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Stormy's 2017 Fly-In

Bill Boyd

Well Known Member
We are on for the 15th. :D

Location: Hop-Along Airfield, 12VA, western VA between KROA and KHSP

Event: BBQ lunch and hanging out poolside at Bill & Lorri's. (River level is too low for successful tubing, and no rain forecast for next 7 days :( ) Suggest bringing a bathing suit and towel. We have rocking chairs and sixty feet of porch steps to sit on.

Side dishes welcome but not necessary. Lots of folks seem unable to help themselves and bring a favorite side or dessert anyway. We won't say no.:p

Arrive: anytime after 1030 local. Stay as late as you wish. If you get the notion to primitive camp here, let's discuss it. I've always offered - and no one's ever taken us up on it yet.

Facilities: 2100 x 50 foot turf runway. No obstacles (power lines are buried). Use RWY 32 for landing and 14 for takeoff. Space for tie-downs, but need to bring your own stakes and ropes if you want to anchor your plane (not usually necessary).

Would like a head count so an RSVP is helpful but not essential.

Comms: the "FBO" is NORDO; suggest arrivals use 122.75 air-to-air freq for an informal CTAF. We have good Verizon coverage and WiFi once you're on the ground.

NOTAM: nearby field Riverwood 0VA2 is just over a ridge to the north and parallel. Use our AirNav GPS coordinates to avoid confusion. Left traffic, 1800' MSL pattern altitude. Runway surface is rolling, bumpy in places, but firm and dry, short grass.

Hope to see our VAF friends next Saturday!
 
Deep Grass??

Hi Bill, I had been looking for your original post on this, but it just disappeared. Anyway, remember you had a picture of your dog running on the runway? His back legs looked to be pretty deep in grass----and I was wondering if I need to remove my wheel pants if I fly there?

Thanx much.
 
Stormy, all caviar I brought from the Motherland is gone. I ate as much as I could before it was confiscated at a border crossing. No side dish from me :D

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See you on Saturday... keep it long... more food for us... :D


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Cut the grass

I'll be there. Looks like the weather will cooperate.


Hey Vlad, that runway looks a bit narrow, but if you would have landed on the centerline, you would have been OK.
 
Hi Bill, I had been looking for your original post on this, but it just disappeared. Anyway, remember you had a picture of your dog running on the runway? His back legs looked to be pretty deep in grass----and I was wondering if I need to remove my wheel pants if I fly there?

Thanx much.

Jax is a half-pint pup, and makes the grass look taller than it is. I keep it well-groomed for fly-ins; I've never had an issue with my 6A here. Keep your pants on :D
 
Stormy, all caviar I brought from the Motherland is gone. I ate as much as I could before it was confiscated at a border crossing. No side dish from me :D

IMG_0659.jpg



See you on Saturday... keep it long... more food for us... :D


Richmond%20Island%20-%201%202.jpg



Richmond%20Island%20-%201.jpg

Just bring the bayonet - we'll trade for something. ;)

I can truly believe they made you eat the caviar at the border - it's so like them.

Agree you need to do better nailing the centerline, Vlad. Especially on those narrow grass strips. Knowing you plan to show up, I am certain we will have an overflow crowd wanting autographs. Step-son Jacob is especially thrilled to hear you are returning. I'd tell you how cool he thinks you are, but it would just swell your head. :rolleyes:
 
Fuel stop & hotels

Bill, Whatcha recommend for a fuel stop going back to Atlanta? Also---any hotels in the area if I stay over night?

(The way the rains are going down here this year, I may have to paddle up to you in an arc):D
 
For hotel accomodations

... I highly recommend my house - we have a guest suite above the garage with all the amenities. You could share it with two others and all be in separate beds. You're the first to ask, so you've got dibs, Don. There are of course plenty of commercial properties around if you prefer a Motel 6 experience and I can get you a crew car (truck actually).

Fuel stop? I always use the planning function in AirNav to find cheap(er) gas. I can hook you up with 93 octane ethanol free mogas in my hangar at $3/gallon.

On your way home but not very far into your trip to ATL would be Bedford Landings B&B at Smith Mountain Lake. The proprietor, Jack Philips, will be at the fly-in Saturday but if they have vacancies at the Inn they can make it happen for you. We've stayed there, and it's nice. (So is Jack's Pietenpol and his RV-10 project!)
 
View from the overhead break

This is what you see if you're lined up with the correct airfield in our neighborhood - and rolled inverted for the break :eek: (an artifact of Halie.com, and you all know what Photobucket is up to these days and why I won't post a right-side-up picture through them...) Turn you laptop upside down and note the neighbor's runway (0VA2) on the right in the distance. Note that 12VA 14-32 comes all the way out to the road and extends all the way to the river at a 45 degree angle, and is situated in a wide hayfield with driveways on either side. Not true for 0VA2, a parallel runway of almost exactly the same dimensions.

My hangar and house are both on the right side of RWY 32; my neighbor's hangar is on the left side of his RWY 32. Just want to avoid confusion here as they are only 1/2 mile apart with a little ridge between them.

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I keep flipping my iPad and th dang image keeps flipping too! I guess I'll just have to fly my approach inverted and hope my spit cup doesn't chum

Will bring a jar of my homemade hooch.:D
 
Keeping a weather eye out...

a sure way to make it go MVFR or worse is for Stormy ;) to schedule a fly-in. NOAA says 90% chance of TSTMS Friday, but otherwise a hot 10 day forecast with very low chance of precip.

Ingalls Field (KHSP) is having their annual Wings and Wheels event about 8 miles to the north of us this Saturday. Might be a two-for-one opportunity for some. Last time I attended, I was ramp-checked for the first time in my 20 year aviation career. Ended fine, but is not on my repeat-experience aspirations list. Just FYI.

Pork butt #1 (of two) went in the crock pot this morning. Love the aroma of BBQ in the making :) Lorri is busying herself helping me get the place ready for visitors. She made the Sam's Club run yesterday. Last night we sanded and stained some of the porch rocking chairs.
 
Looks like a dozen planes so far, and counting

Might have to mow some overflow parking:D

Lorri would like to hear if anyone is planning to bring a side dish -that is totally optional, but knowing about it ahead of time will help her gauge tomorrow's grocery shopping trip. We don't want anyone to leave for home less than stuffed. Pipe up if you're bringing anything.

Particularly looking for some prime Russian caviar :p
 
I just baked some fresh picked red raspberry cobbler today & am planning to bring it with me. I tried to hold out on the baking but as ripe as the berries were, there was no holding back. If you have vanilla ice cream, we'll have desert covered.
 
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I just baked some fresh picked red raspberry cobbler today & am planning to bring it with me. I tried to hold out on the baking but as ripe as the berries were, there was no holding back. If you have vanilla ice cream, we'll have desert covered.

Now there's a plan I can get behind! :D:D:D

Vanilla ice cream aded to list - check.

Thanks, Chris.
 
I just baked some fresh picked red raspberry cobbler today & am planning to bring it with me. I tried to hold out on the baking but as ripe as the berries were, there was no holding back. If you have vanilla ice cream, we'll have desert covered.

OK, this complicates things. To heck with the official start/end time of the event, I want to know when the Raspberry Cobbler will arrive!
 
Noah, an Arc, & Cumulus Nimbus

Hi Bill, Noah is doing a heck of a business down here in ATL renting out his Arc------ Every afternoon----late.---- I "would" just plan to fly home, late afternoon---early evening, but if the cumulus nimbus and their anvils are out there again, then yeah, I'd like to take you up on the 1st dibs on a bed.

And then blast off Sunday AM, before Noah wakes up.:D
 
Hi Bill, Noah is doing a heck of a business down here in ATL renting out his Arc------ Every afternoon----late.---- I "would" just plan to fly home, late afternoon---early evening, but if the cumulus nimbus and their anvils are out there again, then yeah, I'd like to take you up on the 1st dibs on a bed.

And then blast off Sunday AM, before Noah wakes up.:D

We will gussy-up the guest quarters and fluff the mattress for ya, in that case.

Maybe you can talk anther VAFer or two into keeping you company so you don't get bored. We've got three beds up there.
 
Sorry to hear, Robert. Next year.

Reminder to everyone: bring a bathing suit and towel if you want to dive in the pool. It's going to be hot and there won't be much other entertainment besides hangar talk.

That said, the WX looks good in VA and to the north. Not sure what our brethren from the Carolinas will have to face.

Arrivals starting 1030, eats at noon. See y'all in the morning :)

-Stormy
 
Hi Bill, I guess I'm going to be a no-show today. Too much MVFR---and KHSP has got 200 and 1/2 as I type this. Flight service is already routing me to the east of a straight line route, and that still puts me in at maybe 1:30, 2:00. It should all be good later, but well after lunch, and you said lunch was 12 noon.:(

Give my bed to another guy.
 
Sorry to hear, Don

They don't call me Stormy for nothing.

It's a beautiful VFR day here this morning, but gonna be hot & humid.

Rain check for you :p

We could hold some BBQ for you if you reconsider. I knew it was going to be sketchy down south when I looked at the progs last night...
 
I'm just back from Bill's great event. It was 70% RV's and 100% wonderful people!

A perfect day (capped with a nice 30kts tailwind home).

Thanks to Bill and his whole family for hosting our visit!

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Glad to have you!

(Glen brought his Raspberry Pi retro Brownie digital camera with voice menu, no viewfinder, smartphone app, 3D printed, painted and polished case... I truly believe he can do anything digital he puts his mind to.)

Ok, Glen. Wish I had followed instructions and opened the housewarming gift while you were here. I'm staring at this stuff like someone from The Gods Must Be Crazy. I see (and somewhat understand) the Baofeng HT. There's a Raz Pi looking device and two different SDR dongles with respective antenna cables, lots of adapters, chargers and a LiIon pack. Not sure how to hook it all up without letting the magic smoke out, nor program it. I think we need to find a good time to call. Meanwhile it appears W4COV is operating an iGate near here from atop the Airport Mountain in Hot Springs, which is helpful.

I'm ready for a nice nap, but it sure was a good time over here today:D
 
Stormy thank you! It was a nice flyin. I had three reasons not to go based in the core no fly TFR, lifr in the morning and a crushed toe but I couldn't just help myself. Plus I promised to attend still being in Russia. You have a heck of a location there at Hopalong Bill! Was nice meeting everyone sorry I was late. Got permission to land on a private island I was calling the owner for three years.




All attendees are tailwheel aircrafts except mine.



Glen the Genious reinvented a 19th century Polaroid camera and I got a receipt been there ate that.



Jim, Bruce, Major it was a pleasure.




Яшка grew up taller then me already and got his 4-cycle vs 2 strokes dirt bike he had earlier. The young man is a racer and he is wrenching next to Bill's project.








Bill, you guys bailed out too early. Ingalls had a great show on the field.







It was a good day of flying and great food. Chris, Glen, Mugsy those dishes were delicious!
 
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Getalong

Great location, great food, great turnout.

OK, so a little MVFR and IFR, along with 2100 feet of grass may have narrowed the participation. But the hard core always find a way to get there.

Callsign "Stormy" may have to be changed.
 
A big thank you to Bill and Lorie for hosting a great gathering with excellent food and splendid views. 136 NM's each way gave me a great reason to flex my wings even though I wasn't fortunate enough to get that tailwind Glen had.

Vlad, it's always an honor and I'm glad your persistent nature caused our paths to meet again. If you want that toe to feel better, stick it in cider. (Think about it) :)

As Jim mentioned about the runway; not once did I see anyone needing more than 1000'. And that's being generous!
 
Hop Along Memories

Bill and Laurie,

Thanks so much for hosting your event. The food and friends where great ! Your new home is outstanding. Sorry I didn't get a chance to try the pool, maybe next time. We want to see a lot of progress on that RV-10 !

Below is a link to some more shots from yesterday. Vlad told me that one of his Russian aviation friends has built a pair of AGM-65 rubber poultry launchers from my design. I would love to see some photos of these on their RV. You can see one here on Jim Ts RV-8 yesterday. He announced his arrival by bombing the runway with a USAF standard issue flexible poultry ordinance device.



https://photos.app.goo.gl/ErpHc5AdzYWdYkIy1


Mugsy
 
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Very nice pics, Bruce

So glad you two graced us. The chicken bombing was a hoot and the release devices very interesting. So neat to see in person what I had read about online previously (how you beat the Easton Airport regulars at their own game).

Next year, if we can't tube the river, I will lead the way into the pool so hopefully others will follow - not that the back porch was that bad.
 
WX in NC was ugly.

We really wanted to make your fly-in, and I had really had my hopes up visit that cool strip of yours!..but the WX forecast between you and central NC was a deal breaker. We had some ugly storms by 1300 local time, and it was a no fly day here. Hopefully, some day I can get up there. You certainly had some good company and your place looks great!
 
Bill... Thank you to you and your wonderful family for opening up and sharing your beautiful home and airfield to the RV community. My Dad (Jack) and I enjoyed pleasant flights in both directions over the hills and valleys. We would love for you to stop in to WV22 (Green Landings)(122.9) anytime you are passing through the area. Both Jack (Major) and Chris (Infidel) are based here at WV22.
Ian
 
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