2008 Gastie Award Winners

Steve said:
Most Arduous Effort to Attend (Team Award)

Gil Velez-Domenech and Jason Herman – 11+ hrs in a C172SP – in one day!
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With a headwind!!! :yes:


Slowest Groundspeed Enroute (Team Award)

Kim and Phil Pardon – 36kts in a Cessna 305D (L-19)
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What??? A 68-knot headwind and I didn't win? :eek:

Chocolate Chip Cookie Throw-down Champion

Kim Pardon – Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Supreme Cookie Concotion (Editor’s note: There was considerable controversy in this category. Store-bought entrants were summarily thrown out on principle. Some submitters whined about faulty equipment. Actually, two participants tied, but due to a technicality, i.e. the cookies were not actually baked on site such that their authenticity as home baked could be validated, the competitor from IOWA was disqualified.
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It must be noted that Sue Chien and Tristan also had some highly drool-inducing cookie products - And Sue Flynn certainly kept her title as the all-time non-cookie food champion!!!

Leslie's Chocolate Rum Cake was excellent too. :yes:


Most Numerous Aircraft Model on the Field at Any One Time

1st Place - BE55/58 Baron

Runner-up – Mooney 201C
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Huh? I saw four Mooneys and only three Barons... That fourth one was a BE95 Travel Air, so it doesn't count. ;)

And how many Cessnas? :D

Most Unexpected Tail-dragger

Paul Bjornstad – Howard DGA-15
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And it was BEAUTIFUL inside. Almost Tom Downey-ish. Almost. :)

Best Attempt at Burning Down NW Arkansas (Team Award)

Bill Jennings, Brent Johnson, Ross Fischer
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Most Valiant Effort Contributing to the Extinguishing of the Great Gaston's Fire of 2008

Dave Taylor - He jumped that barbed-wire fence like a teenager... I didn't see where he hid the rocket boots!
 
In their defense, the grill was cool to the touch and was even carried by hand to the dump site. Anyone that wants to point fingers should step forward to do the cooking next year. The cooking team did an excellent job providing hot meals to a large number of attendees at their own expense and should be commended. The "winner's list" was done tongue in cheek and meant to recap some of the highlights of the weekend. If we want to debrief the event another thread would be a good vehicle to do that.

gprellwitz said:
Let me just say that, even 12 hours after grilling is complete, coals can still be hot and should be disposed of with due care. This means not around flammable brush and expensive airplanes! Not insinuating that this has anything to do with Gaston's, of course! :no: :D

(BTW, did y'all know that they'll provide a metal bucket for the disposal of grilling materials at Gastons?)
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Sunday morning had a Baron that was not Dave's, Larry's, or Lance's parked next to the windsock. The Travelaire left Saturday.

flyingcheesehead said:
Huh? I saw four Mooneys and only three Barons... That fourth one was a BE95 Travel Air, so it doesn't count. ;)

.
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flyingcheesehead said:
Most Valiant Effort Contributing to the Extinguishing of the Great Gaston's Fire of 2008

Dave Taylor - He jumped that barbed-wire fence like a teenager... I didn't see where he hid the rocket boots!
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That is SO true. I still have that picture of him jumping over the fence in my head. How he missed the barbed wire is beyond me....
 
flyingcheesehead said:
Huh? I saw four Mooney's and only three Barons... That fourth one was a BE95 Travel Air, so it doesn't count. ;)
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I counted a total of five Mooneys on the field at the same time.

Lance F.
Ed G.
Brent J/Bill J.
Will T.
I can't remember the owner but there was a 5th Blue/White/Gold Mooney that landed on Saturday.
 
At the request of the state elections commissioner there's been a recount!

Most Numerous Aircraft Model on the Field at Any One Time

1st Place - Mooney M201/M20

Runner-up – Beech BE55/58 Baron


The previous poll workers have been have been raked over the coals...

bjohnson said:
I counted a total of five Mooneys on the field at the same time.

Lance F.
Ed G.
Brent J/Bill J.
Will T.
I can't remember the owner but there was a 5th Blue/White/Gold Mooney that landed on Saturday.
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tonycondon said:
Said "Damn" most on the radio

Toss up but the word is that the FCC has their Blackhawk on standby for next June
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Funny you should mention that...

Just about the time that pretty much everyone had left, a pair of Blackhawks (I think - Some kinda military choppers!) flew over Gaston's! :rofl:
 
flyingcheesehead said:
Funny you should mention that...

Just about the time that pretty much everyone had left, a pair of Blackhawks (I think - Some kinda military choppers!) flew over Gaston's! :rofl:
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Yep. I heard them on the radio......travelling northwest to southeast?? Something like that......
 
Steve said:
In their defense, the grill was cool to the touch and was even carried by hand to the dump site. Anyone that wants to point fingers should step forward to do the cooking next year. The cooking team did an excellent job providing hot meals to a large number of attendees at their own expense and should be commended. The "winner's list" was done tongue in cheek and meant to recap some of the highlights of the weekend. If we want to debrief the event another thread would be a good vehicle to do that.
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Steve,
SORRY! I wasn't trying to rile anyone up, and the comments were based on 20/20 hindsight, not foreknowledge! We all now know for the future!:yes:

And the entire cooking team certainly gets a well deserved Bravo Zulu from everyone!
 
I wouldn't feel bad about the fire. It happens. I work there at Gaston's (hello), and we've had cottages BURN DOWN because of fires. Just within the last 4 months, we had one cottage that had to totally be redone on the inside because someone stuffed wood in the fireplace so high, they were jamming it into the flue. Then the left to go get a drink at the bar. (Yikes!)

Anyway, its all good. Stuff happens, and if anyone gives you flak about it, remind them of some mistake they've made.

Once again, it was a blast having you guys, and I already wish it was June of 2009!
 
Around noon on Friday one UH-60 flew south to north just west of the runway. I invited them for hot dogs over Unicom but they didn't respond.:dunno:

flyingcheesehead said:
Funny you should mention that...

Just about the time that pretty much everyone had left, a pair of Blackhawks (I think - Some kinda military choppers!) flew over Gaston's! :rofl:
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Jason Oliver said:
Stuff happens, and if anyone gives you flak about it, remind them of some mistake they've made.
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absolutely; I hear they took very adequate precautions but fire is something that is a bit of a mystery sometimes. I once almost burned a national forest down in Canada so I have a particular sympathy for the situation. (underground fire in thick litter... less than an few hundred sq ft....but it coulda been much worse)
 
Don't feel too badly about not knowing about the great hot coal incident at Gaston's; my Baron was backed up next to Greg's plane and I didn't hear anything about it until well after it was over. Names were withheld to protect the innocent.

Best,

Dave
 
Steve said:
At the request of the state elections commissioner there's been a recount!

Most Numerous Aircraft Model on the Field at Any One Time

1st Place - Mooney M201/M20

Runner-up – Beech BE55/58 Baron


The previous poll workers have been have been raked over the coals...
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The Baron owners would like to appeal; we think the computation should be made on a weighted average <g>

Best,

Dave
 
The Mooniacs have formed an alliance and retained Sparkles to defend our title. :D
 
bjohnson said:
The Mooniacs have formed an alliance and retained Sparkles to defend our title. :D
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Ooh, I think I have a conflict... several, in fact.

Mooneys are from Texas...
...but I am a Beech kinda guy...

"...can't we all just get along?" (Rodney King)
 
The cherokee drivers can be bought and will back whichever group offers us first dibs on a ride next year.
 
Diana said:
Can I just call him Sparky? :dunno: :yes:
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They used to call me "Sparky" when I carried a toolbag for Bell & Howell, because I was one of the new guys who understood things like oscilloscopes, transistor to transistor logic and microprocessors.

The old guys were strictly grease, gears and AC motors.
 
Steve said:
Sunday morning had a Baron that was not Dave's, Larry's, or Lance's parked next to the windsock. The Travelaire left Saturday.
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AND even though some gave firm instructions that certain steaks and burgers were spoken for, there were a few pounds left on ice (along with some alcoholic beverages) when we left. I held out hope that some Gaston's employees would salvage those.
 
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tonycondon said:
crap pete, that sucks. and how do you know, has Mike gotten home yet?
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vontresc said:
LOL Tony I just hope Mike would be able to be home by 2:00 pm tomorrow :D
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HPNPilot1200 said:
Yes, and the 10.0 hour return where we had dodge some thunderstorms and watch the lightning light up the sky around us. That was....interesting.
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Really? Pancho and I logged 10.0 flight time, too, if you take out standing still time. Arrival was ~1:50 AM in the rain Monday. I still took Monday off, to catch up on sleep and misc. business. I still haven't totally unpacked the car.
 
I was given generous rides in 2 fine Bo's, Spike's and Felix's. Before GV I had never been in a Bo!
They didn't convert me, but certainly convinced me what a great plane Beechcraft made with the V tail.
 
Jason, out of respect to your unusual honesty, I'm gonna put you in a real moral quandary: I will offer you a ride in the P-Baron next year, no matter how you vote <vbg>.

Unfortunately, I'll probably base at BPK next year, or at least give rides outta there. the P just doesn't perform reasonably outta 3M0 unless very light.

Best,

Dave
 
Dave Siciliano said:
Jason, out of respect to your unusual honesty, I'm gonna put you in a real moral quandary: I will offer you a ride in the P-Baron next year, no matter how you vote <vbg>.

Unfortunately, I'll probably base at BPK next year, or at least give rides outta there. the P just doesn't perform reasonably outta 3M0 unless very light.

Best,

Dave
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Not to argue, but I'll point out that many of the takeoffs performed were with a tailwind. Just wanted to make sure you'd taken that into account when reaching your conclusion.
 
Dave Siciliano said:
Jason, out of respect to your unusual honesty, I'm gonna put you in a real moral quandary: I will offer you a ride in the P-Baron next year, no matter how you vote <vbg>.

Unfortunately, I'll probably base at BPK next year, or at least give rides outta there. the P just doesn't perform reasonably outta 3M0 unless very light.

Best,

Dave
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Woo hoo! I have no problem flying us over to BPK for a ride in the P-Baron.
 
Diana said:
I have a really cute picture of Spike sleeping, but I'm not going to post it. We also have a nice one of Brent sleeping...he did a LOT of grilling. :yes:
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bjohnson said:
Whew...I'm glad you said grilling and not snoring. Poor Bill had to wear ear plugs to sleep.
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Wil and Robert will tell you what snoring is. Youse guys got off easy because Pancho was too hot outside to really doze off. She very much made up for it since we got back. She's been doing nuttin' but eating and snoring.
 
hopefully Dave will have his MEI by next year so you can log the ride too Jason
 
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