more intimate experience. While the day I went seemed well at‐
tended, the grounds never felt crowded. Add to that a reliance on common sense
instead of barriers and fences to keep everyone safe and attending the event made
me feel less like a spectator and more like part of the event. As aircraft arrived and
taxied positions on the static line I was able to speak directly to their pilots and crew
and ask questions about their planes receiving enthusiastic responses to my interest.
People attending the event were welcome to wander around and get up close to the
planes on static display. In general I'd describe the mood as relaxed and welcoming.
The open house is a major fund raiser for the Tiger Boys. A donation is requested for
access to the flight line and there were several booths selling merchandise and the
classic volunteer manned BBQ setup. The groups website, www.tigerboys.com, men‐
tions that flights are available free of charge but the site is in need of an update. With
the growth of the event and rising costs of everything it takes to run a flying mu‐
seum, flights do require a donation now. But I'd have to say you'd be hard pressed to
find a better deal than the $80 they ask for a flight in a classic Tiger Moth and the
bargain price was well received as multiple planes were taking people for rides all
day.
Possibly the very best feature of the event is a real treat for photographers. At the
end of runway 05 the ground rises quickly. A short walk around the end the of the
runway and up the hill provided a fantastic vantage point to shoot aircraft as they
take off or buzz by doing low and over passes of the airfield. The pilots knew what
the photographers wanted and were happy keep their departures low. I'll certainly
be back to this event with camera in hand each year.