Gastons 2012 - Don't miss it

Wish I could make it. Maybe next time. I haven't been to Gaston's in a year or so..
 
Can anyone contact MikeA? I am taking over his cabin and Gastons needs him to call in to tell them. He said Sold! a few pages back, but I never heard back with his reservation or anything. Just trying to get everything in order because I will be busy over the next two days. :yesnod:

Gastons said with out him calling they technically can't give me the room and they are completely sold out. So yeah..... :confused:
 
denverpilot said:
It'll be there when you get back. ;)
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Last time I took time off for a trip I found a smoking hole when I got home!

I think we had one school plane that survived without discrepancy. All the rest had flat tires or were day only with burned out lights.
 
Skylane81E said:
Last time I took time off for a trip I found a smoking hole when I got home!

I think we had one school plane that survived without discrepancy. All the rest had flat tires or were day only with burned out lights.
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Haha our school A&P takes off for fishing trips! The aircraft only get backed up for a few days. So you should be good! :D
 
Hey, Dunc,

If you want...

You can fly over here Friday, spend the night, fly w/me to/from Gaston's Saturday. Spend the night here again...and fly home Sunday.

Serious as a heart attack.
 
timwinters said:
Hey, Dunc,

If you want...

You can fly over here Friday, spend the night, fly w/me to/from Gaston's Saturday. Spend the night here again...and fly home Sunday.

Serious as a heart attack.
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Come on... You know you want to. :yesnod: It would be great to see you again! :D
 
ARFlyer said:
Can anyone contact MikeA? I am taking over his cabin and Gastons needs him to call in to tell them. He said Sold! a few pages back, but I never heard back with his reservation or anything. Just trying to get everything in order because I will be busy over the next two days. :yesnod:

Gastons said with out him calling they technically can't give me the room and they are completely sold out. So yeah..... :confused:
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I'm on it.
 
Updated with David's side excursion. ;)

(And current flight rules and radar for a dash of color. Ha.)

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I am in ABQ tonight, tomorrow we should make it to BPK. IF it is light when we get there I will hop down to 3M0 and let everyone know how the grass is.
 
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Got everything worked out this morning. I had some paperwork I had to submit to our operations head for approval. Basically two sign-offs: one for the overnight on the aircraft and one for non-aviation passengers. I am 95% sure I will be in N125HS and 100% its a aircraft ending in HS. :D We will be leaving around 9AM Thursday. It will take about 1:30 depending on winds. I will just call up on Gastons freq when we are in range. If anyone is up and wants to fly over and pick us up that would be great! :blueplane: You guys might be sleeping in from that pizza party! :rofl: If not we will just call for a van.

DavidWhite said:
I am in ABQ tonight, tomorrow we should make it to BPK. IF it is light when we get there I will hop down to 3M0 and let everyone know how the grass is.
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How has the flight been so far? I have always wanted to a long x/c but its hard to take our aircraft beyond 300NM.
 
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ARFlyer said:
Basically two sign-offs: one for the overnight on the aircraft and one for non-aviation passengers.
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Non-aviation passenger paperwork? That's a new one on me. What does it say? Just curious.

ARFlyer said:
We will be leaving around 9AM Thursday. It will take about 1:30 depending on winds. I will just call up on Gastons freq when we are in range. If anyone is up and wants to fly over and pick us up that would be great! :blueplane: You guys might be sleeping in from that pizza party! :rofl: If not we will just call for a van.
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Unless I misread something, pizza is Thursday night. So you'll be there for it, unless you meant to type Friday. With the time zone change you'll probably beat Karen and I there or we'll arrive at similar times. Depending on how long we dawdle in Wichita.

In fact, speaking of that, I need to go figure out when to depart to hit Wichita at a sane lunch hour in case Tony can break free. Haha. We'll be all messed up if we shoot for Denver lunchtime. ;)

Oh well, at least it's just Central Time for both. Going all the way to Eastern eats up two hours of daylight.
 
timwinters said:
Hey, Dunc,

If you want...

You can fly over here Friday, spend the night, fly w/me to/from Gaston's Saturday. Spend the night here again...and fly home Sunday.

Serious as a heart attack.
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Let me talk to my P(atrol)O
 
denverpilot said:
Non-aviation passenger paperwork? That's a new one on me. What does it say? Just curious.
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Well long story short after an accident last year our school lawyers freaked out. In the past if you wanted to fly with someone on their x/c you just jumped in the plane. If a non-aviation dept student or "off the street person" wanted to go all you had to do was get the Chief CFI to say ok. Well the guy had his gf along with him who also happened not to be in the aviation dept. That in itself was not a big deal. It was normal practice for everyone. Well the knee jerk reaction was to require us to get a sign off for non-aviation people. Which requires me to fill out my flight plan and w&B for the airport head to look over and ask questions. That is not a big deal you just have to remember to do it a head of time because they have to circle some places and sign others. Kinda like what the TSA does to your boarding pass. Also any passenger has to fill out and sign a non-liability wavier each and every time they ride. This includes us aviation students. That is the only highly annoying part. If I ride on say five x/c this week, since its summer, I have to fill out five separate copies for each flight. They have to scan my DL, I fill out contact information, my DL information, the dispatch worker watches me sign the paper, and then they sign it themselves.

SO..... I had to get all that done yesterday because it takes a "few minutes".

denverpilot said:
Unless I misread something, pizza is Thursday night. So you'll be there for it, unless you meant to type Friday. With the time zone change you'll probably beat Karen and I there or we'll arrive at similar times. Depending on how long we dawdle in Wichita.
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I meant to type Friday. I wish we were leaving Thursday!
 
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Flew into Gaston's this morning (Wednesday, 0830 local) in my Cardinal. We had a couple of inches of rain a few days ago and I wanted to give you folks a PIREP. Runway was freshly cut, nice and short, and was fairly bumpy. The rain has drained nicely with no ponding apparent along the entire strip and from the woods to the cabins. Regardless, I kept to the cabin side of the runway and my rollout was fairly short with lots of power required to taxi to the parking area. After deplaning, I noticed lots of morning dew and fresh clippings on my wheel pants. I was the only plane on the field. Takeoff was non eventful as my Cardinal with full aft yoke gets airborne quickly and after a short excursion in ground effect, zooms away nicely at Vy, clearing the goalposts easily.

If you have any questions or need some intel, please speak up. I'm based at KFLP and am at your service.

PS: As others have stated, Flippin, Mountain Home, The Valley, Harrison, etc., all use 123.00. Gaston's uses 122.80. If you are new to the area and are capable of monitoring 123.0 while receiving and transmitting on 122.8, you should consider doing so.
 
JohnAJohnson said:
PS: As others have stated, Flippin, Mountain Home, The Valley, Harrison, etc., all use 123.00. Gaston's uses 122.80. If you are new to the area and are capable of monitoring 123.0 while receiving and transmitting on 122.8, you should consider doing so.
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Great tip. Thanks for the PIREP, too.
 
JohnAJohnson said:
PS: As others have stated, Flippin, Mountain Home, The Valley, Harrison, etc., all use 123.00. Gaston's uses 122.80. If you are new to the area and are capable of monitoring 123.0 while receiving and transmitting on 122.8, you should consider doing so.
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TangoWhiskey said:
Great tip. Thanks for the PIREP, too.
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Yeah, no doubt. I've always thought it was really dumb that Gaston's isn't on the same freq as the others. I always use the "slot in the bluff departure" and if you're not careful you can be IN Mountain Homes's traffic pattern before you know it after you pop over the top of the bluff (albeit well below pattern altitude). And, you're about lined up for final on 05. I usually avoid this with a left turn immediately upon clearing the bluff and a nice leisurely ride about 5' AWL across Bull Shoals if there are no boats around. :thumbsup:

Seriously though, I'm in full agreement with John, monitoring 123.0 in #2 is a mandatory Gaston's item for me.
 
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I just got off the phone with Fly Arkansas @ BPK. Taylor said that he will have a fuel discount this year. He has to work up the numbers and he will post as soon as possible.
 
ARFlyer said:
Well long story short after an accident last year our school lawyers freaked out. In the past if you wanted to fly with someone on their x/c you just jumped in the plane. If a non-aviation dept student or "off the street person" wanted to go all you had to do was get the Chief CFI to say ok. Well the guy had his gf along with him who also happened not to be in the aviation dept. That in itself was not a big deal. It was normal practice for everyone. Well the knee jerk reaction was to require us to get a sign off for non-aviation people. Which requires me to fill out my flight plan and w&B for the airport head to look over and ask questions. That is not a big deal you just have to remember to do it a head of time because they have to circle some places and sign others. Kinda like what the TSA does to your boarding pass. Also any passenger has to fill out and sign a non-liability wavier each and every time they ride. This includes us aviation students. That is the only highly annoying part. If I ride on say five x/c this week, since its summer, I have to fill out five separate copies for each flight. They have to scan my DL, I fill out contact information, my DL information, the dispatch worker watches me sign the paper, and then they sign it themselves.

SO..... I had to get all that done yesterday because it takes a "few minutes".



I meant to type Friday. I wish we were leaving Thursday!
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Really? I just call 5 minutes before they close then they leave the keys in the plane for me - I get there late at night and they don't even ask if I have passengers. And the deductible is $500 / $1000. I guess I lucked out.
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
Really? I just call 5 minutes before they close then they leave the keys in the plane for me - I get there late at night and they don't even ask if I have passengers. And the deductible is $500 / $1000. I guess I lucked out.
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He's at a formal flight school with "fleet" type rules. Most FBOs and clubs don't have any special rules for passengers. If you're current and qualified to carry pax, you don't have to tell anyone.

That's why I asked. Thought it was curious until I realized he's at a "school". They often have different rules.
 
timwinters said:
I've always thought it was really dumb that Gaston's isn't on the same freq as the others...
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And potentially unsafe.

Supposedly a bunch of local pilots brought this up with Jim Gaston a few years ago and he wanted nothing to do with it. Too much of a negative hit to the business - he would have to change the web page, handbills that he had made up, etc. Maybe if a group of pilots [hint :)] who routinely fly into Gastons would suggest this to him, he might reconsider. Could be an action item for Diana or Jesse or anyone in the group that has Mr. Gaston's ear.
 
Name............... #People...... Tail.... Type...... Based... ARR/DEP....Confidence
Jesse..............2...............N222EF... BE33...... LNK.......Thu/Sunday....For Sure
Spike..............2...............N7892R.....V35.......ADS......Thur/Sunday...For Sure
Lynn...............1...............N3334Q.....PA28......TIP......Thur/Sunday...For Sure
David White........2...............N1161F.....C172......BAZ......Thur/Sunday...For Sure
Byron..............2...............N201EQ.....M201......LVJ......Thur/Sat......For Sure
Bockelmans.........2...............N9872A.....C190......OA6......Fri/Sunday....For Sure
Troy Whistman......2...............N6152H.....C172......52F......Thur/Sunday...For Sure
Andrew.............2/3..............?.........M7.........M89......Fri/Sunday....For Sure
Dr Bruce...........2................?.........PA-34......PIA......Sat/Sun.......For Sure
Tim.......... .....1to4............N5057D.....C182A......0T3......Saturday...... For Sure
Denverpilot........2...............N1279M.....C182......KAPA.....Thur/Sun...For Sure
Jody Jones.........1.................?.........?........OK........?...........For Sure
EvilEagle..............1............N69CJ......BE36.........KNEW.......Fri/Sun......For Sure
Mark L.............1..................?........?........LNK......Sat/Sunday....Hopeful
Scott..............1..................?........?.........BAZ......Thur/Sunday.....Hopeful
Walt...............2...............N8713X......C180.....DUC........Fri/Sunday...Hopeful
Jonathan............2................?.........LSA......PPO.......Thur/Sunday....Hopeful

We're out. Staying a little closer to home, and trying out Put-In-Bay, instead. Hope y'all have a GREAT TIME! BTW, Didn't Dr. Bruce say that Sue wasn't coming? If so, his count should be reduced.
 
I'll be ariving sometime around 8:00pm Friday in N9869Q a Cessna 172 with a 180hp. I'm hoping to get there earlier but don't see anyother way at this time. This will be a first time for me to join up with your fly-in group. Is there a schedule by any chance? I'm just trying to get a feel for what to expect. Thanks, Jody Jones
 
jonesflyer said:
I'll be ariving sometime around 8:00pm Friday in N9869Q a Cessna 172 with a 180hp. I'm hoping to get there earlier but don't see anyother way at this time. This will be a first time for me to join up with your fly-in group. Is there a schedule by any chance? I'm just trying to get a feel for what to expect. Thanks, Jody Jones
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Sunset is at 20:25 and I'm guessing the shadows on the unlit grass strip between trees might be looking a little long if you run late at all.

Just a thought.

BPK has pilot controlled MIRL if you need an alternate place to go. Be careful.
 
jonesflyer said:
Is there a schedule by any chance?
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Bwahahaha. Ah hahaha.

Seriously, not really. Just a bunch of flying buddies hanging around the flight line watching the world go around. Things get scheduled more or less on the fly, so to say.
 
Have a safe flight Jesse and everyone who is going. Have a blast, take lots of photos.
 
Sounds like you all will have a fun time. Maybe will try for next year.

How does this runway surface do with wheel pants (PA-28)? sorry if this has been discussed previously.
 
I've never had a problem with wheel pants on any grass surface...at least two dozen of 'em now.

I just don't land if it's soft/muddy.

Well, okay, maybe I do, at my home drome. So scratch that.

I've never had any problems even if it is soft/muddy. But that's rare and I make sure I keep my scrapers properly adjusted.
 
+1. There's no practical way to avoid all of the wet/muddy spots on all of the many grass runways I frequent, so I know it's going to happen and frequently wipe some mud off of the pants. As a result,I'm always interested to see what's inside when I pull the pants during the annual inspection. After a number of years of finding nothing other than a little dirt, I have concluded that the problem isn't as foreboding as many make it out to be. YMMV.

timwinters said:
I've never had a problem with wheel pants on any grass surface...at least two dozen of 'em now.

I just don't land if it's soft/muddy.

Well, okay, maybe I do, at my home drome. So scratch that.

I've never had any problems even if it is soft/muddy. But that's rare and I make sure I keep my scrapers properly adjusted.
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My nose wheel pant has a niced sized chip out of it courtesy of a turf field.
 
Thank you all for the wheel pant/grass rnwy info. I've never landed our current plane on grass and it's been a long long time since I've landed anything on grass.
 
Maybe the build quality of the pants is factor in their life expectancy.

steingar said:
My nose wheel pant has a niced sized chip out of it courtesy of a turf field.
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Jesse, Danielle, myself, and Dmitry are here. We're getting something to eat at the restaurant, if you land in the next hour or so that's where we are.
 
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