About BCF

Blackwater Creek Flightpark began as a 1200' grass strip that Ivey Cannon cleared in 1981 so that his son Julian could visit in his Aerobat.  Ivey quickly became comfortable handling the Aerobat and after attending an ultralight fly-in in St. Augustine, the inevitable thought occurred, “I can do that; all I need is an ultralight.”

With the help of Julian and other son Roy (and with some skepticism from wife Althea), Ivey selected and ordered a Goldwing kit in early 1981 and immediately started extending the landing strip.  Both the Goldwing and a slightly longer strip were finished in early 1982.

Unfortunately, the Goldwing’s poor nosewheel design, no brakes, gusty March winds, and Julian’s haste to get time in the plane for Sun 'n Fun '82 contributed to an encounter with a couple of the trees lining the strip.  The encounter resulted in a few more months of Goldwing construction, and Ivey continued lengthening the strip all the way to the north end of the farm.

The Goldwing finally cleared the south fence for the first time in November 1982 with a new canard, improved steering, and brakes.  The plane made it’s first trip to Sun ‘n Fun in 1983.  Also in 1983 Julian built a shade hanger for the Aerobat, and the landing strip became recognizable as such.  Local ultralight pilots began flying in.  Jerry Rooks (and Ralph Rooks, the flying dog), Charlie and David Basil, Dale Finch, Jerry and Frank Roth, Jerry Cornwall, and others became regular visitors.

The strip really turned into an flightpark in late 1984 with Jerry and Ralph Rooks , the Roths, Albert Eltink, and Dale Finch becoming the first to base their planes at BCF.

In 1985, the number of tie downs increased to more than twenty, and a county permit was secured for Blackwater Creek Ultralight Flightpark.

Ivey left us in 2004, but Blackwater Creek Flightpark continues operation.  Althea, Roy, and Julian, with the generous help of Clyde O’Donnell and his entire family, and many, many others, are committed to keeping BCF Hillsborough’s best, friendliest, and safest LSA and Ultralight flightpark.

The Cannons:  Roy, Julian, Althea, and Ivey (deceased)