2003 260se-230se-Wren Fly-In

[kwmoore]

...will be at McCall Idaho (MYL), Thursday-Saturday 28-30 August (or what the heck, stay all the way through Labor Day if you want!).

McCall is a gateway to Idaho backcountry flying and is favorably located for scenic flights in the Idaho, Washington, & Montana (Glacier-Yellowstone-Grand Teton) areas, and even southern Canada. Rental bikes or cars are available for access to the town of McCall, nearby Payette Lake, and numerous hiking, fishing, golf, rafting, and other outdoor recreational opportunities. Or, just hang out on the field to ogle the group's airplanes, talk flying, and enjoy laughter with friends. We may arrange a fly-out breakfast or lunch at one of the less challenging backcountry strips such as Sulphur Creek.

There is lodging (Super 8 Lodge) and dining within walking distance, as well as somewhat farther away in town. Numerous other lodging options can be found in a AAA Travel Guide or the McCall chamber of commerce website:

http://www.mccall-idchamber.org

Or, you can arrange for some world-class instruction in mountain and canyon flying. McCall Mountain Canyon Flying is right there on the field. Their group instruction seminars are in June & July, but individual/customized instruction can be arranged:

http://www.mountaincanyonflying.com

If there is enough interest I will inquire about a mini-seminar & instruction for a group.

The FBO on the field is McCall Aviation. There is an article about McCall in the Summer 2000 issue of Pilot Getaways magazine.

See you there! Please e-mail me or send a private message through this forum with your number attending and aircraft tail number, and indicate whether you might be interested in some mountain/canyon flying instruction. To do this, just click on "kwmoore" on the 260se discussion forum page then select e-mail or private message under "contact kwmoore."

:cool:

[kwmoore]

Bringing this to the top as a reminder. Even 4+ months out, we have 6 people/planes who have indicated they will come.

So far only 2 have expressed interest in my looking into group instruction in mountain & canyon flying.

The last two fly-ins have been great fun for those who came--don't miss out on this one!

[Mike Sullivan]

Kevin,

I don't recall if I mentioned it, but I'm interested in the mountain flying class.

Mike

[Todd Peterson]

Jo and I are definitely looking forward to flying our airplanes up to the fly in. We have a request in with the "weather gods" for blue skies and maybe a just a little tail wind (I didn't want to push it too much).

See you there.

[kwmoore]

If you want round trip tailwinds, be sure to disconnect the air hose from the airbox. It worked very well for me. :rolleyes:

[Todd Peterson]

I don't think we need to get there quite that quick.

[n2099x]

Kevin, count me in I don't know how many people, but I'll be there. If there is a mountain flying class I would be interested.

Glen

[Mike Sullivan]

Kevin,

Have you made arrangements or deals with one of the motels or lodge? How far from the airport to town?

Oops, guess I should have re-read your opening statement before I asked.

Mike

[kwmoore]

At past fly-ins it was clear that individuals had their own preferences, so I'm leaving it up to each attendee to make their own arrangements. Note that Super 8 will give a 10% discount if you get one of their "VIP" cards--no cost to do this I believe.

I plan on stopping by McCall in late June on another trip and will inquire about a good location for a group dinner Friday evening, as well as group mountain flying instruction. So far we have 3 pilots interested in the latter. :cool:

[Mike Sullivan]

I've made reservations at the Super 8 in McCall and will be flying-in on Aug. 26th to attend classes with the McCall Mountain Seminars on the 27th, 28, 29 and possibly the 30th. I'll be leaving Sunday morning after church.

At this point Mountain Seminars still has room available on those dates but the classes are filling up fast. If you're interested call or email Lori now.

Mike

[kwmoore]

My unofficial sources tell me that Tom Castleberry is in McCall attending the Mountain/Canyon Flying course. He might also case out lodging options for us, particularly regarding potential alternatives to Super 8. I'm hoping he'll post a report on both when he returns.

I will look into a fly-out lunch for the group on Saturday August 30, to a destination within 1-1.5 hr flight time and with a PAVED runway. My current preferred candidate is Driggs ID, about 220 miles. They have a good restaurant on the field, a small air museum, and the opportunity to overfly Yellowstone & Grand Teton parks before or after lunch. Next would be Kalispell MT, also about 220 miles, near Glacier National Park. Finally somewhat closer would be Sandpoint ID (~205 miles) and Coeur d'Alene (175 miles). Sandpoint is on a beautiful lake but lacks an airport restaurant; places to eat would be accessible by courtesy car or a bit of a walk.

Preferences or alternative suggestions cheerfully entertained.

[N735GH]

The following are my findings on the accomodations, transportation, aircraft maintenance, and instruction available at McCall.

ACCOMODATIONS - There are three viable candidates, in my opinion. They are:

Super 8 - 1/2 block from the airport and the one used by Mountain/Canyon Flying for the ground training. Very convenient to the airport and Pioneer Aviation but not so convienient to restaurants and downtown McCall. Views are primarily of the dumpsters, parking lot, and mini storage. Your basic clean room that you don't want to stay in but with nice folks running it. You want to stay here if you are attending the Mountain/Canyon Flying Course.

Rates were $65 + 10% tax for the group. I think they are a little higer for individuals.

http://www.mccall-idchamber.org

Holiday Inn Express - Brand new, very attractive and down the street towards town (1 mile) and about a 7 minute walk to the FBO as opposed to about 4 minutes from the Super 8. It is also across the street from the best place for breakfast and lunch in town, the Pancake House, and a 5 minute walk to the best restaurant in town, the Mill.

Rates are $89 Std King to $129 for a suite plus the usual vigorish of 10% for the federales.

They told me they would provide a group rate if we chose to do so. This would be my choice as the best compromise.

http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/ex/1/en/ha/dmlid

Hotel McCall - Downtown and on the lake. It is an old restored hotel with some new rentable condominiums added. Great lobby and sitting areas, downtown, close to the beach and about a mile from the airport.

Rates range from about $110 for the restored rooms to $125 for the condos.

I really liked the ambience and this would be a great choice if you have wheels.

http://www.mccall-idchamber.org

TRANSPORTATION:

If you only want to fly and hang at the airport, you don't need a car if you stay at the Super 8 or Holiday Inn. I rented a bike for the week I was there and it was adequate but a car is by far a better choice. There is only one rental place in town for the auto and they charge by the calendar day so it has some wrinkles. I believe it is called Collins and I will rent for sure this trip. A few cars ought to do the trick.

There is also an informal taxi service that will pick you up and deliver you anywhere in McCall for a tip...recommended $5. It is called PROMPT...I didn't keep the phone number. They are not a practical choice for the a.m. since they don't start until 10 am.

Also have a bus-jitney service that runs every hour through McCall and is only useful if you want the entire town tour everytime.

Let Kevin, or me know, what you think...for me it's the Holiday Inn Express or Hotel McCall.

AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE - If you have a plane, it will break and require attention sooner or later! DEW Aircraft, co-located with McCall Mountain Flying, is an excellent shop. Doug is the owner and is very responsive and fair.

MOUNTAIN FLYING - I will post my experience with the McCall Mountain/Canyon Flying course later. However, if anyone is interested in instruction, some planning is required. Mike Sullivan has pretty well booked up Lori MacNichol, founder of Mountain/Canyon Flying, for that week so we would have to use alternate instructors. Since I knew we would be there, I have informally buttoned down one of the better instructors for that time if we can get enuf folks interested. You can only do 2 flites a day, all in the a.m., since you don't go to the Back Country in the afternoon due to DA, wind, etc. Flites are usually scheduled for 6 and 9 am and last 2 1/2 to 3 hours. No wheel pants so you have to arrange for DEW to tak'em on and off.

More in the coming post.

Let me know....












http://www.mountaincanyonflying.com and http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/ex/1/en/ha/dmlid for the Hoiday Inn Express.[list]

[Pete of N978PB]

Kevin & Tom ~

Many thanks, Tom ... good recon, there.

Although I too would appreciate Hotel McCall's ambiance, I will be staying at the Holiday Inn Express.

If we all do so, we clearly should negotiate a group rate.

By the way, if town is only a mile away, is it easily walkable (ie., sidewalks)?

Pete

[N735GH]

Town is easily walkable (side of the road)...about 15 minutes. Not much in town except for the lake, a coffee house, the usual knick-kanck sales, and Romanos Italian restaurant with a lake view. Main attraction is the lake, dock and beach.

If more than 4 or 5 choose the Holiday Inn, I can probably negotiate the rate.....Tom

[Pete of N978PB]

Main attraction is the lake, dock and beach.

With mountains in the background ...

Music to my ears!

[kwmoore]

...for the great report and your time in preparing it. I--and likely my son Matthew--will stay at Holiday Inn Express. In fact I will cancel my Super 8 reservations and make the Holiday Inn Express reservations tonight.

I will probably not take the Mountain/Canyon Flying course this year, just a tad more $$ than I want to spend. I'll look forward to detailed reports from Mike and Tom however.

**The Holiday Inn Express phone number is 208-634-4700. With AAA discount, the rate for a King room was $80.10 + tax. **

[Pete of N978PB]

A couple of points ....

First, Holiday Inn Express also quoted a rate of $80.10 per night when I made my reservations. If we can knock off a few bucks for a group rate, that would be great.

Second, in looking over the advance flight planning for the trip, I noted TFRs in Idaho, one of which is about 25 - 30 miles north/northeast of McCall. It appears to be over some rather mountainous terrain, with nothing obvious as to why it's there.

Beware, though ... maybe it's a cave hideaway where Osama and Saddam are commiserating about their futures with Allah and his angels ... hopefully at cave temperature.

[kwmoore]

This time of year, fires are the most likely reason for a TFR in that area. I hope this will be a relatively calm fire season in the northwest--unlike the past two summers.

[kwmoore]

This would be for Friday or Saturday. My earlier recommendations appear to be the best choices, in my own subjective order of preference:

Driggs ID (U59), about 220 miles. They have a good restaurant on the field, a small warbirds museum, and the opportunity to overfly Yellowstone & Grand Teton parks before or after the meal.

Kalispell MT (FCA), also about 220 miles, near Glacier National Park.

Sandpoint ID (SZT) ~205 miles. The Beach House and Panhandler's Pies restaurants are about a mile--walk or courtesy car would work.

Coeur d'Alene (COE) 175 miles.

If we're willing to consider a non-paved destination for an early breakfast and departure before 11:00 am, then Smiley Creek (U87) has a wide "golf course quality" turf runway that according to Pilot Getaways Magazine is suitable for most singles and light twins. The elevation is 7160 feet, so we'd not want to be departing at the warmest time of day. The Smiley Creek Lodge restaurant has a very good reputation.

I think it best to decide while we're there based on weather and people's "ambition."

At present we have 9 planes attending.

[n2099x]

I just pulled out the Pilot Getaways with Smiley Creek. It looks like a fun place. I like landing on turf, it always feel softer. The grass stains come off your wheel pants easily. So my vote would be breakfast at Smiley Creek preferably a weekday. But I’ll go with the flow. I plan on arriving Wednesday.

Glen

[Mike Sullivan]

I'm arriving Tues. AM for an airplane inspection and an afternoon class. I'll be flying with Lori each morning on Wed., Thurs. and Friday, with class room work each afternoon. I'll complete the course Friday afternoon.

If I have a vote, I'd prefer the Fly-Out to be on Sat. so that I can take part and also practice some of my newly learned mountain flying skills. :)

Cheers.

Mike

[kwmoore]

Sounds like we should do something on both days! Smiley Creek gets crowded on weekends but I think if we phone in a reservation the day before we'll be fine. How about Driggs on Friday & U87 on Saturday for Mike?

[kwmoore]

6-10 day forecasts are starting to come out and they look favorable. Let's keep our fingers crossed that they continue to do so!

It's not too late for any of you to make a last-minute decision to attend. You don't have to be an owner to enjoy the company and locale!

One thing to keep an eye on will be "Presidential TFRs." For example there is likely to be one at Jackson WY the weekend of the fly-in and there will be several in the Northwest just prior. A good thing to watch out for when planning your routes to and from McCall.

[Mike Sullivan]

I've got the plane ready!

The wheel fairings are off, the gear is tight, no leaks, master cylinders are full, ELT is working, echo flight is paid, the GPS is receiving, and I'm ready to begin inching my way northward. We're ready to attack the Idaho hills and canyon strips.

Do I bring my fishing rods as well??

Mike

[kwmoore]

I hear they won't let you into the state without at least one fishing rod. :p

[azb5gh]

Is anyone planning on fishing?

There are many active TFRs near McCall and throughout Idaho due to forest fires. Add these to the list w/ potential Presidential TFRs.

[kwmoore]

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full? They agreed that it was.

So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cans of beer from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things--your family, your health, your children,your friends, and your favorite passions--things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. "The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else--the small stuff. If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house, and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of beers."

Pay attention to your favorite passions! It's not too late to decide to attend the 260se fly-in. See ya there! :p

[Todd Peterson]

How true.

Weather is looking good at this point for the trip. Jo and I are planning to leave Thursday morning. Look forward to seeing everyone.

[n2099x]

I am leaving Thursday morning also. Was trying for Wednesday but its just not happening. See everyone there.

Glen

[Todd Peterson]

As of now the weather looks like a go for us to head towards Idaho. We should be leaving Thursday morning arriving late Thursday afternoon.

Look forward to seeing everyone.

[Todd Peterson]

The trip to Idaho may not happen for us unfortunately. We have a little bit of a family medical crisis (sick elderly cat) and what appears to be a rather intense cold front approaching. We'll see what everything looks like in the am and keep you posted.

[Todd Peterson]

Well I guess it's just not going to happen for Jo and I. The cold front bearing down on us is fairly intense and there are currently two lines of thunderstorms between us and the clear weather in Wyoming. Try not to have too much fun without us.

[kwmoore]

Todd & Jo were very much missed, but a good time was had by the attendees and the weather was beautiful. The consensus was that MYL was a good venue and more of our fly-ins should be held there.

I started a photo album with pix of all the planes that attended except (so far) Ray's. Rod Keller also sent along some photos from the Friday and Saturday morning "fly-outs." Please add more photos!

More verbiage later...

[azb5gh]

I also added a new photo album with lots of pictures from the fly-in. Go check out the photo album section!

[kwmoore]

Great photo collection Adam, thanks!

As for canards on the Grumman amphib, I indeed saw a "canard" painted on each side of the nose. :p

Seriously, are any of you more erudite than I regarding the Grumman amphibian line? I was unsure whether it was a "Goose" or "Mallard"--I knew enough to be sure it wasn't an "Albatross"--or how to tell the difference.

[azb5gh]

I'm pretty sure it is a Goose. The Mallard has a thinner airframe toward the back end.

It just looked cool sitting on the ramp and dwarfed everything but the DC-4 fire bombers.

I'm no expert on the subject but I did do a little research to be able to note the difference between the Grumman sea planes. Check out the link below to see some pics of the Grumman birds.

Grumman Sea Planes (http://www.oldprops.f9.co.uk/Goose.htm)

[n2099x]

Dave said it is a Goose not a duck.

Glen

[azb5gh]

It looks like the Goose stole the show. The water fowl pictures seem to have ruffled some feathers.

Honk Honk.

[jkkniese]

Looks like everyone had a good time at Mc Call. It would be a little difficult for me in my 85hp Aeronca Chief! :)
James Kniese

[Mike Sullivan]

You're all wrong. It was a mud-hen!!

Mike

[n2099x]

I finally added a album of pictures from Smiley Creek

Glen