RV-1 Tribute Tour Very Preliminary Schedule

The Friends of the RV-1 proudly announce the preliminary schedule for our Tribute to Richard VanGrunsvens Tour this spring and summer. The schedule is certainly subject to changes both before and during the tour for a variety of reasons. But, these are the events we are currently planning to attend. And, conversely, these are the events and regions of the country that we are hoping to recruit volunteers to help with supporting the RV-1’s participation.

PRELIMINARY DRAFT OF THE RV-1 TRIBUTE TOUR SCHEDULE
Today until about March 7 - Texas (Finish restoration, phase 1 flights, and informal local events, as time allows)

March 8-17 – Target for flying plane to Florida; Possible “cameo” or impromptu events along the way.

March 27- April 1 – SUN ‘n FUN, Lakeland, Florida; http://www.sun-n-fun.org/

April 2 – 15 – Looking for events/meetings in Florida, Georgia, and Alabama

April 20 – 22 – North Carolina RV Formation Clinic, Stanly County, NC – KVUJ); http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=80817

April 23 – Fly to Virginia and stage near Suffolk.

April 28-29 - Virginia Regional Festival of Flight, Suffolk, VA (SFQ); http://virginiaflyin.org/

May 1 -13 – Looking for events in the Mid-Atlantic and New England area.

May 13-18 – Travel to Canada

May 27 - RV Fly-In at Stratford, Ontario – CNM4; http://www.vansairforce.com/community/calendar.php?do=getinfo&e=710&day=2011-6-5&c=1

May 28 –June 7 – Fly plane back to U.S. and “barnstorm” generally along the I-80 corridor between Detroit, MI, and Marysville, CA with multiple, informal stops along the way.

June 8-10 – Golden West Fly-In, Marysville, CA – KMYV; http://www.goldenwestflyin.org/

June 23 – Langley Flyin, BC; http://wiki.matronics.com/wiki/index.php/Langley_Fly-in

July 11-15 – Arlington Fly-In, Arlington, Washington; http://www.arlingtonflyin.org/

July 16-22 – Transfer plane to stage near Oshkosh, WI

July 23-29 – EAA AirVenture, Oshkosh, WI; http://www.airventure.org/

REGIONAL SUPPORT
We have regional coordinators committed to ensure local support for each portions of the trip. At some later time, we will be looking for offers of hangar space and housing to support the transfer of the RV-1 from site-to-site. We will also keep our community informed on planned stops along the way so folks can come out to see the plane (and maybe help feed and house it and the volunteer pilots). Please watch this forum for those calls.

Louise, Elkhart is right on I-80, smack in the middle of the IN-MI state line. If that turns out to be a reasonable stop for the Chicago-Detroit-Toledo-Indy region, let me know. RV-1 will have a hangar, even if I have to put Smokey outside!

And we can certainly find housing for the pilots and support crew. Sounds like a crazy fun circuit this year for the RV-1!

Send your offers onto me

Thanks, Don. I'll put you on the list.

While we will be looking for specific offers for overnight stops along the route shortly before the plane moves through an area, I appreciate anyone who wants to let me know that they would have a hangar and support in the event that our targetted stops don't work. If you have hangar and pilot (2) crash space along the route and would like to be on the general support list, please send me that information with your phone number and email. Please use the Louise *at* RV-1.org address. We may use that list as a starting point for identifying the specific overnight sites, as well.

It's going to be fun!

Hi Louise, I dropped you an email to support the entourage for the section around the Suffolk, VA stop.

Got it

Glen,
I owe you an email. Hopefully tonight. It's a flurry of activity this week!

Check e-mail

Hi Louise - Please check your e-mail . . . thanks!

????

No trip to Oregon?

No 'homecoming'?

Kent

Oregon? Of course

The factory hangar will be the West Coast home to the RV-1 for about about five weeks and we hope Van will allow it out of his grasp for Oregon outings. Who knows, maybe he'll use it as his daily commuter or to attend his local EAA meeting. (Only Van has the options for joyrides in the thing!) I'm sure there will be opportunities to see it at EAA meetings/breakfasts and such in the area.

The schedule I put up is just the skeleton of the tour and we have about twice as many events (already) penciled in. Unfortunately, Homecoming, Copper State, LOE, and the Black Hills event are after the plane is turned over to EAA. It would take convincing them to do an encore tour. I'm guessing that our team will be beat by then!

Thanks for the many responses, but please....

Great to get so many immediate responses. Thank you.

To facilitate developing a useful database, please send your contact information (email and phone number) and location (town and/or airport identifier) to the email address, Louise *at* RV-1.org.

We will use this database in several ways. First, I will pass the information along to our regional coordinators so they know the potential sites for support during the tour in their area. They may contact you as the schedule is refined. Second, we'll make sure the RV-1 pilot has a copy of all the contact information for places in their part of the country in case they need to change plans during a flight. We might find even more uses. Stay tuned!

We hope the tour can visit beautiful Atlanta

Louise,

On behalf of EAA Chapter 690 and a host of Atlanta based RVers, you, your husband and your entourage are cordially invited to our Pancake Breakfast on April 7, 2012. RV 6A driver John Morgan and I would be happy to provide you with hanger space and homey accomodations. While in Atlanta, we hope that you would allow us to take you on a tour of our beautiful city, which will be awash in dogwood and azelea blossoms.

Hoping that you can make it.

I will send you contact information through your email.

I'm thinking a bunch of us should be "Dead Heads" and follow the RV-1 around the country like groupies