Piscataquis County Maine International Seaplane Fly-In Festival
On a September weekend in Greenville, the sky above Moosehead Lake fills with the sound of floatplanes. Engines rise and fall over the water as seaplanes lift off, bank, and settle back onto the lake, while crowds gather along the shore. This is the International Seaplane Fly-In, a gathering that has drawn pilots and visitors to the largest lake in Maine for more than half a century. Seaplanes are part of everyday life in Greenville, carrying anglers, hikers, and supplies to camps that no road reaches. Once a year, that everyday traffic becomes a public spectacle.
About
The published name is the International Seaplane Fly-In, sometimes printed with Moosehead Lake as a location element, as in International Seaplane Fly-In Moosehead Lake, and sometimes shortened to Intl Seaplane Fly-In. The sheet title adds a Festival element that no layer prints. The gathering takes place in Greenville, Maine, on Moosehead Lake and at the Greenville Municipal Airport. Greenville is not the county seat; Dover-Foxcroft is.
The organiser is the International Seaplane Fly-In, a nonprofit organisation, also printed as the International Seaplane Fly-In Corporation. Its president is referred to here by role only. Charlie Coe, a bush pilot, is documented as one of the founders, per a local-news layer, and his name is used exactly as printed because the founding is itself the documented fact.
The programme runs across four days, opening with a welcoming and registration day and a kickoff on the day before the main dates in the most recent edition. Seaplane flying competitions form the heart of the event, the Bush Pilot Canoe Race pairs pilots with paddlers on Moosehead Lake, and exhibits, vendors, and educational displays fill out the days. Cruises aboard the historic steamboat Katahdin carry visitors across the lake.
A lodging layer refers readers to the event’s own ticketing page, so ticketed elements exist, but no gate-admission price or free-admission statement appears in the layers read, and no price is recorded here.
For a useful comparison, see the Piscataquis County Maine Maine Whoopie Pie Festival for another county festival.
Quick Facts
| Detail | Information |
| Published name | International Seaplane Fly-In |
| Host town | Greenville, Maine |
| County seat | Dover-Foxcroft, not Greenville |
| Venue | Moosehead Lake and Greenville Municipal Airport |
| Organiser | International Seaplane Fly-In, a nonprofit organisation |
| First held | 1973, per a local-news layer |
| Usual timing | September, on the weekend after Labor Day |
| Latest dated edition | 10–13 September 2026, fifty-second annual |
| Admission | Ticketed elements exist; no price recorded in layers read |
| Signature contest | Bush Pilot Canoe Race on Moosehead Lake |
History
The event got its start in 1973, per a local-news layer, and a lodging layer describes it as a Greenville tradition since 1973, held every September on the weekend after Labor Day. That half-century run makes it one of the older aviation gatherings in New England. The 2018 edition, recorded by an aviation-magazine layer, was the forty-fifth annual, running 6–9 September as the layer reads it. The 2019 edition, recorded by a local-news layer, was the forty-sixth annual, running 5–8 September.
The documented editions continue in the same pattern: the 2023 edition was the forty-ninth annual, running 7–10 September; the 2024 edition was the fiftieth annual, running 5–8 September; the 2025 edition was the fifty-first annual, running 4–7 September; and the 2026 edition, recorded by a regional news layer, was the fifty-second annual, running 10–13 September, with a kickoff on 9 September. The annual numbering is presented as the layers print it, and no founding year is computed beyond what the layers state. The 1973 start date comes from a local-news layer, not from billing arithmetic.
Charlie Coe’s role as one of the founders anchors the early history. He was a bush pilot, and the event he helped start grew out of the working life of the Maine woods, where floatplanes were tools before they were attractions. That working character remains: pilots still arrive in their own aircraft, tie up at the dock, and fly the competitions themselves.
The steamboat Katahdin adds a second thread to the history. The vessel is a historic part of Moosehead Lake life, and its cruises during the fly-in connect the aviation gathering to the lake’s older transport traditions, when steamboats moved people and freight across the lake long before seaplanes.
What to Expect
Arrive expecting a working airfield on water. The flying competitions are the centre of the event, with seaplanes taking off from the lake, running judged routines, and landing again while spectators watch from the shore and the dock. Bring binoculars if you want to follow the flying closely, and expect the schedule to flex with the weather, since lake flying depends on wind and visibility in a way that runway flying does not.
The Bush Pilot Canoe Race is the event’s most distinctive contest. Pilots pair with paddlers on Moosehead Lake, testing a different kind of skill from the flying competitions, and the race draws a crowd precisely because it is unexpected.
Exhibits, vendors, and educational displays run alongside the flying, where visitors can learn how floatplanes work and how pilots train for water operations. The displays suit families with children, who can ask questions of people who fly seaplanes for a living. Vendors sell aviation gear, local crafts, and food.
Cruises aboard the Katahdin offer a different view of the event: from the deck of the steamboat, the lake opens out and the flying takes on a scale that the shoreline cannot match. Book them early in the visit so that the rest of the schedule can be arranged around them.
Planning Your Visit
Greenville is a small town, and the fly-in is its largest aviation weekend, so plan lodging well ahead of the September dates. The event falls on the weekend after Labor Day, when the days are still warm and the nights begin to cool, so pack layers: the wind off the lake can turn a mild afternoon chilly in minutes.
Travel to Greenville means driving through the Maine woods, so allow more time than a map suggests, especially on the kickoff day. Parking near the lake and the airport fills early on competition days, so arrive before the flying starts. Once in town, much of the event is walkable, with the lake, the airport, and the downtown within easy reach of one another.
Ticketing needs a direct check before the trip. A lodging layer refers readers to the event’s own ticketing page, which means ticketed elements exist, but the layers read record no price and no statement that entry is free. Confirm the current ticketing position through the event’s own channels, and do the same for the Katahdin cruises, which are a separate booking from the fly-in itself.
A Sample Itinerary
Day one, the welcoming and registration day, is for settling in. Arrive in Greenville, check into lodging, and walk down to the lake to see the seaplanes tied up at the dock. Visit the exhibits and displays, pick up event information, and talk with pilots and vendors while the town is still filling up.
Day two opens with the flying competitions. Head to the shore early, find a vantage point with the lake in front of you, and watch the morning flying. Spend the middle of the day at the exhibits and vendors, then return for the afternoon competitions. If a Katahdin cruise is available, an afternoon sailing offers the best combined view of the lake and the flying.
Day three is the day for the Bush Pilot Canoe Race. Position yourself near the race start on the shore, watch the paddlers and pilots work together, and stay for the finish. The rest of the day can be given to the educational displays and a second look at the flying competitions.
Day four, the final day, is for the last flying and a last look at the lake. Watch the closing competitions, revisit any exhibit that caught your attention, and take a final walk along the shore before the seaplanes begin to depart.
How It Compares
Seaplane fly-ins in other states and towns are different events, and the Moosehead Lake region’s other September events are not this fly-in. That distinction matters, because the name is a general one and similar gatherings exist elsewhere. What sets the Greenville event apart is its setting and its age: Moosehead Lake is the largest lake in Maine, and the fly-in has run there since 1973.
Compared with other Maine aviation gatherings, the fly-in is shaped by water rather than by runways. Most air shows are built around a paved strip and a crowd line; here the runway is the lake itself, the crowd watches from the shore, and the aircraft arrive and depart over water. Visitors who have been to runway air shows will find the Greenville gathering slower and closer to the aircraft.
Compared with other September events around Moosehead Lake, the fly-in is the one built for pilots. The region’s other September gatherings celebrate the lake, the forest, and the fall season, but none of them puts seaplanes at the centre. If the sound of a floatplane lifting off the water is what draws you to Greenville, the fly-in is the weekend to choose.
Checklist
- Confirm ticketing through the event’s own channels before travelling, since no price is recorded in the layers read
- Book lodging in Greenville well ahead of the September weekend
- Pack layers for cool mornings and wind off the lake
- Bring binoculars for following the flying competitions
- Arrive early on competition days for parking and a shoreline vantage point
- Plan a Katahdin cruise booking separately from the fly-in itself
- Allow extra driving time through the Maine woods on arrival and departure days
- Check the weather each morning, since lake flying depends on wind and visibility
Beyond the Fly-In
Moosehead Lake deserves time beyond the event itself. Its shoreline, islands, and mountain views reward a slower look, and the Katahdin cruises are the easiest way to see the lake from the water. Greenville’s downtown, with its shops, restaurants, and outfitters, is small enough to explore on foot.
The wider Piscataquis County region is worth a day if the visit allows it. Dover-Foxcroft, the county seat, sits to the south, and the roads between the towns run through forest and farmland. Hiking trails, paddling routes, and scenic drives all start within easy reach of Greenville, and the fall colours begin to turn in September.
Why It Matters
The fly-in matters because it keeps a working tradition visible. Bush flying is not a hobby in the Maine woods; it is how people reach camps, move supplies, and cross country that has no roads. The gathering puts that working life on display without turning it into a performance: pilots fly their own aircraft, compete in contests that test real skills, and talk with visitors.
It matters, too, because it has lasted. An event that got its start in 1973 and reached its fifty-second annual edition in 2026 has survived changes in aviation, in tourism, and in the town itself. The annual numbering in the layers, from the forty-fifth in 2018 to the fifty-second in 2026, records that survival in plain figures.
Finally, it matters to Greenville. The town is small, and the fly-in is one of the weekends when the whole community turns toward the lake: shops, restaurants, and lodging fill, and the town’s identity as a seaplane centre is renewed for another year.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes the Greenville fly-in different from other seaplane gatherings?
The setting and the history set it apart. The event runs on Moosehead Lake, the largest lake in Maine, and at the Greenville Municipal Airport, with cruises aboard the historic steamboat Katahdin during the same weekend. It got its start in 1973, per a local-news layer, and reached its fifty-second annual edition in 2026. The flying is a working display rather than a staged show.
When in September does the fly-in usually take place?
The event is held every September on the weekend after Labor Day, per a lodging layer. The documented editions follow that pattern: the 2026 edition ran 10–13 September, the 2025 edition 4–7 September, the 2024 edition 5–8 September, and the 2023 edition 7–10 September. The 2019 edition ran 5–8 September, and the 2018 edition ran 6–9 September as the layer reads it.
Is there an admission charge to attend the fly-in?
No gate-admission price or free-admission statement appears in the layers read. A lodging layer refers readers to the event’s own ticketing page, so ticketed elements exist, but no price is recorded here and none should be assumed. Visitors should confirm the current ticketing position through the event’s own channels before travelling, and should treat the Katahdin cruises as a separate booking from the fly-in itself.
Who organises the International Seaplane Fly-In?
The organiser is the International Seaplane Fly-In, a nonprofit organisation, also printed as the International Seaplane Fly-In Corporation. Charlie Coe, a bush pilot, is documented as one of the founders, per a local-news layer. The organisation’s president is referred to by role only in this article.
What to Expect From the Next Piscataquis County Maine International Seaplane Fly-In Festival
How often is Piscataquis County Maine International Seaplane Fly-In Festival held?
The gathering is an annual September event, held every year on the weekend after Labor Day, per a lodging layer. The documented editions run from the forty-fifth annual in 2018 through the fifty-second annual in 2026, with dated editions in 2018, 2019, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026. No later edition is documented in the layers read beyond the 2026 edition, and none is invented here.
When is the next Piscataquis County Maine International Seaplane Fly-In Festival?
No date for a later edition is printed in the layers read beyond the 2026 edition, which ran 10–13 September 2026 with a kickoff on 9 September. The pattern in the layers points to the weekend after Labor Day in September, but the next edition’s dates should be confirmed through the event’s own channels once they are announced.
Will the dates change?
The September timing has held steady across the documented editions, with the event falling on the weekend after Labor Day in every dated edition in the layers read. Even so, exact dates are set by the organiser each year, and weather can shift the flying schedule within the weekend. Confirm the dates through the event’s own channels before travelling.
The International Seaplane Fly-In endures because it is rooted in the place where it happens. Greenville, Moosehead Lake, the airport, and the steamboat Katahdin are not a backdrop for the event; they are the reason it exists. Pilots have flown into this lake since 1973, and the gathering that grew around them still brings the town together every September.
