2017 fly-in

Planning a get together, that depends on good weather to be a success, just stacks the odds against you. While the winds and temps in the first week of Sept are generally the nicest and most likely to be the best flying time of the year, it is just too much to ask to expect flyable weather for which ever week you choose. The winds and the temps this time was probably the best of all the fly-ins that we have had. There was just one little problem- Fires! There were fires on all sides of us and the air currents conspired to circle around us picking up smoke from western Oregon, Washington and then around to Montana and back through Idaho to us in one continuous circle. Two of the guy's coming from Utah had to drive. One from Calif. decided to not come. Another from around Portland couldn't get out because of TFR's ( Temporary flight restrictions) surrounding her. We actually only had two Experimentals fly in. One of them in smoke so bad that it was basically a instrument flight.

We had seventeen visitors and even though we didn't have many planes we still had a great time. Way too much food, with not enough room to eat it, but we managed and had a great time. Every body kicked in and either helped cook or clean afterward. While exhausting it was still a lot of fun.

The evening campfires were very nice and enjoyable. One of the compensations of the smoke was the sunrises and sunsets.

One of our guests was a lady from Nakkerud, Norway. She and her family hosted one of our regulars as a foreign exchange student. She was visiting him, and his mother for a bit, while on a trip to the US, and I asked him to bring her along so we could show her the area. We felt pretty sure that there is nothing like SE Oregon in Norway. One of our guests, Ken Korenek, who had a RV-7, took her for a smoke filled ride, simply because that was all the choices we had.

https://vimeo.com/232930841    I don't think that it requires a password, but if it does use--  owyheeflyer

It will give you some idea of what the visibility was during the first part of the fly in. Oh, by the way, Tove narrated the video. We actually made it for her to show to her friends. She shared with me that she was afraid of heights, but had no problem in the plane and had a good time.

Ken Korenek came up a bit early from Texas so that we could work on his video skills. He was a bit hinky of the landing strip, but soon found that it was all in his mind and not as bad as he thought, Other than paint jobs. I think the worst damage to his paint was when he was doing touch and go's on the state strip just a few miles south of the house. it is fine gravel and he said that it sounded like rattling rocks in a tin can. Ken caught a lot of teasing, that he enjoyed, in spite of his protests.

https://vimeo.com/232524986

https://vimeo.com/232263554

https://vimeo.com/233604058

https://vimeo.com/233261790

password for all is   owyheeflyer

You have probably seen almost all of these, since I sent them in an email the day that they were published.

One of the other guy's had a rough landing at Mickey Basin that took out one of his gear legs, and his prop. That would not have been all that big of a deal, but when his nephew came out to help him load up the plane, he was stopped by a woman working for the BLM. When she found out what happened she called NTSB, Sheriff, EMT's, and Blm Fire. Which as you might imagine complicated the hell out of things unnecessarily. We are not sure if Hazmat is going to be involved since perhaps a gallon or two of gas spilled on the ground.

This is a video of the area, and where he landed was at the hill part of the flat that I decided not to land at. I believe that you have had a chance to see it as well.

https://vimeo.com/233384168   password    owyheeflyer

Our niece, from Colorado, who loves to fly was offered a ride by Mike Marker who took her down the Owyhee River. No video of that as yet, but I do have a video that Mike took of the Steen's Mtn.

 https://vimeo.com/233776389  Same password!

Every one has now gone home, and I am quite sure that it will take a couple of days to readjust. It was a lot of fun, and worth it.