Why haven't you been to a POA fly-in ?

SixPapaCharlie

SixPapaCharlie

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At rough river this weekend, the thing I kept saying to myself and others is "What a great group of people this is".

My first POA flyin was Gaston's in 2015. I flew in with a friend in case the group wasn't interested in outsiders, I would have someone I could hang with and not feel dumb.

Before I left, I was added to several peoples' phones and they were offering to pick me up at a satellite field since I wasn't up for the grass strip at the time.
We landed and hopped into a Piper Comanche with a total stranger who I now consider to be a good friend and he's the reason I own a Comanche today instead of a slow ass Grumman or worse, a high wing.

I have met so many previously faceless people on this forum that I now call my friend, and interact frequently with when I have questions or want to BS.
To be honest, I have more friends from POA than I ever made in college or work.

Point is If there are people here that see 6Y9, Gaston's, Rough river, the East coast lunch crew, etc and aren't sure, go for it. show up.

A lot of us on here probably come off as jerks at times but I have never met anyone on here in person where I felt that way.
I dunno, I was just reflecting on the weekend and I hope if you are on here and you see a meet up that you are able to get to but aren't sure, just go.

These really are some great people. And it goes beyond my flying friends. I came home and my wife went down the list asking if this person was there and this one and that one and their wife, etc.
She has made a lot of friends as a result.

Go to a POA fly-in. You will leave with some really incredible friends.



You will also probably meet some high wing pilots. Be nice to those guys. They're trying.
 
Not that I would attend anyway (but I may surprise you), but the group seems to be a bit cliquish.

In all honestly, POA can seem like a mean group to outsiders, at least on the boards.

Take it for what it’s worth.
 
...2 reasons.
A. Don't have an airplane.
B. I have zero social skills and feel very uncomfortable in crowds, at gatherings and parties
 
Kritchlow said:
Not that I would attend anyway (but I may surprise you), but the group seems to be a bit cliquish.

In all honestly, POA can seem like a mean group to outsiders, at least on the boards.

Take it for what it’s worth.
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We had several first time attendees this year who I am sure would disagree with you.
 
Kritchlow said:
In all honestly, POA can seem like a mean group to outsiders, at least on the boards.
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I think that this is true for most internet discussion groups. People can get wrapped up in the debate over a technical point, and lose sight of the person behind the screen. You have to somewhat take it with a grain of salt....

BTW, I've only been here a few months, and while I do see the intensity that you are calling out, I don't find it to be over the top. JMO, YMMV.
 
Kritchlow said:
Not that I would attend anyway (but I may surprise you), but the group seems to be a bit cliquish…...
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EVERYONE gets the invite to ALL of the fly-ins. That’s not cliquish.

NEW people show up every year and then return thereafter when possible. That’s not cliquish.

Wives, girlfriends, boyfriends, all show up and make new friends. That’s not cliquish.

Maybe you’re confusing “core people who participate on a regular basis” with “cliquish”?
 
The other side of sandpaper is often smooth.

I feel the same way as bryan. RR21? or 20? was my first PoA flyin and I haven't looked back. I remember landing (after 1 go around because it was gusting 30) and @Jim K handing me a beer. That's when I knew I was in good company. And if you don't have a plane, beg or borrow. that's how i've been getting to places since I've started flying.
 
Yeah. Someone will likely hand you a cold one when you land.
 
Every time I've been free someone else has reserved the POA Admin Gulfstream. Every. Single. Time.

This year I got stuck in a time warp and ended up in Pinckneyville instead. (true story)

Nauga,
and the Gathering of the Ilk
 
Where do we receive the invites?

Not that I can attend in the near term - I'm still a student. Though that won't be the case forever.

Edit: ok, I see the threads now
 
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eman1200 said:
How no?
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When there's an invite list and you aren't on it, then obviously not everyone was invited.

I came to one event several years ago now - flew twice as far as the next furthest pilot to get there. Asked to be included on the invite list multiple times to no avail. Don't get the feeling I've been missed since. It's not a big deal, I can't go to half the other events I get invited to anyway, but I still have to agree regarding the clique comment.
 
The fly ins are on my to do list. Rough River is 7+30 in the 172 with a t least one fuel stop each way.

From a time and expense perspective, the fly ins have to align with other priorities, and this year, RR fell on my wife’s birthday. I missed too many of those when I was active duty so I tend not to miss them now.

Maybe next year RR will fit.
 
Salty said:
When there's an invite list and you aren't on it, then obviously not everyone was invited.

I came to one event several years ago now - flew twice as far as the next furthest pilot to get there. Asked to be included to the invite list multiple times to no avail. Don't get the feeling I've been missed since. It's not a big deal, I can't go to half the other events I get invited to anyway, but I still have to agree regarding the clique comment.
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I can’t speak to what you’re referring to, but there’s no such thing as an invite list. There are public threads open to all people. There’s even a subforum dedicated to the fly-ins that everyone can read. Some of those threads may include a CALL OUT list to get people’s attention, but is absolutely not an invite list. I have used them before for southeast stuff strictly to get people’s attention that have expressed interest or have attended before, and others have piggybacked off that list. I maintain MY list and I’ve seen as that list grows/changes, others have still used an old list that isn’t up to date. But it doesn’t matter, it’s not an invite list. At least I personally have never seen a “you’re only invited if you’re on this list” fly-in.
 
TCABM said:
The fly ins are on my to do list. Rough River is 7+30 in the 172 with a t least one fuel stop each way.

From a time and expense perspective, the fly ins have to align with other priorities, and this year, RR fell on my wife’s birthday. I missed too many of those when I was active duty so I tend not to miss them now.

Maybe next year RR will fit.
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We'd love to see you at Gaston's. That's a LITTLE closer. Might be an option to hitch a ride in something faster, say a Comanche for example...
 
eman1200 said:
I can’t speak to what you’re referring to, but there’s no such thing as an invite list. There are public threads open to all people. There’s even a subforum dedicated to the fly-ins that everyone can read. Some of those threads may include a CALL OUT list to get people’s attention, but is absolutely not an invite list. I have used them before for southeast stuff strictly to get people’s attention that have expressed interest or have attended before, and others have piggybacked off that list. I maintain MY list and I’ve seen as that list grows/changes, others have still used an old list that isn’t up to date. But it doesn’t matter, it’s not an invite list. At least I personally have never seen a “you’re only invited if you’re on this list” fly-in.
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You can ignore the fact that a list of people being "called out" looks like an invite list if you want. But, it does look like an invite list to more than one of us on this thread. Especially for those that have asked to be added to the "call out" list and were not.
 
Salty said:
You can ignore the fact that a list of people being "called out" looks like an invite list if you want. But, it does look like an invite list to more than one of us on this thread. Especially for those that have asked to be added to the "call out" list and were not.
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If you're talking the lunches or whatnot, then yeah, those seem to get an invite type of feel, but the ones with dedicated subforums are not an invitation, that's why we have them as the subforum. But if people only ever use "show new posts" (which I know some people do) they can definitely get missed.

But there was no invite for this years thread:
www.pilotsofamerica.com

Rough River '24! (2I3, 4/26/24 - 4/28/24

A little over 5 months til Rough River TwentyTwentyFo'. Just an early feeler for interest.....new folks, regular folks, who's in? I think the question this year is should we move the date up a couple of weeks to try to time it with the total eclipse on Monday April 8th? Usually RR is the last...
www.pilotsofamerica.com www.pilotsofamerica.com
or last years:
www.pilotsofamerica.com

RRRRRRRough River 2023! (2I3 4/21/2023 - 4/23/2023)

2I3, 4/21 - 4/23 signup sheet for when you are BOOKED is here, no here
www.pilotsofamerica.com www.pilotsofamerica.com

What DOES happen is after 20 of us or so start to say we will be there, there does end up being a group conversation more about logistics and personal information (cell phone #'s etc) that get traded that you don't want on a public thread.


6Y9 is definitely not an invite only:
www.pilotsofamerica.com

6Y9 2024 Fly in/camp out

Posting this a little earlier than I normally do...but who knows they're in? Ed said the attendee list for this year is up and ready to go. Last year had to be THE most interesting fly in of the last 18 that we have had. I hope this year can be just as interesting.... but in a totally...
www.pilotsofamerica.com www.pilotsofamerica.com
 
Jim K said:
We'd love to see you at Gaston's. That's a LITTLE closer. Might be an option to hitch a ride in something faster, say a Comanche for example...
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Gaston’s is much closer and (hopefully) we’ll have closed the deal adding a 182 to our fleet, but the 172 would work, too. Timing wise, it could work for me if it ends up being the second weekend in October.
 
Kritchlow said:
Not that I would attend anyway (but I may surprise you), but the group seems to be a bit cliquish.

In all honestly, POA can seem like a mean group to outsiders, at least on the boards.

Take it for what it’s worth.
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I can appreciate that viewpoint 100%.

I've been on PoA since 2005 (and the AOPA Red Board and Yellow Board before that). I think the first PoA fly-in we attended was Gaston's in 2006ish. We were a last minute arrival and only knew a couple of people there. There was definitely a 'core' group that were the center of things, but folks on the periphery of that group had our own mini-culture going on. By the second day, the line between the 'core' and 'periphery' groups had degraded and it became much more of a single large group of participants. We met and connected with folks that I easily greet when bumping into them at OSH ?17? years later.

After that, we attended several fly-ins and made many life-long friends, many of which we haven't seen in 15 years or so, but when we do bump into them we pick up right where we left off the last time we were together. I agree that there are variations of personalities here, some stronger or more pronounced than others, but in person, everyone I have met has been very welcoming and friendly. It's like any other social gathering - there will always been the ones that already know each other and don't need any 'warm up' time while the new folks take some time to make their own connections. Eventually everyone gets sucked in to the community in one way or another.

Back to the OP question 'Why don't you attend fly-ins?'. Well, we DID.... then we had kids. And while we thoroughly enjoy sitting around under the shade tree or hangar door of an airport hanging out with friends, having young kids means that at least one of us is spending all our time trying to keep track of the kids. Now that they are older and more self-sustaining, we're ready to jump back in and see what has transpired over the past 15ish years.

For the lurkers - I understand 100% that it can seem like a daunting proposition to fly to an airport to meet up with a group of people you've likely never even seen a picture of, much less know their real name or their personality quirks. But I will say, based on my own personal experience, once you bite the bullet and shake a few hands to break the ice, it's a very welcoming group to be a part of.
 
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CJones said:
For the lurkers - I understand 100% that it can seem like a daunting proposition to fly to an airport to meet up with a group of people you've likely never even seen a picture of, much less know their real name or their personality quirks. I but I will say, based on my own personal experience, once you bite the bullet and shake a few hands to break the ice, it's a very welcoming group to be a part of.
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...even if they do drive you out into the middle of the woods to murder you next to a cemetery.
 
EdFred said:
...even if they do drive you out into the middle of the woods to murder you next to a cemetery.
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I wasn't going to bring it up.. Don't want to scare folks too soon. They need to experience the "WTF!?" moment themselves!
 
CJones said:
I can appreciate that viewpoint 100%.

I've been on PoA since 2005 (and the AOPA Red Board and Yellow Board before that). I think the first PoA fly-in we attended was Gaston's in 2006ish. We were a last minute arrival and only knew a couple of people there. There was definitely a 'core' group that were the center of things, but folks on the periphery of that group had our own mini-culture going on. By the second day, the line between the 'core' and 'periphery' groups had degraded and it became much more of a single large group of participants. We met and connected with folks that I easily greet when bumping into them at OSH ?17? years later.

After that, we attended several fly-ins and made many life-long friends, many of which we haven't seen in 15 years or so, but when we do bump into them we pick up right where we left off the last time we were together. I agree that there are variations of personalities here, some stronger or more pronounced than others, but in person, everyone I have met has been very welcoming and friendly. It's like any other social gathering - there will always been the ones that already know each other and don't need any 'warm up' time while the new folks take some time to make their own connections. Eventually everyone gets sucked in to the community in one way or another.

Back to the OP question 'Why don't you attend fly-ins?'. Well, we DID.... then we had kids. And while we thoroughly enjoy sitting around under the shade tree or hangar door of an airport hanging out with friends, having young kids means that at least one of us is spending all our time trying to keep track of the kids. Now that they are older and more self-sustaining, we're ready to jump back in and see what has transpired over the past 15ish years.

For the lurkers - I understand 100% that it can seem like a daunting proposition to fly to an airport to meet up with a group of people you've likely never even seen a picture of, much less know their real name or their personality quirks. I but I will say, based on my own personal experience, once you bite the bullet and shake a few hands to break the ice, it's a very welcoming group to be a part of.
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Took a day to feel included? lol The event I flew to was a one day event, and I had to leave pretty early to get home before other obligations, so I only had 3 or 4 hours, I had no chance. ;)
 
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Salty said:
Took a day to feel included? lol The event I flew to was a one day event, and I had to leave pretty early to get home before other obligations, so I only had 3 or 4 hours, I had no change. ;)
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Lunches are much different than the weekend event. The first one I went to I only talked to about 3 people. The next year I stayed at his house for the weekend, Last year he was one of very few non-family members at our wedding.
 
Salty said:
Took a day to feel included? lol The event I flew to was a one day event, and I had to leave pretty early to get home before other obligations, so I only had 3 or 4 hours, I had no chance. ;)
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It's not that newbies didn't feel 'included'. Maybe just a day for the 'newbies' group to merge into the 'regulars' group. It's just like anything else - if you show up to an event where some people have 'been there, done that' several times and you're new to everything, you have to get a lay of the land. Once you shake a few hands and make some connections it turns into 'Oh hey.. have you met so-and-so?' kind of stuff pretty quick.

It sounds like you did not have that experience, which is disappointing. Not sure what fly-in you went to, but sorry to you didn't have a good experience.
 
CJones said:
It's not that newbies didn't feel 'included'. Maybe just a day for the 'newbies' group to merge into the 'regulars' group. It's just like anything else - if you show up to an event where some people have 'been there, done that' several times and you're new to everything, you have to get a lay of the land. Once you shake a few hands and make some connections it turns into 'Oh hey.. have you met so-and-so?' kind of stuff pretty quick.

It sounds like you did not have that experience, which is disappointing. Not sure what fly-in you went to, but sorry to you didn't have a good experience.
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The event was fine. Frankly, it was a "locals" event that they graciously extended an open invite to all, so it's to be expected that a non local wouldn't fit in as well. I don't recall the name of the airport now, but the event was for the locals to grieve over its imminent closing.

It was after the event when I asked multiple times to be added to the list of people notified for future events and was not added, that gave me a feeling I wasn't going to be missed.
 
Salty said:
You can ignore the fact that a list of people being "called out" looks like an invite list if you want. But, it does look like an invite list to more than one of us on this thread. Especially for those that have asked to be added to the "call out" list and were not.
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Again, I can’t speak for you not being added, unless it was me, then I just suck, but I’m not ignoring anything. I appreciate you viewing it as an invite list but that’s you. The Midwest folks have lunch fly-ins all the time that I’d happily attend without being on a list if I thought it could make one. If there’s a thread on POA about a fly-in that didn’t specifically say “only those listed below are invited” I’d feel comfortable going. I agree with edfred where if you haven’t gone to one before you may feel excluded but once you go you’re probably kicking yourself for not having done it sooner. I stand by never having viewed a call out list as an invite list. You’re welcome to view it however you want to.
 
Salty said:
The event was fine. Frankly, it was a "locals" event that they graciously extended an open invite to all, so it's to be expected that a non local wouldn't fit in as well. I don't recall the name of the airport now, but the event was for the locals to grieve over its imminent closing.

It was after the event when I asked multiple times to be added to the list of people notified for future events and was not added, that gave me a feeling I wasn't going to be missed.
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So that sounds like mine. I’m not at the computer so I can’t say if you’re on the callout list that I haven’t even used in probably a couple of years but if that’s the case (and I don’t recall you asking) then that’s just me and has nothing to do with other events. And like edfred said, for the big fly-in events there has never been a list used that I can recall, either callout or invite.
 
I hope to make it to one eventually. So far circumstances have been in the way and timing hasn’t worked. This year, for example, I’ve been planeless for the last few weeks (paint shop). Someday....
 
I've been to a couple. I'm thinking that some of the observation of "cliquish" behavior might stem from the fact that the community has been around a while and it's natural for relationships to form around shared history, both here on the forum and various real life adventures. Both the events I attended (both at Sidnaw) had some new people and all were welcomed and encouraged to come back.

 
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