2011

Has this been moved to a time of the year that lead may actually remain in solid form if left outside?
 
SCCutler said:
You never regret conservative planning; odds are, you'll be good to go, but there will always be people with airplanes (like, say, a Bonanza) with stout gear, read to shuttle you over.
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The Piper and Beechcraft planes (and Cessna singles) definitely have more stout landing gear. The nosewheel specifically on the 310 is a weak spot, and one that I am very careful with, probably moreso than I need to. But, as you said, conservative planning isn't a bad thing.

Besides, I'm itchin' for a ride in that Bonanza... ;)
 
Has this been moved to a time of the year that lead may actually remain in solid form if left outside?
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Most folks find their lead stays in solid form if they keep it mostly under the shade, provide it a steady supply of drinks containing ice cubes, allow it liberal access to either the pool, river, or lake, and make regular visits to the restaurants or air conditioned rooms! Making it stand behind 6' diameter "fans" on the grassy field has helped some, too!

Even then, there will be some northerner pieces of lead that still remain uncomfortable!
:D
 
I'd love to try this one sometime, but my one concern is for the condition of the runway and the fact that I fly a Cardinal RG with kinda small wheels. Any pireps out there for Gaston's from Cessna single retractable drivers?

I'll add that I've yet to land my airplane on grass, and have only been in a Cardinal RG once that did a grass landing, and that was on a very firm (but rather bumpy) runway at 51M (Mio, MI). It seemed to do okay there, but from all I've heard Gaston's grass is very different.
 
azure said:
I'd love to try this one sometime, but my one concern is for the condition of the runway and the fact that I fly a Cardinal RG with kinda small wheels. Any pireps out there for Gaston's from Cessna single retractable drivers?

I'll add that I've yet to land my airplane on grass, and have only been in a Cardinal RG once that did a grass landing, and that was on a very firm (but rather bumpy) runway at 51M (Mio, MI). It seemed to do okay there, but from all I've heard Gaston's grass is very different.
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Just make sure to note that no SANE northerner should ever consider vacationing in Arkanasa in JUNE!
 
azure said:
I'd love to try this one sometime, but my one concern is for the condition of the runway and the fact that I fly a Cardinal RG with kinda small wheels. Any pireps out there for Gaston's from Cessna single retractable drivers?

I'll add that I've yet to land my airplane on grass, and have only been in a Cardinal RG once that did a grass landing, and that was on a very firm (but rather bumpy) runway at 51M (Mio, MI). It seemed to do okay there, but from all I've heard Gaston's grass is very different.
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in my experience the grass at Gastons is fine for your plane. There have been cessna retracts in there most years i've been there (182RG). I would fly a retract in there, and many others have flown other retracts in there. Bonanza, Viking, Aztec, Cessna 421, Seneca II, several Mooneys, and probably others.

The runway at Gastons is firm but smooth. It's like landing on a fairway, if you can imagine what that must be like.
 
azure said:
I'd love to try this one sometime, but my one concern is for the condition of the runway and the fact that I fly a Cardinal RG with kinda small wheels. Any pireps out there for Gaston's from Cessna single retractable drivers?

I'll add that I've yet to land my airplane on grass, and have only been in a Cardinal RG once that did a grass landing, and that was on a very firm (but rather bumpy) runway at 51M (Mio, MI). It seemed to do okay there, but from all I've heard Gaston's grass is very different.
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The Gastons grass is very nice. The mountain home airport is very close as well. We'll come pick you up.

I've made at least a hundred or so landings there in various types and am more then willing to fly with you and walk you through it.
 
Right now, the best I can promise is a day trip over to Gastons this year if WX cooperates, etc...

I have some time off the previous week to go to the Airshow up at Ellsworth AFB with my dad, and I doubt the boss can let me back two long weekends up against each other with our screwy on-call schedule.

But Gastons in a day and back, while long, would be fun... probably just a touch too long... 12 hours of flyin' and a landing in Wichita both ways. Hmm. Maybe I'll think about booking a cabin for one night on Saturday if they're not already sold-out... Hmm... thinking...

It'd be a lot more fun to join y'all for the whole shindig. Maybe I'll go twist the bosses arm.

Then I have to deal with the other boss... wedding anniversary is the NEXT weekend... and I'm guessing Karen won't take a hot/humid stay in a cabin in Arkansas the week before as a quality substitute for... uh... something fancier. ;)
 
denverpilot said:
Then I have to deal with the other boss... wedding anniversary is the NEXT weekend... and I'm guessing Karen won't take a hot/humid stay in a cabin in Arkansas the week before as a quality substitute for... uh... something fancier. ;)
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Coming from a woman (albeit an outdoor type of woman), you don't get any fancier than Gastons! :drink:
 
denverpilot said:
Then I have to deal with the other boss... wedding anniversary is the NEXT weekend... and I'm guessing Karen won't take a hot/humid stay in a cabin in Arkansas the week before as a quality substitute for... uh... something fancier. ;)
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The cabins have air conditioning....
 
Liz, I wouldn't worry about your plane on Gaston's grass. The reason why I'm not going to land the 310 there is that the 310 has a notoriously weak nosegear, and so I'm probably more paranoid about it than I need to be.

I took the Aztec in there two years ago and wasn't the least bit concerned about it... even after Tony flew it through a lake. As Jesse said, there are no shortage of retracts, even Mooneys, that land there.
 
Thanks to all you guys! Okay I won't worry too much about it beyond reviewing that video someone (Jesse?) posted last year demonstrating the correct technique for flying the pattern there. With luck I might even make it this year for the fly-in, or if not then sometime later in the year. I hope I have my IR by then, since it's a long way from here and I'd kind of like to do each way in one day.

I took the Aztec in there two years ago and wasn't the least bit concerned about it... even after Tony flew it through a lake. As Jesse said, there are no shortage of retracts, even Mooneys, that land there.
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I've flown over lots of lakes, but you said through. There's gotta be a story there. I must have missed it.
 
azure said:
Thanks to all you guys! Okay I won't worry too much about it beyond reviewing that video someone (Jesse?) posted last year demonstrating the correct technique for flying the pattern there. With luck I might even make it this year for the fly-in, or if not then sometime later in the year. I hope I have my IR by then, since it's a long way from here and I'd kind of like to do each way in one day.


I've flown over lots of lakes, but you said through. There's gotta be a story there. I must have missed it.
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One of the potential hazards at 3m0 is a soggy runway if they get a lot of rain. The first year I attended the fly-in I heard from Steve See that it was probably a bit too soft to land a Baron as I overflew Gastons. And I think it was the last time I was there (2009) that we got a big rainfall that left the west end of the runway converted to a large pond that was around 6 inches deep. After some time the pond had subsided to a puddle which was still deeper than it looked and a few airplanes (including Ted's and mine) that needed the full length for takeoff made a big splash when they rolled through the water at 20 mph with wheels and props throwing up an impressive amount of water. Seems to me there were videos.
 
tonycondon said:
it was just a little puddle...
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Until 500hp worth of fans got a hold of it... :D

gismo said:
After some time the pond had subsided to a puddle which was still deeper than it looked and a few airplanes (including Ted's and mine) that needed the full length for takeoff made a big splash when they rolled through the water at 20 mph with wheels and props throwing up an impressive amount of water. Seems to me there were videos.
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I wish there were videos. It was one of the coolest things I'd ever seen - The water that got splashed/sucked off the ground momentarily engulfed the entire fuselage, and it looked like those pictures of fighters just at the edge of the sound barrier that create the "fog egg" around themselves.
 
bockwoman3 said:
Coming from a woman (albeit an outdoor type of woman), you don't get any fancier than Gastons! :drink:
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Yeah, you know... I ran it by her today on the phone and she actually said she thought it was quite a fine idea to go, even as a "Anniversary" thing.

The only problem was that she's a lot lighter on vacation time than I am, and probably won't have any left this summer, and can't take the time off un-paid.

(Not 'cause of the money, but because she's busy as all get-out right now as a freshly minted "Assistant Director of Nursing". I keep joking with her that she's going to do great taking care of me as a "Kept man", as soon as she can cover the airplane bills. She rolls her eyes at me. LOL!)

She even said if I felt like trying to convince my boss to get off Thu-Fri on a week right behind another vacation weekend, to feel free to head down solo.

I love my wife. She's awesome! :D

I doubt I can wrangle Thursday off, but I might just start picking on the boss about that Friday. He might approve it if I can beg a co-worker or the boss to cover the on-call.

We're currently doing a two-person on-call, one Primary, one Backup, with three people. The other teams have about ten people. Sigh. Annoying.

So it's basically all systems "Go" but let me see if I have even a dime left to my name after the bill arrives for the new left bladder tank and the Annual, which is next week. :cryin: :sad: :eek: I already did my taxes and those are godawful again this year... which is normal for us DINKs.

Will let y'all know if I'm coming soon, or if I'm eating Ramen noodles for the rest of the year. As I always say, "I'm one of those evil "rich" Republicans. In good years, I cut up hot dogs to put in my Mac & Cheese."

LOL!
 
flyingcheesehead said:
Until 500hp worth of fans got a hold of it... :D
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It's funny what 500 hp can do with a bunch of water.

I wish there were videos. It was one of the coolest things I'd ever seen - The water that got splashed/sucked off the ground momentarily engulfed the entire fuselage, and it looked like those pictures of fighters just at the edge of the sound barrier that create the "fog egg" around themselves.[/QUOTE]

While it looked cool from inside the plane as well, I was slightly less thrilled about it as everyone else. ;)

Lance's assessment is correct about the lakes that show up in the runway. It really wasn't that bad at all. I wouldn't have any qualms about bringing the Aztec into Gaston's again. We also had an exceptional amount of rain the day before the lake incident.

Also, when I landed the Aztec in, I actually landed at Mountain Home at first, and then Tony flew over with me to actually land at the Gaston's strip. There are no shortage of pilots who would be glad to do the same for you.
 
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Also, does anyone have a spare bed? Laurie has to work, so it'll be me in the 310. Danos may hitch a ride with me, in which case he can beg for a bed himself. ;)
 
I haven't even booked a cabin yet but probably should try to do so today. Might have one depending on what I can get.
 
Well as I was looking at the calendar, it turns out that I won't make it this year. Going to Adam's wedding, and then to Lawrenceville for a week of vintage glider flying.

I guess you'll only have to put up with Kent this year :D
 
vontresc said:
Well as I was looking at the calendar, it turns out that I won't make it this year. Going to Adam's wedding, and then to Lawrenceville for a week of vintage glider flying.

I guess you'll only have to put up with Kent this year :D
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And I'm only gonna be there Thursday and Friday this time...
 
azure said:
I'd love to try this one sometime, but my one concern is for the condition of the runway and the fact that I fly a Cardinal RG with kinda small wheels. Any pireps out there for Gaston's from Cessna single retractable drivers?

I'll add that I've yet to land my airplane on grass, and have only been in a Cardinal RG once that did a grass landing, and that was on a very firm (but rather bumpy) runway at 51M (Mio, MI). It seemed to do okay there, but from all I've heard Gaston's grass is very different.
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We had the 210 in there one year with no difficulty. Well, there was a gear door issue (they didn't want to completely close), but that was an ongoing intermittent problem unrelated to the grass.
 
Registered! Can't wait to do it all over again! :)

100_2548-1.jpg
 
From the early registration it looks like it will be worth going just to see Troy land with 10 people in a 172. :goofy:
 
But, this one looks like it has a glass panel. That gives it super special and unique abilities! :yes:
 
Lance F said:
From the early registration it looks like it will be worth going just to see Troy land with 10 people in a 172. :goofy:
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It's got a large baggage compartment, and I can bungee strap people to the lift struts. I also figured out how to strap a couple of these securely to the tops of the wings... really increases the utility of the 172. Though I may have to meet the rest of my party over at Mountain Home on departure.... I know I can get IN to Gaston's with all that on there, but getting out again would be interesting, for sure.

(All kidding aside, if you click on my name in the list of registered attendees, you'll see the details of why there are ten people in my comments. I wish Jesse could add a "Comments" column with "YES" if there are any, so you can hover or know to click through to see them).
 
I got the 58P in there, but it sure dragged out; even when light. Planning to making it this year. Will probably use Mountain Homes as base.

Best,

Dave
 
If anyone needs a flight review or IPC let me know in advance and we can knock it out at Gastons.

Also, if anyone is not comfortable landing at Gastons I am more than willing to pick you up at Mountain Home or meet you there and fly with you into Gastons.
 
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Dave Siciliano said:
I got the 58P in there, but it sure dragged out; even when light. Planning to making it this year. Will probably use Mountain Homes as base.

Best,

Dave
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Hey, we could park our 520-powered twins next to eachother! :)
 
Dave Siciliano said:
I registered but it only shows a first name. Can't I list my last name some how? It would be nice to have more than a first name for some other folks that I only see (and enjoy the company of) once a year.

Best,

Dave
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Login, click My Account on the upper right, and change your display name.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
Also, does anyone have a spare bed? Laurie has to work, so it'll be me in the 310. Danos may hitch a ride with me, in which case he can beg for a bed himself. ;)
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A couple of different years I used a spare bed in Doctor Bruce and Sue's room. I can't speak for them, but it might be a spare room deal you could pursue. I don't think I am going to be able to make it this year. I wanted to as there were several that didn't get to make the Thunder Ridge flight with me that wanted to. I had a great time giving rides on sat. into that strip.
 
denverpilot said:
Right now, the best I can promise is a day trip over to Gastons this year if WX cooperates, etc...

I have some time off the previous week to go to the Airshow up at Ellsworth AFB with my dad, and I doubt the boss can let me back two long weekends up against each other with our screwy on-call schedule.

But Gastons in a day and back, while long, would be fun... probably just a touch too long... 12 hours of flyin' and a landing in Wichita both ways. Hmm. Maybe I'll think about booking a cabin for one night on Saturday if they're not already sold-out... Hmm... thinking...

It'd be a lot more fun to join y'all for the whole shindig. Maybe I'll go twist the bosses arm.

Then I have to deal with the other boss... wedding anniversary is the NEXT weekend... and I'm guessing Karen won't take a hot/humid stay in a cabin in Arkansas the week before as a quality substitute for... uh... something fancier. ;)
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Nate, it'd be great to meet you. And no need to book a cabin for a night if you're willing to crash on a couch, floor, or bring an inflatable mattress.
 
We're booked.

If anybody needs a ride along the route from (North of) Chicago-Springfield-St. Louis, lemme know.

We'll also have a spare bed.

We = Jake and his companion.
 
I reserved two of the large cabins at the end of the row (the ones with two rooms, fireplace, kitchen, etc.). It's highly likely we'll have at least a place where visitors can crash. If one of our Missouri party decides they can't make it, I may actually have an entire cabin somebody could take over.
 
TangoWhiskey said:
I reserved two of the large cabins at the end of the row (the ones with two rooms, fireplace, kitchen, etc.). It's highly likely we'll have at least a place where visitors can crash. If one of our Missouri party decides they can't make it, I may actually have an entire cabin somebody could take over.
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So you're the guy that took the large cabins Friday and Saturday night. Ended up getting the large one Wednesday and Thursday and we're switching on Friday.
 
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