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DON'T FORGET - WVFF Annual New Years Day Flight
Kick off the new year right with a flight, even it's just around the patch - weather permitting of course.
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End of Year Archiving of News
The entire news section for the year 2005 will be archived in the "Past Articles" section of this Web Site. This page will be blanked out at the end of the current year to begin with fresh articles for the year 2006. The link to the Past Articles will always appear at the bottom of this page. Feel free to go there at any time to review articles and pictures from past years.
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December 25th
A Trike was spotted, must have been Mickey, flying on Christmas Day. He apparently dropped off a chilly passenger somewhere in the vicinity of Winfield and then made his way back to Leon.
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December 10th & 11th - 17 & 18th
It's been cold but that hasn't stopped many of the WVFF from blasting off on several small trips these past two weekends. On Saturday the 17th, Glen and Russell flew the 150 to Ona where a party was taking place. Bret and Steve both flew their trikes that day around the vicinity (Leon/Buffalo area). Mickey flew to a friend's house near Ripley, landing in a field adjacent to his house. Gretchen just took a short trip around the patch.
On Sunday the 18th, Glen and Russell (150), Mickey and Steve (trikes) and Gretchen in the TBird took off early and flew over to Jackson County airport for breakfast. Raine was in line to go but was spotted pulling the plane by the tail back to the hangar - icing!!! It was a nice smooth trip even though there was a pretty strong headwind on the way over. Early in the afternoon Linzy showed up and flew the Pterodactyl.
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December 3rd
The day of the Christmas party (Pictures) started out cold and got colder as the day went on. Yet, that didn't stop John Townsend in his Quicksilver. Late in the afternoon he lifted off and took a short trip around Leon. Apparently the winds were worse than appeared from the ground.
Preparations began early at the Pack's who hosted the party in their brand new addition to the house. The first floor of this new building was decorated and food was delivered for what turned out to be a very successful party again this year. There was plenty of turkey, ham, vegetables, deserts and many other snacks. There was a gift exchange and, of course, Santa.
Other activities included a slide show by Steve Doll of various flying trips around West Virginia as well as other areas including Oshkosh. Curtis set up Flight Simulator and many enjoyed using it throughout the evening. In the upstairs second story of the new building, Kevin put on a flying demonstration of his RC helicopter.
Elections were held that night for officers of the club for the year 2006.
Treasurer: Steve Doll
Newsletter: Gretchen Watson
Vice President: Raine Beller
President: Mickey Watson
Contact information for these individuals will be posted as soon as possible.
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November 6-30
Fun Flyer Flying continued on through November, mostly locally around Leon Buffalo. However, several trips were made to Jackson Country for breakfast.
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November 5th
It was our annual "Men Cooking for the Women" meeting day. The men served up some very good spaghetti, salad and deserts. The turnout for this meeting was not large but the weather was nice and flying was good later in the day.
Purpose of the Rubber Chicken award: To increase awareness of preventative maintenance, airport safety, pattern safety, etc. Several items were brought to everyone's attention during this meeting - through nominations for the rubber chicken. (Please never feel offended for being nominated. The club's attention to your mistake may lead to saving someone else the same mistake or even saving a life.)
1. Always preflight thoroughly. Check for cracked hoses, gas lines, structural tubing (landing gear), etc. Check tire integrity. Check for loose bolts and fittings, etc. Point is...Be thorough. If you don't get to the field in time to preflight then either come earlier or don't fly. (Editor's opinion)
2. Be aware of your surroundings both in the air and on the ground. Watch for people while taxiing. Watch for other planes before entering the runway. Watch for planes when entering pattern all the way through the landing process. DO NOT RELY solely on the radios. Many individuals flying into and out of Leon do not use radios. Point is...Stay aware of your surroundings. Fly Safe.
Several members chipped in and helped repair the lounge during the afternoon.
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October 30th
Raine, Mickey, Steve and Gretchen all flew to Jackson County to again have breakfast. They then flew on to Gallipolis and landed. After stretching their legs from a rather long stretch of flying due to a strong head wind, they climbed back into their planes to head for Leon. However, on the taxiway, Raine's plane began limping - blown tire. Raine caught a ride back to Leon in Steve's trike. Raine and Mickey then drove back to Gallipolis where the tire was replaced and he flew back home - to Leon.
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October 29th
Chuck celebrated his 70th birthday at a Surprise Birthday Party at Curtis and Kathy's house.
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October 23rd
Curtis was out early flying his trike. Kevin and Chuck flew their Mini Max planes. John Bolton blasted out in the Titan. Raine (Mini Max), Mickey (Trike) and Gretchen in the Tbird flew to Jackson County for breakfast at the airport.
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October 11th
The following letter was received via email and I thought the club would like to see it.
Hi...
This is Tim O'Leary, I flew in the Pitts S1-S, with Bob Hospodar in the J-3 Cub last weekend for the meeting and Chili Cook-Off.
First... I wanted to thank the club for their hospitality. We had a great time at your beautiful airport! Everyone was so friendly and welcoming, we felt right at home! We will definitely be back! I love the website too!
Second... I wanted to invite anyone that is able to come to our Herron Airport (7G1) Picnic on October 15th. I assure you that everyone would be welcomed, just as we were welcomed at your airport!
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October 1st, 2nd
It was the big chili cook off. A contest for the best chili was held that day. Judges were picked and chili was sampled. Winners were Laura - 1st place, Curtis - 2nd place, Robin - Third place, Laura - Fourth place (Something fishy there - same pot of chili).
We had a few visitors from another airport flying a Pitts and a Cub. Anyone knowing their names and home airport, email the web editor so that information can be posted. Both pilots put on a nice air show for our club.
Curtis Pack, spokesperson for the LAA, produced aerial photos, taken by Steve Doll, of the alleged "Prop Circles." The LAA had determined that they were not of an extra-terrestrial nature and that a chicken would be issued to the party responsible for creating these elaborate formations.
Steve Doll worked most of Sunday on his roll up door experiment. Hopefully for all of his hard work it will turn out to work just fine.
All in all it was a beautiful weekend for flying - a little hazy at times but very nice. Here are some pictures of the weekend's activities.
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September 24th - 25th, 2005
John Townsend, Steve Doll, Ken Skeen, Dorian were all out flying on Saturday the 24th. It was a nice calm day. Others were there working on their airplanes. Also, mysterious "Prop Circles" have been reportedly appearing near Buffalo - extraterrestrial - time will tell. The LAA (Leon Aviation Administration) may have a report prepared at the October's meeting.
On Sunday the 25th, Raine (Mini Max), Steve (Airborne Redback Trike), Mickey (Geo Trike), Gretchen (Tbird) lifted off around 9:30 headed for Jackson County to have breakfast. After no more than five minutes of flight time Mickey radioed that we had better turn around. He said that we were flying in a tailwind of around 40 miles per hour. He had a ground speed of around 92 mph - in a trike!!! We turned around and came to nearly a dead stop. Raine and Gretchen inched their way back to the airport ahead of the trikes but kept in touch with them from the ground. We watched as Mickey was noticably flying backwards. Steve got over the airport and announced his "Verticle Descent Approach." He was literally stopped in mid-air yet descending down toward the airport.
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September 17-23, 2005
Mickey and Gretchen took a "Cross Country" leaving on 9/17 until the next Friday.
Many of our members flew to Vinton County's annual fly-in air show. Attendance was much lower this year, probably due to the rising fuel costs. However, those that went had a good time. Captain (Hurricane), Glen (Zenair 701), Russell (150), Ron (Challenger) all flew over for the show.
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September 2-5, 2005
It was a beautiful weekend for a meeting, dinner and flying. Several members camped the entire weekend. On Saturday morning Randy, Russell, Mickey, Raine and Gretchen flew to Jackson County airport for breakfast. Curtis flew the trike with Steve in the back seat to take pictures of a development site near Buffalo.
The dinner was around 1:00 with our meeting immediately following. There was plenty of chicken and deserts to last through Monday. After the meeting members flew until dark. Several were spotted going to Newland airport for more food and fun (Kevin, Chuck, Ken, Russell, Captain, Glen).
Saturday evening was especially exciting for our youngest pilot at the airfield - Josh Shirley, 18 years old. He soloed a trike about an hour before dark. He made three really nice takeoff and landings. His shirt is now hanging in the lounge with the rest of the solos.
Kevin was out flying his radio controlled airplanes at a benefit. He flew his Mini Max to the radio controlled airfield for a static display. He was at Leon on Sunday flying his Mini Max and working on his prop.
On Monday, Mason County airport was having their Annual Breakfast Fly-In. We had around 11 airplanes fly there from Leon. We all lined up and flew there together as a group. The trikes took off first with the fixed wings bringing up the rear. We all landed in approximately the same order at Mason. Many pilots flew in from other airports as well, such as John Upton from Jackson County in his Star Duster. From Leon we had 4 trikes - Curtis, Mickey, Bret, Steve & Josh. Josh flew the return trip. Fixed wings were Gretchen (TBird), Roger (FlightStar), Captain (Hurricane), Glen (Zenair 701), Ken (J3 Kitten), Russell (Cesna 150), Randy (Cesna 150). We all had a good time and returned to Leon safely.
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August 28th
Steve, Mickey and Gretchen ventured off on a nearly 5 hour round trip to Peebles, Ohio. Dave Purdin was having a powered parachute fly-in that weekend. It was located a couple miles from town in a nice sized field next to a race track. The crew took off around 11:00 a.m. on Sunday and flew to Portsmouth to fuel up and rest. They then flew on to Peebles where it took a little while to find the fly-in. They stayed for about an hour or two and then took off for the return trip. They again stopped at Portsmouth and then flew on home.
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July 22nd - 30th
Several club members traveled to Oshkosh, Wisconsin to attend EAA's largest fly in/air show in the US. Curtis, Kathy, Katie, Mathew, John, Bret, Robin, Danielle, Josh, Rick, Gretchen, Mickey, Steve all camped at the airport. Steve, Mickey & Gretchen camped on the edge of the Ultralight runway while the rest camped near the air museum. Travel from one campground to the other was mostly by bicycle.
Curtis Pack brought a balloon, equipment and supplies in order to conduct a seminar on balloon building. He had a very nice turnout and was very informative regarding home built ballooning.
We all attended a couple of the Theater in the Woods presentations one of which was Burt Rutan and the pilots of Spaceship One and White Knight. Before the end of the evening Rutan had announced the formation of a company called The Spaceship Company. He had signed a deal to build and deliver several spaceships for short trips to space.
Another presentation included Harrison Ford who was there on behalf of the Young Eagles. Later in the evening was a presentation regarding the Global Flyer.
Steve trailered his trike to Oshkosh and flew several times throughout the week. He left pattern on a couple occasions to take in the sites of the surrounding area. Mickey flew the trike a few times also. Josh took backseat with Steve on a small cross country. Here are a few pictures.
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July 2nd, 3rd & 4th
It was one Jam Packed with excitement weekend. Pilots flew from early Saturday through Monday evening. There was plenty of good food on Saturday with our meeting being held immediately afterward. The competition started around 5:30 and lasted for a good two hours. Here are some results and pictures of the battle for this year's "Ace of the Base" award. (Special thanks to John Townsend for taking the pictures.)
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June 18th
Curtis Pack and family traveled on vacation to Prince Edward Island. On the way there he attended the Experimental Lighter Than Air Gathering in Amherst. Here is a story (picture included) that he wrote about the trip.
It was a fairly nice weekend - no rain but somewhat breezy. Club members flew off and on all day Saturday. Chuck, Ken, Raine and many more were all spotted out on the runway. Kevin brought his new radio controlled hellicopter and flew it in Curtis Pack's backyard. Kevin can do some amazing things with that new toy.
Gretchen, Steve and Mickey left at around 11:00 a.m. to fly to the Ashland Wings and Wheels fly in. It was a nice trip, flying high to avoid the turbulence. They stayed there all day until well after everyone had left. Apparently there was a fierce crosswind there all afternoon. They returned at around 7:30 p.m. Here are some pictures of that trip.
Later that night, Curtis set up one of his balloons and many took rides. It was a nice clear night with the moon shining brightly in the background. Here are some pictures. Check out a balloonist version of doing touch-n-goes.
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June 3rd, 4th & 5th
Our June fly in meeting weekend was a success but attendance was very low. The weather was nice and the food and flying was good. Blair flew in and helped cook along with Rosa. Hales landing also had their fly in/campout this weekend with members Rick Johnson and his wife going there.
Super Dave's Parachute fly in/campout was also going on in Cannonsburg, Kentucky. Steve, Mickey and Gretchen flew there on Friday night and returned again early Saturday afternoon before the dinner. Click here to read the Story of the threesome's trip and to view a few pictures from the fly in.
Paul Knapp drove to Cannonsburg on Saturday. Darian & Gina Fields camped at Cannonsburg all weekend with his parents. He also wrote a story about Learning to Fly his Powered Parachute that is interesting.
Congratulations!!!! Darian and Gina Fields have a brand new, tiny, adorable baby girl. She was about ten days old and Gina had her at Super Dave's fly in. No Darian, the baby seat will not fit in the parachute yet!
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May 27, 28, 29 & 30th
Although a few members flew off and on all week, the weekend brought several down to the airport to fly and work on their airplanes as well as the field itself. Much of the flying was local on Friday and Saturday due to scattered storms which produced some awesome rainbows, one of which we have a few pictures.
On Sunday evening, three WVFF, Steve, Mickey & Gretchen flew to Hurricane then to Ona airport where a gentleman informed them that Newland was having a cookout. After calculating whether or not there was enough daylight to detour to Newland, they did just that. It was a short stay there as it was becoming clear that they needed to be back into the air and headed for Leon. They returned just before sunset.
On Monday, members were still taking to the air. Raine spent much time in the air that day in his new Mini Max. According to Raine there is such a vast control difference between the Mini Max and his other plane the Rotec Rally. However, didn't Raine win the Ace of the Base contest once in his Rotec Rally, beating veteran Mini Max pilots?
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May 20, 21st & 22nd
A nice weekend - finally! WVFF's were out all weekend flying locally as well as taking trips to other airports. Darian and Dorian were both out in their powered parachutes on Saturday. Darian Fields flew his backpack parachute Friday evening and then took a trip to Mason County airport on Saturday in his powered parachute. Accompanying him were Gretchen in the Tbird and Mickey in the Geo Trike. Tim and his wife flew the trike around the valley on Saturday. Also out on Sunday was Linzy Hickman in his Pterodactyl, John Townsend in the Quicksilver and Glen Beckett in the Zenair 701.
Raine Beller, who is now the owner of the red Mini Max, lifted off on Saturday and flew it all around the valley getting used to it. He spent most of that evening taking off and landing his new (to him) plane. He is very pleased at how it flies and handles in the air.
On Sunday, Chuck Lewis (Mini Max), Kevin Pauley (Mini Max), Gretchen (TBird) and Mickey (Geo Trike) were the only ones out flying. Even though it was overcast and drizzling rain, it was the best flying of the weekend. We flew all afternoon and into the evening.
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May 6th, 7th & 8th - Campout/Fly-In - 2005
WVFF's May Day Campout Fly-In was a great success. Members and friends began flying in and driving in as early as Friday afternoon. By Saturday at meeting time Leon Airfield was packed with people. There was plenty of flying and fun. In the evenings, many stories were told while sitting around the campfire eating hotdogs, smores and chips.
On Saturday morning, around ten planes lined up on the runway and began departing for Jackson County Airport. One after one they took off and around 15 minutes later, one by one they all landed - back at Leon. As the last plane was taking off an abort was sounded due to rainy weather on the horizon toward Jackson. We flew locally the rest of the day.
On Sunday morning, Steve, Mickey and Glen flew to Mason County airport where they were having a small mother's day celebration. They were giving rides on various planes and Steve and Mickey lucked into a ride in a Navion. They were taken to Chesapeake and back. They have many stories regarding that exciting trip including one regarding the landing gear.
We were all glad to see Captain back at the meeting and dinner on Saturday. He and Doni stayed until evening before heading back to Arnoldsburg.
Roger Boothe brought down his new (rebuilt) Flightstar. He bought it from another member last year and has spent the winter rebuilding it. It is hardly recognizable with its new sails and pod. Great Job!!!
Here are several Pictures of the weekend's activities. Many members were taking pictures. If you have any that you feel should be on this site, please send them to Gretchen.
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April 15th & 16th
Nice weather and lots of flying with a few members taking trips to Jackson county and Lawrence County, Ohio. Several others flew close to Leon all weekend.
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April 8th - 16th
Airshow - Lakeland - Beautiful weather and more airplanes than could be counted. Some of the club's attendees were Rick Johnson, Ron & Marge Rife, Blair Ellison, Glen Beckett, Mickey & Gretchen Watson. Here are some pictures. We attempted to get pictures of everyone but a few were allusive. Blair was out driving a tractor from time to time during the week and by the time he was spotted and the camera uncased, he would be gone.
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March 31st
It was a very nice weekday but just a little windy. It made for a good time to practice cross wind landings. Chuck (mini max), John Townsend (Quick Silver), Mickey & Steve (Trikes) and Gretchen (TBird) were all out flying on that very bright, clear evening.
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March 26th & 27th
Nice weekend and many were out flying at Leon. Glen Becket (701), Mickey (geo trike), Gretchen (TBird), Ken Skeen (J3 Kitten) flew to Gallia Meigs. Curtis drove over and picked three of them up and went shopping at the tractor supply store.
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March 7th
Here is a very comprehensive Manufacturer's Listing of Sport Planes around the world. This includes Trikes, Parachutes and Fixed wing airplanes.
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March 5th
This month's meeting consisted of soups and sandwiches. Not many flew, other than John Townsend on Saturday, due to the weather. On Sunday, Steve flew toward evening but stated upon landing that it may have been the bumpiest air he had ever flown.
Ed Waggoner won the tallest tail contest at the meeting. Actually he told a true story of his first cross country to Mason County Airport. Upon coming in for a landing at around 100 feet off of the runway, a Cesna came in and landed right under him. A very frightful experience!!! John Bolton took second place and Mickey grabbed third.
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February 19th & 20th
Another good weekend of flying. Not as many members out as usual but several were there. Steve and his wife and son flew around in the Trike. Chuck Lewis flew his Mini Max. Kevin brought down his radio controlled plane and also flew Chucks Mini Max. Gretchen flew around the TBird. Mickey brought his Trike back to the field and flew it. Ken (J3 Kitten) was there. John Townsend (QuickSilver) flew one evening.
Raine Beller is now the owner of the red Mini Max. He hopes to have it flying this Spring.
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February 16th
Next Scheduled Dinner and Meeting - Saturday, March 5th at 6:00 p.m. @ The Clinic.
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February 5th & 6th - Appended
Redback Trike vs TBird I Race to 2000 occurred late Sunday afternoon. Read the race details from two different perspectives - engineer with all available flight statistics versus overly competitive female just trying to win.
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February 5th & 6th
With the weather in the 50's and low sixty's on this first weekend of the month, very nearly all of the WV Fun Flyers that had something available to fly was doing just that. There were several cross countries made on Saturday such as going over toward Newland and also toward Hurricane to land on Glen Beckett's runway.
Our club meeting and dinner was at 6:30 at Uno's in Teays Valley. There was a large turnout and the food was good.
Sunday was another great day of flying. Steve was the first in the skies that day and other members started rolling in around noon. It was great flying all day long until darkness finally chased us out of the skies.
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February 1st
The February meeting will be held Saturday, February 5th, at 6:00 PM at Pizzaria Uno near the Scott Depot/Teays Valley exit of I-64, Exit 39. It is near Shoney's.
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January 14th
For those interested in sport pilot issues, EAA has a lot of information at their Sport Pilot web site. Also, ASC has some good information at their site - Aerosports.org.
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January 8th & 9th
On Saturday several people showed up to see if the field was going to flood. The water was rising and by Sunday it was up almost to the windsock. However, that did not deter any flying. Mark Payne (TBird II) was out flying - without doors and it was chilly. Mickey and Gretchen ground hopped their new TBird I.
On Sunday it was sunny and warm. Rick Johnson (Challenger), Captain (Hurricane), Chuck (Mini Max), John Townsend (Quick Silver), Steve, Brett, Curtis, Mickey (trikes) were all out. Mark Payne (TBird II) was out again. Darian Fields (Backpack parachute) flew most of the day and he also flew the trike. Ken Skeen in his J3 Kitten was out flying. Ed Waggoner and Linzy Hickman were out in their Pterodactyls. Gretchen & Mickey took turns flying around the new TBird I. It was a very nice day and only ended when it got too dark to fly.
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January 4th, 2005
All of the news for the year 2004 is now under the "Past Articles" link at the bottom of this page.
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January 4th, 2005
Mickey and Gretchen's TBird should be on its way to the airfield in various stages this week starting this evening. Look for it under TBird I Construction.
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January 1st, 2005
The weather was warm and it stayed overcast which kept the winds calm and flyable all day. Darian Fields (Powered Parachute) was the first to hit the skies around 8:00 a.m. He came back to the field because of a brief rain shower. Chuck (Mini Max) was next in the air. At around 9:30 a.m. the trike crew (Bret, Curtis, Mickey & Gretchen, Steve) left the ground as well as Rick in his Challenger and Darian in his powered parachute again. They all flew past Buffalo and played in the fields near the Buffalo bridge. At around 11:30, on an attempt to go to Winfield, the visibility became so bad that everyone returned to Leon and since it was time for lunch anyway, they all landed in the Pack's back yard. Kathy's cabbage rolls were a success and her house was packed with people from the airfield.
The weather just became nicer all day. Mark Payne took one flight in his TBird and then ripped the doors off in order to fly open cockpit the rest of the day. More people showed up to fly toward evening and darkness was the only thing that finally managed to get us out of the skies. Others that flew that day were Captain (Hurricane, SkyRanger), EJ (Hurricane), Ken (J3 Kitten), John Bolton (Captain's Hurricane), John Townsend (QuickSilver), Gretchen (Mark's TBird), Linzy (Pterodactyl), Kevin (Mini Max).
Darian flew in the front seat of the trike, with Mickey in the back, for about an hour. He did so well that he may be soloed in another week.
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Send me news articles: News doesn't need to be dramatic to be posted here. Any news is interesting to someone. How was your flying this past weekend? Did you go anywhere interesting? Any concerns? SEND IT IN!!!
These news articles don't necessarily need to be directly club related. If any person has any news of interest, please feel free to send it in for posting on this page.
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There is always room for more news so...
Email gretchen.watson@wvfunflyers.com with ANY NEWS that you want listed on this page.
