AOPA’s May 20-21 Beaufort, NC Fly-In – Volunteer Spots Still Open; Camp @ KMRH

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joe.kildea

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Joe Kildea
We hope you can join us at Michael J. Smith Field (KMRH) for the 2016 AOPA Beaufort Fly-In, May 20-21! Come Friday for the Barnstormers Party, spend Saturday at the Fly-In, then take Sunday to sample the sights and sounds of beautiful Beaufort, NC. As we get closer to the Fly-In, we wanted to pass along some details including opportunities to volunteer, where to stay, and some local activities you may be interested in.
  • We are still looking for volunteers, and for certificated pilots, we have some special opportunities to help with the aircraft marshalling and ground operations for the event. You'll get a free lunch, t-shirt, and a cap as well as meet your fabulous fellow volunteers, see the fly-in from an “insiders” perspective, and make friends and valuable contacts that you will keep for years. http://ow.ly/4n3U3z
  • Camping sites at KMRH are available on a first-come, first-served basis, so be sure to secure your spot today. http://ow.ly/4n3TOq
  • If you’d prefer to stay in a hotel, rooms are still available. http://ow.ly/4n6JT4
  • A little over an hour’s flight north of Beaufort is Kitty Hawk. Aircraft parking at First Flight is limited but Dare County Regional Airport (KMQI) is a good alternate landing site. For the week prior to the AOPA Fly-In and the week after, mid-size rental cars at Dare County will be discounted by as much as 40 percent and fuel prices will be discounted for fuel truck service at the self-service rate. http://ow.ly/4n6IUt
  • The Fly-In will be a short hop from Cape Lookout National Seashore, voted the top national park beach by readers of USA Today and 10Best.com. http://ow.ly/4n6IUt
Schedule

Friday
  • 6:30-9:30 p.m. - Barnstormers Party Presented by Jeppesen
Saturday
  • 7:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. - Rusty Pilots Seminar
  • 8:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. - Pancake Breakfast
  • 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. - Exhibits Open
  • 9:15 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. - Seminars, Safety Briefings, Aviation Product Showcase, and More!
  • 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. - Lunch Service Open
  • 2:35 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. - Pilot Town Hall with AOPA President Mark Baker
  • 3:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. - Ice Cream Social
  • 4:00 p.m. - AOPA Fly-In Ends
Detailed Schedule - http://ow.ly/4n6JeR

For more information about the Fly-In, visit http://ow.ly/4n6J7A
 
Too bad AOPA scheduled it the same weekend as Warbirds over the Beach up here in at the Military Aviation Museum.
 
Yup, I am planning to go to Warbirds as well. Never understood why AOPA picked KMRH. it is not centrally located. The town is nice but the FBO has a poor rep.
 
FBO appears to be on good behavior. Maybe a mgt change?

Probably chosen for being a cool area to visit. Beaches are nice, some great restaurants and more than a few interesting things to see. The Beaufort waterfront is one of my favorite places to people watch. If you scuba, come early and dive the u-boat.

Pronounced differently than Beaufort, SC. Here it is Bo-firt.

Three different events that weekend - had to choose one. I will be there, working airline friday and sat morning.
 
There's lots to see and do around Beaufort. AOPA put together "10 Reasons To Come To Beaufort"
10 REASONS TO COME TO BEAUFORT

1 Cape Lookout Lighthouse. Most breathtaking views east of the Mississippi.*
2 Beaufort Music Festival. Amazing bands performing May 20 and 21.
3 The beach. Some 85 miles of sandy shores.
4 Shackleford Banks. For more than 400 years, home to wild horses descended from Spanish mustangs.*
5 North Carolina Maritime Museum. Official repository for all the artifacts discovered on Blackbeard’s ship, the Queen Anne’s Revenge.*
6 Fort Macon State Park. Take a ghost tour of the 1826 fort, fully refurbished under a multimillion-dollar restoration.*
7 Beaufort Historic Site. Restored West Indies buildings along the deep-water ocean port.*
8 Seafood. Oysters, shrimp, and the freshest Carolina catch.
9 Southern Air. Hospitality at a friendly FBO.
10 Michael J. Smith Field. Named for a pilot of the space shuttle Challenger.

Read more about the Fly-In and Beaufort, NC.
http://www.aopa.org/News-and-Video/All-News/2016/May/Pilot/fy_beaufort?ADV:CMP=1

 
Speaking as a near local (New Bern), Morehead City next door has the better restaurants. I recommend Rudy Ducks on the Morehead CIty waterfront. Across the street from Rudy Ducks, Tight Lines has improved, I have heard. The beaches at Fort Macon SP are good. There are two, however, The one at the Visitor Center is not for swimming as it is at the inlet and the channel depth is 50 + feet, but it gives a good view. Swim at the Atlantic Beach side just before the Coast Guard station. The Maritime Museum is worth a visit. A quick flight to Ocracoke (W95) allows for a better beach experience. Land the plane and walking a 100 yards will put you on the beach. Be careful though as there are no lifeguards and a serious undertow can be present if the surf is up. Bring a jug of water to rinse off the salt water. And yes, Bo-firt has a nice waterfront with a few shoppes.
 
Anyone ever take young kids to one of these?(AOPA fly-in) I was planning to drive to this one with the fam. I'm wondering if it will be a short visit, I have backup activities lined up, aquarium etc.
 
exncsurfer said:
Anyone ever take young kids to one of these?(AOPA fly-in) I was planning to drive to this one with the fam. I'm wondering if it will be a short visit, I have backup activities lined up, aquarium etc.
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Don't know, but I will be there with the wife and 6-yr-old son camping Friday night. I sure hope it goes well :)
 
Tflhndn said:
Don't know, but I will be there with the wife and 6-yr-old son camping Friday night. I sure hope it goes well :)
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How did the camping go, I drove up. There was some heavy rain Friday night.
 
I helped park campers on Friday morning and talked to several of them. They said camping was great, but they had a full on thunderstorm about 5:30 on Saturday morning. Most people survived ok because the airport had moved the camping area to "high" ground which was supposed to drain well, but I think some people had puddles in the bottom of their tents. Some had nothing. The high ground was probably about 6 inches higher in elevation than the original camping spots, which were puddles.
 
Yes, Brian's post pretty much describes it. I'm no camper to begin with so I stayed Friday night at a hotel but I spoke with a few Saturday. The airport is all of 20' above sea level and gets pretty soaked without much drainiage when it rains. I spoke with a lot of wet campers.

BTW Brian, kudos to all of you who acted as marshals. Great job!
 
Thank you.

Myself, I camped in a hotel on Friday night. I figure with Oshkosh coming up, I have more than my share of camping in the near future.
 
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WX promoted the wife to inaugurate the family trip so I went solo. Got a little wet, but that's what towels and dry clothes are for.

Overall a lot of fun. And I learned a couple of important lessons for Oshkosh.
 
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