Gaston's Debrief

[Steve]

"Opportunities for Improvement" is the catch phrase.

Ok, the fly-in was great and fun and interesting, etc. I'm not wanting to diminish that for anyone that attended. I had a great time. But if we intend to make this a long term event we need to be candid about what would make it even better or it will eventually lose its appeal, imho.

A little honest feedback is in order from those attending, so chime in while the memory is fresh. We can't do anything about your roommate's BO or hairy back, but there are a few things we do have control over. As this thing grows its going to need more organization to sustain itself.

I'll start.

1. Eating every meal in the restaurant is $$$, especially for families attending. It may be more cost effective to rely on a few dedicated participants to arrange/prepare a cookout for one or two evenings and maybe a cold lunch for the group. We could combine this with the evening outdoor theater possibly.

2. Ride schedules are catch as catch can. Some of the pilots (not me) giving rides were going non-stop and missed out on a lot of the interaction on the ground. Others (me) were willing to give rides but didn't do a lot of advertising of the fact. We don't want to make it a 135 operation but we might want to block out some hours so the pilots giving the most desireable rides (Chip, Greg, Diana, e.g.) get a break and everyone is aware of the schedule. Doesn't have to be too formal, just an outline to work within.

3. Those trees! I know part of the attraction for flying into Gaston's is the "scenic" approach, but there are a couple of trees marking the threshold that have grown quite bit over the past few years. They might not be on Gaston's property, but I'd think something could be done to "reduce their impact" on flight operations.

4. Speaking of flight operations, if there is anything I personally should do different to make things go smoother getting planes in and out I'm open to suggestion. And no, I can't do anything about Michael's Hump!

5. I saw very few, if any, window signs on fly-in planes, and there were over 30 I believe. Maybe a "prop tag" similar to what EAA uses could help connect names/faces with planes. There were many nice examples out there and I like to be able to acknowledge the pilots that do such a good job maintaining them.

Part of the appeal for using Gaston's is the laid back atmosphere of the place which is the main reason I'm a big proponent of the venue and I certainly don't want to make this into a regimented affair. Maybe nothing should change. I'm only asking if you think anything should.

 

[Ken Ibold]

Re 3: Ed Guthrie has the plan.

6. If you find youself at the runway threshold and you are saying to yourself, "I can salvage it. No, go around. No, I can salvage it. No, go around." Go around. And then call it a low pass after you land.

 

[mikea]

I drew up a list onto which I'll hang on to for while give the much due respect and a well-deserved breather to Diana and Tom, with whom I have NO complaints. I would actually take care of most of my suggestions myself. I'd just hate for everyone to have to depend on me getting there on time.

Some for Danny Gaston: He could put in WiFi with an external antenna on the office building. He could make it switchable and WPA protected to keep out freeloaders.

Make power available on the flight line. We could have asked for the lights out there to be turned on and that would have done it.

I agree that the meals are expensive. We found when we went to a suburban Chicago steak house after landing the prices were about half of what Gaston's is charging. Owell. Gaston's is positioned as 4 star class restaurant.

I already know that next year I can borrow the car from my folks in Flippin. We plan on doing a run to Harps to get groceries so we can make our own breakfasts and such.

BTW, here's a repeat of where I got those chairs everybody liked.
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/cb/cb.asp?a=198069
The STBEW#2 told me to leave those behind.

 

[mikea]

Re 3: Ed Guthrie has the plan.

6. If you find youself at the runway threshold and you are saying to yourself, "I can salvage it. No, go around. No, I can salvage it. No, go around." Go around. And then call it a low pass after you land.

That's a variation of mine, just relearned:

If the thought goes through your head wondering if you should be using short field takeoff technique, USE IT! ...before the the thought goes through your head the second time when you're real low seeing the end of the runway getting real close, real fast.

 

[tonycondon]

1. Eating every meal in the restaurant is $$$, especially for families attending. It may be more cost effective to rely on a few dedicated participants to arrange/prepare a cookout for one or two evenings and maybe a cold lunch for the group. We could combine this with the evening outdoor theater possibly.

I would roger that. We ate supper fri and sat night and it was tolerable. but 14.50 for a buffet brunch about gave me (and jesse) a heart attack.

2. Ride schedules are catch as catch can. Some of the pilots (not me) giving rides were going non-stop and missed out on a lot of the interaction on the ground. Others (me) were willing to give rides but didn't do a lot of advertising of the fact. We don't want to make it a 135 operation but we might want to block out some hours so the pilots giving the most desireable rides (Chip, Greg, Diana, e.g.) get a break and everyone is aware of the schedule. Doesn't have to be too formal, just an outline to work within.

Well as a rider, I would leave it up to the ride givers. I sure appreciated them flying all day long but totally understand if they want to take breaks.

3. Those trees! I know part of the attraction for flying into Gaston's is the "scenic" approach, but there are a couple of trees marking the threshold that have grown quite bit over the past few years. They might not be on Gaston's property, but I'd think something could be done to "reduce their impact" on flight operations.

Trees didnt bother me much, not as tight as my home airport. But i can see how it was close for lots of you. Not sure what can be done besides a midnight run with a chainsaw.

4. Speaking of flight operations, if there is anything I personally should do different to make things go smoother getting planes in and out I'm open to suggestion. And no, I can't do anything about Michael's Hump!

Get a tall building with big windows and a radar scope. other than that you did awesome!

5. I saw very few, if any, window signs on fly-in planes, and there were over 30 I believe. Maybe a "prop tag" similar to what EAA uses could help connect names/faces with planes. There were many nice examples out there and I like to be able to acknowledge the pilots that do such a good job maintaining them.

good idea

 

[SkyHog]

I already suggested this in chat, Steve, but here we go:

I think we need to separate planes by type and park them that way. It would be cool to set it up so that we could walk around and view the planes that way, and also people not involved could see it too (There were quite a few that came over to look this year).

I second Mike's suggestion for WiFi, and who knows, maybe I can run a quote by Danny Gaston to set it up for him (my business may not be legal in NM, but maybe it is in Arkansas )

I had every intention of BBQing this year, but got sidetracked and never picked up the food from the fridge it was being stored in. I got sidetracked a lot this year But I agree, that restaurant is way to dang pricey for 5 meals.

Maybe some sort of interactive video conference set up for POA next year for those that are too chicken to make the flight across the country?

But we should also strive (IMHO) to keep this back country as much as possible. One of the draws was that I could not be bugged by getting calls and I could get away from responsibilities for 3 days. It made it rough to get a weather briefing, but it was definitely a nice change of pace.

 

[tonycondon]

yea nick, my favorite part was the only time i used a phone or computer the whole weekend was to check weather on sunday. chillin out and relaxing is the name of the game.

 

[Steve]

Part of the E/I value of Gaston's is the diversity of flying techniques observed. There were more than one approach that ended in a go-around...and a few that should have... Maybe we can get Nick back with his digicam set up with a Jumbotron at the approach end displaying a "meatball".

6. If you find youself at the runway threshold and you are saying to yourself, "I can salvage it. No, go around. No, I can salvage it. No, go around." Go around. And then call it a low pass after you land.

 

[jesse]

A couple of things...

First off. I'm glad it was a success and everyone made it home. I honestly have a fear at these flyins that someone will get in over their head and won't do a go around..and that would just ruin Gastons for all of us..forever...Please do not get in over your head!

The price of supper was ..high but acceptable.

Like Tony said.. Breakfast was uncalled for at $14.50

The trees did not bother me..But I can see how it may for some. It might be a good idea to at least suggest that they trim them down..or just drop them.

You did an amazing job with keeping things under control Steve...It would have been damn hard without you. For example when I started the plane up and was getting ready to takeoff on Saturday there were aircraft taking off or landing about every minute. My first thought was "I have no idea if there is another airplane in the pattern or on final..since I can't see anything....and my radio has only been on for about a minute"....As soon as this thought went through my head..you came through with "no aircraft reported in the area" or something.

BTW. Me and Tony put our pictures up at
http://www.jesseangell.com/gallery
Yesterday. I will add them to the Gastons website if I get a chance tonight.

 

[jesse]

yea nick, my favorite part was the only time i used a phone or computer the whole weekend was to check weather on sunday.

Yeah...

Uh..

me too..

 

[EdFred]

1. Eating every meal in the restaurant is $$$, especially for families attending. It may be more cost effective to rely on a few dedicated participants to arrange/prepare a cookout for one or two evenings and maybe a cold lunch for the group. We could combine this with the evening outdoor theater possibly.

Agreed. With 50 people there and everyone bring something, or pitch in at $5 a head, we could buy a lot of bread, meat, cheese, pancake mix, eggs, etc... I brought a lasagna just to save myself the $50 on Friday night.

2. Ride schedules are catch as catch can. Some of the pilots (not me) giving rides were going non-stop and missed out on a lot of the interaction on the ground. Others (me) were willing to give rides but didn't do a lot of advertising of the fact. We don't want to make it a 135 operation but we might want to block out some hours so the pilots giving the most desireable rides (Chip, Greg, Diana, e.g.) get a break and everyone is aware of the schedule. Doesn't have to be too formal, just an outline to work within.

Just buy a plane that no one cares if they get a ride in or not!

3. Those trees! I know part of the attraction for flying into Gaston's is the "scenic" approach, but there are a couple of trees marking the threshold that have grown quite bit over the past few years. They might not be on Gaston's property, but I'd think something could be done to "reduce their impact" on flight operations.

I like the trees. Plus you can come in over them if you need to. It is 3200' long, other than maybe Bruce or Lance Fisher, everyone should be able to be 25' above those trees, cut power, land, stop and still have almost 1000' of grass left.

4. Speaking of flight operations, if there is anything I personally should do different to make things go smoother getting planes in and out I'm open to suggestion. And no, I can't do anything about Michael's Hump!

I think the flight ops went great! Wouldn't change a thing, oh except call signs for everyone, like "Humpy" and "Snappy"

5. I saw very few, if any, window signs on fly-in planes, and there were over 30 I believe. Maybe a "prop tag" similar to what EAA uses could help connect names/faces with planes. There were many nice examples out there and I like to be able to acknowledge the pilots that do such a good job maintaining them.

I figured everyone knew which plane is mine considering my ID here is my tail number.

 

[ScottM]

Like Tony said.. Breakfast was uncalled for at $14.50

That does not seem too bad to me. But then I paid $35 for breakfast last month and $85 for dinner when I was in London.

Resorts will always charge a high fee. When I looked at the rooms it appeared that there were kitchens and stuff available. Did anyone consider flying in food?

 

[Steve]

If they call it "Brunch" they can charge for two meals...

The larger cabins do include a full kitchen so it's not like Danny Gaston doesn't expect guest to forego the restaurant services. Reducing the cost of meals is one way to help make the fly-in more accessible to all who want to attend. It would cost some participants their time and effort to help in providing a group meal, though. Mary is willing to help, but she is also on vacation while she is there.

I mainly just monitored the radio and watched to see if the traffic observed matched the radio calls. The only conflicts I observed were when one plane was not talking (intentionally or not), particularly one low wing (I won't mention which model Bonanza ) that entered RIGHT downwind to 6 when the other 4 planes arriving at the moment were reporting in sequence for LEFT downwind for 24. I did speak up on that one. Otherwise I tried to keep my radio chatter to a minimum for the most part. Couldn't resist a few "clarifications" at times, though.

I'm working on memorizing everyone's N number.... We have a list of pre-registrants, but there are a lot of last minute drop-ins, all of whom are welcome.

And, on the tree thing...take-offs are more an issue in my plane than the landings, but they do raise the pucker factor a little on approach if it's been awhile since you did short field work. Another example of the educational value of the fly-in.

 

[mikea]

Like Tony said.. Breakfast was uncalled for at $14.50

That does not seem too bad to me. But then I paid $35 for breakfast last month and $85 for dinner when I was in London.

Resorts will always charge a high fee. When I looked at the rooms it appeared that there were kitchens and stuff available. Did anyone consider flying in food?

That's actually fairly cheap for a Sunday brunch. Around here it can be as much as $30.

As I said, we will make a few of our own meals next year.

$1.29/bottle for water was a problem for us.

 

[Diana]

1. It may be more cost effective to rely on a few dedicated participants

That is a problem. We tried to do outside meals as a group last year and the logistics were too much of a problem, and nobody wanted to deal with the hassles. Personally I would love it if someone else would take care of organizing a cook out or even catering, cause I won't do it and I'm not cooking, but I think it would fun. Although, getting out of the heat by being in the air-conditioned restaurant felt good for lunch and dinner.

3. Those trees! I know part of the attraction for flying into Gaston's is the "scenic" approach, but there are a couple of trees marking the threshold that have grown quite bit over the past few years. They might not be on Gaston's property, but I'd think something could be done to "reduce their impact" on flight operations.

The obstacles at Gaston's aren't as bad as the ones at our farm, so they didn't bother me much. I could see how they might bother other people (like the guy who pruned the tree with his Cherokee). Maybe you could talk to Danny about that.

4. Speaking of flight operations, if there is anything I personally should do different to make things go smoother getting planes in and out I'm open to suggestion.

Yes, please do NOT take breaks; we need you out there. You can have take-out delivered out to the flight line.

5. I saw very few, if any, window signs on fly-in planes, and there were over 30 I believe.

We both had ours. I took mine out of the Citabria so it wouldn't float around the cockpit while inverted and left it out. Some people didn't know they were available on the web site, and I reminded them too late.

Maybe nothing should change. I'm only asking if you think anything should.

Sure, change for the better is a great idea! I would like to not be as involved and have less pressure and stress and more fun out flying and visiting. I'm hoping that other people will volunteer for being in charge of more stuff from now on.

 

[gismo]

That does not seem too bad to me. But then I paid $35 for breakfast last month and $85 for dinner when I was in London.

Resorts will always charge a high fee. When I looked at the rooms it appeared that there were kitchens and stuff available. Did anyone consider flying in food?

I thought the prices were "reasonable" given the quality and quantity of the food, but all that eating in does run the bill up pretty high. It would sure be nice if there was an alternative such as a Saturday afternoon barbecue. Hopefully someone besides Chip/Steve/Dianna could manage that.


As to the trees, it always looks like they are about 40 ft apart to me on approach (I went over the tops the first time I landed there), but there's really lots of room. If I had to guess I'd say there is about 100-150 ft of room between the branches. I think the bigger issue is that you must make a 15 degree left turn to align with the runway if you come through centered between the trees so maybe taking out the north tree would help the most.

Something I believe would help the first timers (or folks like me who don't remember much from a landing a year ago) is a good overhead picture with a lot more resolution than Google Earth, complete with colored lines showing the best place for downwind and base as well as suggested altitudes along the way. I've found that if I fly close enough to see the runway while on downwind, I don't have enough room for the base to final turn (I'm at 100 KTAS at that point). Maybe some pictures of what to expect when turning final would be good too. Dave Siciliano's video helps but doesn't really prepare you for the real thing IMO.

 

[AdamZ]

Well as a first time particpant I just loved the Fly In and I have to premise everything by saying that meeting everyone and spending time with all of you outweighed any issues I might raise. So here goes:

I learned from the Wings Fly-B-Q that you have to delegate. The first year I did it we had 20 people it was easy to do it all myself with a little help the day of the event. This year we had 60 and a dedicated committee and band of helpers. ie Diana Lodging, Steve ATC, Spike movies, Chip Weather etc.

Yes I did think the restaurant was a tad pricey and service sometimes painfully slow. I'd definitly be in favor of a BBQ but hey I'm the fly-b-q guy. So along those lines If I'm there next year I volunteer to be the BBQ Guy.

Next Suggestion. We need a fuel fund. Chip and Greg went nuts giving rides. I suppose each rider could donate directly to his "hobbs" time ( perhps they did) but we need to be sure they don't loose their shirts in fuel.

Perhaps we can negotiate a fuel discount with Gastons.

Diana should get her room comped.

As for the trees they are Gastons to cut. If they are good business folk then they will listen to their customers. Diana brings them a heck of a lot of business in food, lodging, fuel, fishing etc. Think how much $$$ they wouldn't have if we weren't there.

Its great to do things as a group but you don't want to make it too regimented.

Finally ask yourself is it Gaston's or is it the Group that brings you out

 

[flyingcheesehead]

I think we need to separate planes by type and park them that way. It would be cool to set it up so that we could walk around and view the planes that way, and also people not involved could see it too (There were quite a few that came over to look this year).

But Nick, if we did this, nobody would ever bother looking at my Cessna (or your Piper for that matter!) It seems like it'd be a bit tough logistically too - Reserved parking. Ugh.

But we should also strive (IMHO) to keep this back country as much as possible. One of the draws was that I could not be bugged by getting calls and I could get away from responsibilities for 3 days. It made it rough to get a weather briefing, but it was definitely a nice change of pace.

Bingo. My cell (Cingular) worked fine for the most part, though the Internet service on it died at a most inopportune time (when I was trying to check out the radar picture on Sunday morning). I'm pretty good at ignoring it though.

Is there any other place out there that has lodging so close to the runway? That's the coolest part. Just don't look toward my cottage, 'cuz the bathroom window is the only one that faces the runway. :grin: That's something that needs to be fixed!

 

[Steve]

All very good points, Adam. I would hope that Danny understands the truly national exposure he gets from our little get-together. I know we have some very capable cooks in the group. And we have access to ground transportation whenever we need it, right Kent?...hehe

And your right, Lance, that clump of trees to the north side does encroach on the extended runway sight line. As far as my approaches I tend to use the powerline on the top of the ridge as a guide, which is a little closer than most might prefer, but it keeps the rwy in sight a bit longer. Also that power line crosses the river under the base leg, but its lowest point is not over the river but to the west of the river, which is not always apparent.

It just so happens Gil Velez (TeenDoc) hooked up with an AR State Parks professional videographer Sunday morning to take some up to date video of the local area for the new Vistor's Information Center at the Bull Shoals Lake Dam from his 172SP. Perhaps the copy they give him will have some usable footage for a video arrival brief for Gaston's. Just a thought (Gil I hope you're reading this in TX ) IF not, maybe we can get in contact with the couple from West Plains, MO (they told me their name, but I'm afraid I didn't write it down) that brought the Hughes/Schweitzer 300 for dinner on Saturday and get some footage of the airport environs.

On the matter of parking types together, one way to do that is to stage at an outlying airport and arrive together at Gaston's. That way the parking would be grouped automatically. May not be practical for those of us who like to arrive early, though. Also, non-participating aircraft would be pretty hacked to be told not to park somewhere because we were expecting a flock that never materialized. It could probably be done at Mountain Home, though, with the available room along the taxiways and ramp, if it became the desire of the group.

 

[mikea]

Is there any other place out there that has lodging so close to the runway? That's the coolest part. Just don't look toward my cottage, 'cuz the bathroom window is the only one that faces the runway. :grin: That's something that needs to be fixed!

Let me remind you what the maintenance guy who fixed the curtain in our cabin said, "Why are you looking out that way? All you'll see is airplanes! The river view is on th' other side!"

Thus the bathroom window faces the airplanes... They probably figgered the noise would be less of a bother there than on the bedroom side, too. Can't figure out them civilians.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

"Opportunities for Improvement" is the catch phrase.

Steve, I was thinking about future fly-ins myself... Thanks for starting the discussion. Gaston's was, as usual, about as much fun as you can have. It's just that us pilots strive for perfection!

One thing that occurred to me was that attendance was up quite a bit from last year, and after we keep having fun like this, it's liable to continue going up. I thought "What if we have the entire resort booked?" and there have been some suggestions for alternate locations... But I honestly don't know of any place that comes close to the setting. Where else can you walk out your door in the morning and see a Citabria landing 100 feet away? Where else can you sit under canopies right alongside the runway and enjoy the company of great people?

1. Eating every meal in the restaurant is $$$, especially for families attending. It may be more cost effective to rely on a few dedicated participants to arrange/prepare a cookout for one or two evenings and maybe a cold lunch for the group. We could combine this with the evening outdoor theater possibly.

Excellent idea! I know we talked about doing that last year and the many required pieces just didn't fall into place. I'd love to do some grilling but I want to fly as much as possible too!

Also, aside from the price, the restaurant was pretty slow. I don't know if they're understaffed or if it's just the Southern pace of life down there, but it took nearly two hours for some meals. I'd rather be flying! Or watching planes, or talking about flying, or... Well, ya know.

I think part of the problem is that it's a big burden for just a couple of people to try to feed a lot of people unless they have experience in such things. I've done brats for a couple hundred people several times, and I'd be happy to do that, once, with lots of help.

I think a better idea might be to come up with "meal groups" for people who don't want to hit the restaurant every time. A gathering of eight or so is much easier than the whole group, and everyone can pitch in just a tiny bit and come up with a great meal. That would also make better use of the distributed small kitchen facilities in the cottages.

Things could be randomized a bit so that we can spend time with as many people as possible. I hate how I end up missing people. For instance, Dean has been there both years I have, and I've never really talked to him. There are plenty of others I'd like to get to know better as well.

2. Ride schedules are catch as catch can...Doesn't have to be too formal, just an outline to work within.

Maybe a pre-Gaston's sign-up sheet type of thing without times? Then the participants can agree on the schedule and it doesn't have to be too rigid. Chip tossed out a message like that before Gaston's. Of course, if he'd had more fuel I would have wanted to stay up longer.

3. Those trees!

Bah! They're good motivation to spend some time at a grass strip with a CFI beforehand! But I guess if you can't handle 'em we could at least ask if it's possible to get them trimmed a bit.

4. Speaking of flight operations, if there is anything I personally should do different to make things go smoother getting planes in and out I'm open to suggestion.

You did a masterful job, Steve! On the way in in the Extra, we only saw the Citabria before you pointed out all the other traffic (Greg, the Bo, and someone else). My greatest flying fear is a mid-air, and I felt a couple orders of magnitude safer with you on the horn.

5. I saw very few, if any, window signs on fly-in planes, and there were over 30 I believe. Maybe a "prop tag" similar to what EAA uses could help connect names/faces with planes.

Part of that is because most of us had covers over the windows to keep the heat out. Of course, the other part is that some of us were ill-prepared and were kind of counting on another someone to bring a printer to make signs when we arrived. (C'mon Mike, you coulda tied it to the top of the plane! )

Actually, that would probably make a difference too - Have some blank signs available near the name tags. Having a computer/printer available for printing name tags with avatars/screen names and window signs would be excellent.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

$1.29/bottle for water was a problem for us.

One run to Sam's for a few cases (at about $1.29 each )... Problem solved. Thanks to Grant and Leslie for generously keeping us watered!

 

[flyingcheesehead]

That is a problem. We tried to do outside meals as a group last year and the logistics were too much of a problem, and nobody wanted to deal with the hassles.

Small meal groups. Less intimidation and hassle.

Although, getting out of the heat by being in the air-conditioned restaurant felt good for lunch and dinner.

Very true.

Sure, change for the better is a great idea! I would like to not be as involved and have less pressure and stress and more fun out flying and visiting. I'm hoping that other people will volunteer for being in charge of more stuff from now on.

Maybe you could tell us what all you do? "Everything," I know! But if you could break "everything" down into more manageable pieces, I'm sure you'll have plenty of offers for assistance. You make an excellent ringleader, though. Thanks again!

 

[flyingcheesehead]

I like the trees. Plus you can come in over them if you need to. It is 3200' long, other than maybe Bruce or Lance Fisher, everyone should be able to be 25' above those trees, cut power, land, stop and still have almost 1000' of grass left.

I didn't even hit the brakes and got stopped before the windsock. And I landed about 5 times!

I think the flight ops went great! Wouldn't change a thing, oh except call signs for everyone, like "Humpy" and "Snappy"

Hmmm... Michael and Jesse right? What would my call sign be? (This year, "bouncy" would have been appropriate...)

 

[Anthony]

Just buy a plane that no one cares if they get a ride in or not!

Yeah Ed, let me know what's that like.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

I'd definitly be in favor of a BBQ but hey I'm the fly-b-q guy. So along those lines If I'm there next year I volunteer to be the BBQ Guy.

And if I'm there, I'd be happy to help ya.

Finally ask yourself is it Gaston's or is it the Group that brings you out

It's the group that brings me out, it's Gaston's that brings the group. I've never been to another place quite like it. I love waking up to the sound of airplanes.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

And we have access to ground transportation whenever we need it, right Kent?...hehe

Yeah, Nick's Limousine Service is superb - You don't even need to call them! The Transportation Coordinator (Jesse) calls you to ask if you need a ride, and then they show up with a complete welcoming committee and drop you off right at your cottage... I highly recommend them!

 

[Diana]

Also, aside from the price, the restaurant was pretty slow. I don't know if they're understaffed

Yes, they were understaffed. One day they had four no-shows. One guy said his girlfriend had to work a 15-hour shift to try to pick up the slack. They don't have a large well to dip from in that rural area when several people don't show up.

I'd rather be flying! Or watching planes, or talking about flying, or... Well, ya know.

I guess I was enjoying the company I was with (and the cool air) and didn't mind a bit of a wait. One thing that you CAN do is to order your food as take-out. Order it and have them call you or whatever when it's ready, and then take it out to the flight line.

 

[Diana]

Maybe you could tell us what all you do? "Everything," I know! But if you could break "everything" down into more manageable pieces, I'm sure you'll have plenty of offers for assistance.

Sounds good! OK, who will volunteer to take care of all meal planning and restaurant reservations? This is your big chance to step up to the plate.

You make an excellent ringleader, though. Thanks again!

Aren't you sweet! Thank you Kent.

 

[CJones]

I didn't get to attend Gaston's AGAIN this year. I had my fingers crossed for rain on Friday so we wouldn't spray Saturday or Sunday so we could buzz down there at least one day, but the weather gods were against us.... AGAIN... Hoping for next year, since I will probably be changing jobs by then.

ANYWHO... Just an idea to throw out about the fly-in/get-together/shin-dig...

I recently attended a Cessna 170 fly-in at Petit Jean State Park which is just down the river from Gaston's. It has a nice "Day Only" paved runway, but no FBO or fuel. At one end of the runway, there is airplane parking/tie downs with 7-8 tent camping sites but I think we ended up having 10-12 tents set up in the area. The other end of the runway has space for transient parking/tie down. The campground is really spread out with electricity, water, fire ring, and picnic table at each tent site. There is also a very nice and clean bathhouse on the campgrounds. Along with the tent camping, the park has a lodge with air conditioned rooms, etc. I think they might even have a few of the cabins you can cram people in to. The lodge also has a nice restaurant with a variety of price ranges. (http://www.petitjeanstatepark.com).

When I was looking at a flying get away weekend for me and my wife, I looked at Gaston's but the prices were out of our range. With Petit Jean, you can go for creature comforts via the lodge or cabins, or you can cut the cost and camp with the tent. I'm definitely not a salesman for Petit Jean, but I do know that we had a GREAT time while we were there hiking along the trails to the waterfalls, hanging out with other pilots around the campfire, etc. Here are a few pics from the event so you can get an idea of the layout of the area: http://fp1.centurytel.net/170/2007pj.htm

A few of the drawbacks for Petit Jean are:
1.) Transportation from the airport to the Lodge & hiking trails. Luckily, the 170 guy that organized their fly-in had access to a 15 passenger van. It worked out so that people were usually going to/from the lodge in groups, so someone would take a load over and back, etc. It is about a 5 minute drive from the airport to the lodge, even though you can look across the 'lake' and see the civilian campground.
2.) No fuel on the field. According to legend, there once was an FBO on the field, but it has fallen by the wayside. Morrilton or Russellville are very nearby, though.

Just thought I would throw Petit Jean is as an option. As I said, I have never been to Gaston's, so I can't compare the two, but I have been to Petit Jean and liked how things worked out there.

Just my .02.

-Chris

EDIT: Just for the record, I have NOTHING against Gaston's. I don't want to sound like I'm a Gaston's HATER or anything. Several of the 170 folks stopped there for lunch before coming to Petit Jean and all of them said it was DEFINITELY worth the stop. Regardless of where it is next year, I will be planning my butt off to get there.

 

[bbchien]

My comment will be short. This wonderful, epxensive tailgate party, with Air Conditioning, Showers, a good (but pricey) restaurant will be the scene next year unless someone dedicated can find another venue similarly capable. Some of us will look. But it won't be easy.

I really enjoy having to go out abeam the runway to get a cellphone hit. It slowed my life. Ed Fred's internet shack was just about the right level of connection to the world.

 

[Greg Bockelman]

"Opportunities for Improvement" is the catch phrase.

I'll start.

1. Eating every meal in the restaurant is $$$, especially for families attending. It may be more cost effective to rely on a few dedicated participants to arrange/prepare a cookout for one or two evenings and maybe a cold lunch for the group. We could combine this with the evening outdoor theater possibly.

I agree with all the above. I didn't choke on my bill, because I thought it would be worse, but I think I spent less for the 4 days I was at Oshkosh last year.

2. Some of the pilots (not me) giving rides were going non-stop and missed out on a lot of the interaction on the ground.

While it didn't SEEM like I was going nonstop, I agree with the missed interaction. That will be different for me next time.

3. Those trees! I know part of the attraction for flying into Gaston's is the "scenic" approach, but there are a couple of trees marking the threshold that have grown quite bit over the past few years. They might not be on Gaston's property, but I'd think something could be done to "reduce their impact" on flight operations.

LOL. They don't bother ME, but I can see how they can be intimidating to some.

4. Speaking of flight operations, if there is anything I personally should do different to make things go smoother getting planes in and out I'm open to suggestion. And no, I can't do anything about Michael's Hump!

You do a good job, Steve. Probably more than is expected. No suggestions.

5. I saw very few, if any, window signs on fly-in planes, and there were over 30 I believe. Maybe a "prop tag" similar to what EAA uses could help connect names/faces with planes. There were many nice examples out there and I like to be able to acknowledge the pilots that do such a good job maintaining them.

Well, I had mine. In the backseat. Or was it the baggage compartment? Forgot to display it. But when was the 195 sitting for more than 5 minutes? LOL

Part of the appeal for using Gaston's is the laid back atmosphere of the place which is the main reason I'm a big proponent of the venue and I certainly don't want to make this into a regimented affair. Maybe nothing should change. I'm only asking if you think anything should.

Other than the food prices, I have no complaints. The rides issue is self-inflicted and will solve itself, at least in my case. I like the location and the fellowship involved.

 

[Diana]

We don't want to make it a 135 operation but we might want to block out some hours so the pilots giving the most desireable rides (Chip, Greg, Diana, e.g.) get a break and everyone is aware of the schedule. Doesn't have to be too formal, just an outline to work within.

Riding in the Citabria with me is not nearly as exciting as riding with Chip, but I still had lots of people I promised to take flying last weekend that I didn't have time for, and I'm sorry I didn't get that accomplished. I'm just so s-l-o-w and methodical and like to sit in the grass under the wing and t-a-l-k about it for awhile first.

I LOVE to take people flying, and hope to do even more of it next year.

 

[Ken Ibold]

I LOVE to take people flying, and hope to do even more of it next year.

Me too. The Pitts will be back.

 

[tonycondon]

you are going to trailer it out next year, right ken?

 

[Dean]

Being from the area this makes the fourth time I have been to Gaston's, second POA fly-in for me. As for the Fly-in, its GREAT, Diana and Tom are great host. The location is perfect for us because it is right in the middle of the country.
My biggest complaint is the food, I have never been impressed with the quality of the food for the price you pay. And this has been everytime I've been there. The Sunday brunch is by far the best meal at Gaston's. Its pretty hard to screw up bacon and eggs!
Next year I would be willing to be one of the cooks for a BBQ, but with a group our size it would take 3 or 4 cooks to keep up and feed everyone fairly fast. So if anyone else wants to help, we could do a saturday night cook-out.
Or we could order Pizza out and someone fly over and pick it up.

 

[Ken Ibold]

you are going to trailer it out next year, right ken?

Not a bad idea! I will be smarter next year. That was my first long XC in the thing. I learned an important lesson by not stopping long enough between legs. The trip home was more comfortable. And I will make a cross country seat pan for it that will give more lateral support, which will help tremendously. Finally, I will actually eat at some point on the trip.

 

[Ken Ibold]

Next year I would be willing to be one of the cooks for a BBQ, but with a group our size it would take 3 or 4 cooks to keep up and feed everyone fairly fast. So if anyone else wants to help, we could do a saturday night cook-out.

I would be happy to help out on KP as well. I can't bring much in the airplane, but I will man the grill or do whatever else needs to be done. I, too, have been very disappointed in the restaurant food.

 

[tonycondon]

fly in pizza delivery sounds great to me, but i love pizza.

 

[mikea]

...
Or we could order Pizza out and someone fly over and pick it up.

They do have actual pizza delivery, or at least, they do in Flippin. My folks were going to order us one. I should have that car next year so we can make a run for food.

It's obvious that we need to form some committees to handle the various aspects and take the burden off of Diana.

Chip, one of my suggestions is we set up a (private, closed) Wiki to help us coordinate this stuff.