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Why I attend LOE

zilik

zilik

VAF Moderator
I just finished reading the LOE forum and was amazed at the low number of pre-registrations. There has to be at least a thousand RV's within 400nm of Weatherford, heck there are probably a thousand if you just count the Texans.

My wife and I try to attend every year. Why am I going to Weatherford, OK?

Because.....
1. I like flying.
2. I like meeting new people.
3. I like flying.
4. I like seeing old friends.
5. I like flying.
6. Did I mention, I like flying.

It's not the destination, it's the adventure flying there. Granted, it should not be to much of an adventure from Denver (read, flat) but at least I'm flying.

We'll have a great time this year. A new museum to wander through and a shooting range just south of the airport to hone my skills. There might even be a neat old hardware store downtown.

See you all there!
 
I have never attended LOE before. Mainly because I have never had an RV before. I am looking forward to attending this one not because of what is at Weatherford, OK but because I am looking forward to meeting people in person that I have only talked with via this forum before now.

I am thankful the powers that be decided to have LOE at Weatherford this year. I have no excuses not to attend. My hangar is about 50 NM from the airport. I know the airport fairly well and have been there several times. The Stafford Space Museum is right there on the premises. There is also another great museum less than a mile away from the airport to visit if your are interested in exploring how the pioneers of days past lived. There is a golf course you will fly over the top of coming in on 17 if you are into golf. You could walk across the airport grounds and be on a tee box in 5 minutes. Although I have not done any "shopping" in Weatherford in years, they do have several blocks of store fronts in their downtown area for that type of activity.

Really, there are probably just as many things to "do" in Weatherford as there are in any other similarly sized city across the country. However, that is of no consequence to me when I think about why I want to go to LOE in Weatherford, OK. No, I am going because I want to talk to all of you guys in person. I want to admire your airplanes. I want to show off my new 9A after 5 years, 1 month and 3 days of building it. I want to get your feedback on what you think about it. I want to shoot the breeze with guys I feel I know but yet, have never met.

You guys are LOE! Not a location on a map! I am really looking forward to seeing you guys in a little over a week from now.
 
zilik said:
I just finished reading the LOE forum and was amazed at the low number of pre-registrations.
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Gary, I can't speak for anyone else, but as much as I'd love to attend, it's just not practical for me this year for two reasons:

1) It's a 5-hour+ flight with one stop, and with fuel over $4/gal, that's nearly $400 for fuel alone. Add registration, food and other expenses, and it's simply cost prohibitive in this economy. Work sucks these days, and I'm counting pennies just like nearly everyone else.

and,

2) I HAVE to be back at work on Monday. I can't just not show up. Given the changing weather patterns twixt here and there, it becomes a VERY expensive weekend if we got weathered-in down in OK or someplace in between.

I should also throw in that my spousal unit -- who is still trying valiantly to get used to flying -- nixed spending that much time in an airplane. Period.


Maybe when/if the economy ever improves and I actually get to retire, THEN I'll mosey down to LOE -- wherever it happens to be then.
 
Maybe folks are like me?

and cant make up their mind.

I am near Kansas City so flying in is less than a couple hour flight. I don't know much about LOE and what all events are planned.. . but I always like an excuse to go to a flyin and see other Experimentals, especially other RV's.

With a business, family, etc. its hard to do more than an occasional saturday morning to hang with some other airplane guys. I had planned to fly in, look at airplanes for a couple hours with my wife or son, and head back like last weekend at Bartlesville but spending $70 for a couple hours has me thinking. . .. maybe just Ponca for breakfast and back.

I know that probably sounds bad being for a charity and all but thought I'd throw that out there as why more people aren't preregistered.
 
scard said:
Ooh! Did someone say hardware store?!
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Yup, and I'm addicted to them.

RVbySDI said:
I am looking forward to attending this one not because of what is at Weatherford, OK but because I am looking forward to meeting people in person that I have only talked with via this forum before now.

I am going because I want to talk to all of you guys in person. I want to admire your airplanes. I want to show off my new 9A after 5 years, 1 month and 3 days of building it. I want to shoot the breeze with guys I feel I know but yet, have never met.

You guys are LOE! Not a location on a map! I am really looking forward to seeing you guys in a little over a week from now.
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You have captured the spirit of LOE! I look forward to seeing you there.

N8RV said:
1) It's a 5-hour+ flight with one stop, and with fuel over $4/gal, that's nearly $400 for fuel alone. Add registration, food and other expenses, and it's simply cost prohibitive in this economy.
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I have been fortunate that LOE has always been within 3 hours of home. Much further and the fun factor goes down for a weekend trip. I feel your pain on the cost. My wife once said "How many $500 weekends do you think we can afford?" and that squashed a couple of weekend getaways I wanted to do that year.

Seismo/Red and everybody else: Tuppergal and I will miss seeing you all as 957nm is a bit much ($$$) for a weekend event ;-) I'd want to keep going! Rosie
 
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Gonna miss ya'll too. Moose is also out for budgetary reasons (the economy still isn't being kind to Architects).

Have fun!
 
The wife and I will be coming from Tampa. The RV10 is still a couple of months from being ready so I will be flying on American. We are looking forward to seeing the RV gang again and supporting the charity event. As for Weatherford I look forward to the change, this event should probably be moved every few years. Oklahoma is also a very historic state and we look to the sites.

Pat Stewart
 
When I first started attending LOE about 10 years ago it was just to visit with other RV builders and look at airplanes. Over the first few years I really got into the helping raise funds for the needy. Probably the first three years that I bought 1-4 raffle tickets I never won anything but still felt really good at the Saturday night banquet watching Doug hand over a bag of money to the charity representative who attended with some of the kids who receive the funds.

Each year I started buying more raffle tickets feeling really good that 100% of the money I was giving was going directly into the pockets of those in need. After I started buying $200.00 worth of raffle tickets I started seeing some winning numbers but even though most of the things I won I didn't need and re-sold them to others at big discounts I continued each year to up my raffle ticket by $100.00. Last year I bought $500.00 worth of raffle tickets and this year I am going to buy $600.00 worth. Even if none of my raffle numbers get drawn I will leave the Saturday night banquet knowing my donation is going to a real worthy charity.

One day I might not be able to make it to LOE but as long as it lasts whether I am there or not I will continue to make charity donations via raffle tickets for a great cause.
 
I had plans to drive to OK and back in my MINI for two days. Plans have changed. What could be more important then LOE if such question ever exists? :) Not work, not health, not funds. A USCIS interview!
 
Vlad said:
I had plans to drive to OK and back in my MINI for two days. Plans have changed. What could be more important then LOE if such question ever exists? :) Not work, not health, not funds. A USCIS interview!
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Vlad,
Are you about to trade your green card for citizenship papers? That would be awesome! Best of luck!
 
I wouldn?t worry too much with the pre-registration numbers being low at this time. I think many are going to wait to check weather forecasts a few days before LOE takes place, and if it is fair skies, I think the turnout will be huge. Ask ?Air Tractor? in Olney how many RV's showed up! :D
 
Attended last year for the first time. It is neat to be part of the RV community even though I fly a Super AcroDuster 2. Great cause, Great people, Great weekend, I?m there!!
See ya,
Thomas S.
 
This annual RV fly-in is my favorite gathering of the year. It's great to meet all the faces that I visit with "on line" every year.
And I always enjoy visiting with Red and Larry; the guys that have organized this event from the beginning.

Oh Yeah; and Tanya's cookies!
 
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To Deliver Cookies

Of course, the main reason is to get rid of the 4 dozen cookies that somehow manage to wind up on the kitchen counter each year. If I didn't make it, I'd be a blimp.:D

I may start a fight in my household, but I enjoy LOE more than Oshkosh. The laid back atmosphere without the crowds, but you still have the aviation community around. It's a family reunion to say hello to the cousins I've never met and visit with those that I haven't seen since we made mud pies in the backyard.

It is also very fulfilling to watch the charities walk off with a grocery sack of cash at the end of the banquet.
 
LOE

Visiting with all of you is why I go.
See you there!
I do like having it move around. Enjoyed Burlington, Las Cruses, and all the venues.
 
I agree with Tanya!

I enjoy LOE more than OSH, too. The comraderie and the fact that you don't have to walk 5-10 miles a day in an attempt to try to see everything. Looking forward to the new location. Instead of a bit over one hour, the flight will be a bit over 4. (I like to fly, too, Gary!) Save a pair of cookies for us!
 
Did Someone say Cookies?

Hawkeye7A said:
I enjoy LOE more than OSH, too. The comraderie and the fact that you don't have to walk 5-10 miles a day in an attempt to try to see everything.
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I wish we only walked 5-10 miles a day in OSH. My wife wore her pedometer this year and we averaged 13 miles/day for the week. High was 16 and the low 3 on our last day. Of course we're accustomed to walking lots. I think this Sundays hike will be about 16 miles.

Looking forward to seeing you Hawk, and everyone else! Fly safe. It's only about 2.5 max for us. We'll be there on Friday before lunch.

I think my favorite part of LOE, besides the bags-o-money for charity, is the cookies.
 
zilik said:
I wish we only walked 5-10 miles a day in OSH. My wife wore her pedometer this year and we averaged 13 miles/day for the week. High was 16 and the low 3 on our last day. Of course we're accustomed to walking lots. I think this Sundays hike will be about 16 miles.

Looking forward to seeing you Hawk, and everyone else! Fly safe. It's only about 2.5 max for us. We'll be there on Friday before lunch.

I think my favorite part of LOE, besides the bags-o-money for charity, is the cookies.
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Seizmo and Hawk,
You guys are hittin' me where I live...not only do I have to miss out on seeing all of "The Usual Suspects", I have to miss out on the cookies... :eek:
 
Nah. Just folks sitting in lawn chairs shooting the bull. Part of the appeal of the event, actually :)...at least for me!
br,
dr
 
nysaircraft said:
Just wondering if there will be any seminars or discussion panels about RV's?
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Sure, find Tanya or myself sitting in a chair on the edge of the ramp with a beer in hand. We'll be happy to talk about anything you like, as long as it involves RVs.

Michael White said:
Seizmo and Hawk,
You guys are hittin' me where I live...not only do I have to miss out on seeing all of "The Usual Suspects", I have to miss out on the cookies... :eek:
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I wouldn't be so sure. There is an entry on the calendar at my house that has been there for a couple of months that says "Moose Cookies". I wasn't exactly sure what that meant. It took me a while to figure out what the heck a Moose Cookie was, and I don't ask questions that I don't know the answers to around here :).

Mel said:
DIBBS on Moose's cookies!
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I promise, I'll beat you to it. You would be surprised, sometimes I don't even get one. That is when I have to ask for a batch all for myself, but that only works outside of flying season (when is that by the way?).
 
scard said:
I wouldn't be so sure. There is an entry on the calendar at my house that has been there for a couple of months that says "Moose Cookies". I wasn't exactly sure what that meant. It took me a while to figure out what the heck a Moose Cookie was, and I don't ask questions that I don't know the answers to around here :).
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NOW I feel special... :D :D :D
 
Its a physiology experiment

I'll be attending Saturday to see how long I can stay awake. After flying a double all-nighter trip to Sao Paulo (10 hrs one way), returning to ORD at about 0600, then commuting to OKC, then driving to Weatherford I'll be in top form. By the early evening total sleepless time will be approaching 40 hours. Beyond that, brain damage is possible.

At the 40 hour point, one enters a state of mind I call the "amoeba state" because all you can respond to is light/dark, hunger and pain. Should be a blast!
 
Bill Wightman said:
I'll be attending Saturday to see how long I can stay awake. After flying a double all-nighter trip to Sao Paulo (10 hrs one way), returning to ORD at about 0600, then commuting to OKC, then driving to Weatherford I'll be in top form. By the early evening total sleepless time will be approaching 40 hours. Beyond that, brain damage is possible.

At the 40 hour point, one enters a state of mind I call the "amoeba state" because all you can respond to is light/dark, hunger and pain. Should be a blast!
Click to expand...

Geez... I'll be sure to steer clear of you :). I personally start to get psychotic with that little sleep.
 
scard said:
There is an entry on the calendar at my house that has been there for a couple of months that says "Moose Cookies". I wasn't exactly sure what that meant.
Click to expand...
Read the fine print. It actually says "Spruce Moose Cookies."

Really. Go look at it.

(leaving the frozen tundra at 1400Z for LOE and cookies)
 
Hard 8 and Cookies

Scott and Deb are going to meet Scott and Tanya at the Hard 8 for brunch BBQ at 10:30 AM today. What better than cookies for dessert?! :D I can eat a LOT of cookies, hope there's some left for you guys.... :rolleyes:
 
Got the confirmation last night. We'll be there on Saturday Noon -> ?:??pm.

Probably will be there 4-5 hours and then we're headed back to Norman to hangout with the family.

If someone wants my cell, shoot me a PM. I'll be happy to give it to you.

Phil
 
Never attended one of these, so where is this LOE forum if people want to pre-register and find out other things such as costs, and what airport exactly? Google searches just send me back to this thread, and haven't found that info here either.
 
LOE Link

Just curious wrongway,

Have you ever checked out www.vansairforce.net ???
The info with pre-registering link has been on there for months.
If you just visit this forum, you're missing a lot that Doug has to
offer to the RV community.
 
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