Re: Hayden's Air Tour 2007
Well, then, perhaps you shouldn't put others down for trying to keep Hayden alive when you aren't doing anything yourself.
I'm just getting sick of seeing how much none of us try to move Hayden around as much as Ed would like, or how no one tries to get to his fly-in, etc, etc. A lot of comments in a lot of threads and I finally said something.
Not really appropriate for this thread, and with that, I'll drop it.
Oh, we don't really want to go there do we? The writing on the bottom of Hayden if still there - my hand writing. Hayden started with Adam and I at Wings. We already "had" him at the beginning, and the point behind it was to try and get people from the board together more often and not at the flyins, and get him around to as many different people possible. I already dealt with Hayden once, everyone else should have a go round first, before we start having having him end up with Grant and Leslie 6 times. (only mentioned because they almost ended up with him twice already) Instead, he just sits. Hey, if you aren't going to make an effort to meet up with someone, don't take him.
As far as the other comments go. Yeah, I'm sorry that our fly-in isn't as awesome as the almighty Gaston's. Sorry that I'd like to get my dad a little more apprciation from pilots that supposedly care about what happens to the future of GA. He personally saves an airport from becoming a drag strip for whatever motorized vehicle feels like tearing it up, and there's hardly a word said. Yes, there's a few of you who have made an effort, and let it be known that my dad is a rare asset to the aviation community even if you haven't been able to say so in person. And we do appreciate more than you know those that make the effort to get up there despite the financial hit it puts on people. Sorry that it cheeses me off when we have to hear people ramble on and on and on and on and on about how Gaston's is the end all be all of fly-ins, and Tony's fly-in (which I was even going to drive to this year, except weather and work didn't cooperate) or Adam's fly-in will never ever, ever be as awesome as the Holy Mecca of PoA flyins known as Gaston's. Yeah, I'm sorry I'm a little tired of the snobbery that goes along with how Gaston's this and Gaston's that.
Sorry that I think Adam's fly-in is better than Gaston's because I know about all the work that he puts into it. Yeah, he doesn't have cabins on the field, but he opens up his house to out of towners, runs around for a week before hand getting everything together, shuttles people to and from the airport and downtown and the hotels. Coordinates with local suppliers, negotiates fuel discounts with the FBO, and get prizes donated from them as well for various people that show up. Andrew Stanley driving hours with his smoker and then staying up until 3, 4, 5 in the morning smoking the brisket so people that show up have some wicked awesome food.
Sorry my dad spends hours and hours and hours mowing, moving dirt, planting grass seed, spending his own money to try and save an airport. Or that my mom busts her butt for a a week ahead of time, goes up a week early, ends up hauling stuff for 9 hours in a car or truck. Then spends another hour and a half driving to the closest town with a decent store to get the things that couldn't be hauled up, or brought up for whatever reason, and then when things don't go as planned keeps herself together long enough to not go postal in front of everyone. I don't know the amount he and mom have spent out of their own pockets for that place, and not sure I want to, but it wouldn't surprise me if it is well above the national average for what someone makes in a year, or double that. And they both keep doing more and more just to try and get some more people up there to not only get together, but try and kick some money into the local economy to keep them going. Sorry that my parent's sacrifice an entire holiday weekend because they want to give people an extra travel day in case of weather, just in case they decide to try and make it. Instead, there is excuse after excuse after excuse of why people can't do something or fly to a gathering more than 90 minutes from their place. Like anyone who shows up to Gaston's doesn't make sacrifices elsewhere in their live order to make it.
But nooooooo, the real effort is made at Gaston's where a phone call is made to have ice and picnic tables are brought to the flight-line, and a phone call is made for reservations for dinner and brunch. (Yes, I know there's the website that goes along with it, but the ones working on that aren't the ones going on and on about how much better Gaston's is than anything else every conceived.) Oh, that's a whole lot effort that went into making reservations....oooooooh.
And sorry that is gets under my skin that Adam will fly halfway across the country fighting storms on the way there and back, but his Fly-In isn't worth the effort to have the favor returned. Or that one might be within 20 minutes of his place, but won't even let him know they were around. Sorry that I see excuse after excuse from people as to why they can't make it to Adam's or Tony's (yeah, I know I have a Wx excuse myself) or my parent's fly in. (It's not even my fly in, I honestly don't do that much with the fly-in itself) Sorry that people make a huge effort to fly across the country to see others they might consider friends, only to be considered not good enough to have the same courtesy shown to them when they put way more effort into things than would ever go into Gaston's. Or that after dealing with weather, winds, mechanical issues to get to Gaston's, etc one can't even let someone know they are in their aviation back yard when galavanting around the country. I'm just sick of all the Gaston's nut hugging when the facility itself isn't involved with PoA, and could care less if we show up or not.
That said, this will probably be my last post and visit to PoA. My dad is on here now (elcon), anything to do with 6Y9 can be asked of him.
If he doesn't find one before Gaston's, he asked if he could fly down with me. He will be sitting cheerfully on the picnic table on the flight line at Gaston's with a sign around his neck that says "Take me home, but not you, Chip!" 
