Poll for Gastons 2014 dates

Which weekend would you attend Gaston's 2014?

  • I like it hot; make it June 26-29th!

    Votes: 4 13.3%

  • I prefer autumn; make it Sept 25-28th!

    Votes: 20 66.7%

  • I don't plan to go to Gaston's this year / couldn't make either weekend.

    Votes: 7 23.3%
  • Total voters
    30
  • Poll closed .
TangoWhiskey

TangoWhiskey

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As all you Gaston's 2014 attendees know from reading the two threads (one and two) already out there, our traditional weekend (the weekend before Father's Day), which falls on June 5-8 this year, also coincides with a huge corporate retreat at the resort, and room availability is a challenge. While I already have a room booked, and so do others, Gaston's tells me they are 99.9% booked and would love to have our rooms back... and no more PoA people are going to get in. So I think June 5-8 is OUT for this year, at least if you plan for it to be a PoA visit/retreat, and you should cancel your reservation if you've already made one.

The following weekend, as proposed in thread two above, is Father's Day weekend, a non-starter for a lot of folks due to family time.

Therefore, as the informal organizer/starter of the conversation about Gaston's 2014 this year, I felt I should try to help straighten out the mess, and called Gaston's to discuss alternative weekends not heavily booked yet.

Two options are in the poll, and confirmed by Gaston's to be good choices for which they'd block 20 rooms for a week, once we nail down a date, to ensure we get the reservations.

  1. June 26-29, 2014, if you like it 90 degrees (or hotter) and muggy; or,
  2. September 25-28th, if you like 79 degrees (or cooler) and fall colors.

Late September shouldn't conflict with 6Y9 or Windwood, should those events happen.

Let's give the poll a couple weeks to run... please only vote if you would PLAN to attend on the weekend(s) you vote for - more than one choice is allowed. We'll "make a call" on Sunday March 9th about which weekend it will be so people have time to make reservations and plans.
 
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Autumn for me please...

Great flying weather in the south... and muuuch cooler.
 
I choose the Sept date so Kathleen will be able to join. She will be extremely happy. :D

However, I am also game for the late June date. So in other words pick a weekend and Kathleen and I will be there.
 
Six replies in, I'm sensing a trend. ;-)

I canceled my June 6-8 reservation this evening... had them put the deposit on "hold" to reuse for a rebooking in a couple of weeks... and it's starting to look like that will be late September.
 
I really don't care about the weather - I go for the people.

Also, while I can make either one, June might be better - I think my wife is on summer break then. Maybe. And if she's teaching summer school at that point, I think she's done with her week by noon Thursday. September, we won't be able to make it until 7-8 PM Friday at the earliest.
 
In June I will still be gounded and just able to submit paperwork for my medical. By September I should be back in the air and current. (If all goes to plan)

I'd vote September :)

Oh, and probably less chance of big thunder boomers.
 
By September I should be flying (and have something TO fly) again.
 
Although I have had much fun dodging TS to and from Gaston's, I vote Sept. I've missed a couple of years and have missed the camaraderie.
 
flyingcheesehead said:
I really don't care about the weather - I go for the people.

Also, while I can make either one, June might be better - I think my wife is on summer break then. Maybe. And if she's teaching summer school at that point, I think she's done with her week by noon Thursday. September, we won't be able to make it until 7-8 PM Friday at the earliest.
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What, no sick leave? I'd think she'd be needing a mental health day a few weeks after school begins in the fall.

I'm definitely in the fall camp. The hot muggy weather in June makes the local flying less enjoyable and I've been too short on time in the summer to make it the last few years.
 
gismo said:
What, no sick leave? I'd think she'd be needing a mental health day a few weeks after school begins in the fall.
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She hasn't taken a sick day yet... She's got 16 days accrued. The problem is that she's one of two band directors at her school, and everything she does directly affects her colleague (and vice versa), so they pretty much never take their sick days even when they are sick.

Same thing with their personal days... She gets some of those too.
 
While I'm certainly open to either, I have several things in September and it may be difficult to add another. I have something the week after in Minnesota and I just can't be gone EVERY weekend. Might turn it into a day trip.

Best,

Dave
 
Sept sounds good. I still will probably come fri and sat June 6/7 for a night to check it out since I've not been and already got the weekend off with family to come. Not that far from Dallas.
Thanks for sorting this all out.
 
flyingcheesehead said:
She hasn't taken a sick day yet... She's got 16 days accrued. The problem is that she's one of two band directors at her school, and everything she does directly affects her colleague (and vice versa), so they pretty much never take their sick days even when they are sick.

Same thing with their personal days... She gets some of those too.
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These days many employers will force employees to take PTO because it will otherwise show up as a fiscal liability. Even more limit the amount you can accrue for the same reason and the desire to prevent someone being gone for an excessively extended period.

IOW, it's her duty to take some time off in Sept and she might as well use it to go to Gastons.:yes:
 
Yup! What Lance said!

My employer allows no year-to-year carryover unless your management approves it (maybe they had you occupied on a large project and you couldn't take time off)... It's "use it or lose it."
 
The poll closes next weekend, but we are seeing a definite trend. I will call Gaston's next week and ask them to hold a block of rooms for seven days... Watch for that announcement.
 
gismo said:
These days many employers will force employees to take PTO because it will otherwise show up as a fiscal liability. Even more limit the amount you can accrue for the same reason and the desire to prevent someone being gone for an excessively extended period.
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I think they might pay them into her retirement account instead... Or at least I think that's what they did before Act 10.
 
September is the Reno Air Races. I take more than half of my whole year's vacation in September.

June is PRS (training for Reno Air Race Rookies). Pylon Racing School. Have fun everyone.

Kimberly
 
TIME TO MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS!

Gaston's is ready to take your September 25-28 reservations at 870-431-4202. Tell them you are with the Pilots of America group.

See you all there!
 
I'm not going to make a reservation because there is only a 50/50 shot I'll be able to make it.....but if I can would anyone mind if I crashed on the couch in their cabin? I'll pay my half if I can show up.
 
David,

We have a cabin that has two twins (bed, not girls) in an extra room... if they aren't taken by then, you're welcome to crash in ours, and if not, I'm sure there will be plenty of others, as usual!
 
I also posted this over on the DFWPilots.com board, so maybe we'll make some new friends.
 
DavidWhite said:
I'm not going to make a reservation because there is only a 50/50 shot I'll be able to make it.....but if I can would anyone mind if I crashed on the couch in their cabin? I'll pay my half if I can show up.
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Sure!!! Anything for the Hasselhoff-alike!
 
Finally ,after living in NW ARK for 30 years , I made it to Gaston's last weekend. Wow, what a place. Stopped in at the restaurant and had a beer at the bar. Spoke to Troy bartender, nice cool dude. I didn't get to fly as I rent and they won't allow grass strips. Shoot, I may even make it to a fly-in this year. Anywhooos.. My friend (where I stayed) has a cabin retreat that he/his family rents. It's about 1/2 mile from Gaston's. I told him I would throw it in here and see if anyone would be interested. Link :
http://www.whitestarretreat.com/. Contact info is on the website.
 
Playing it by ear. CAn't re-apply for medical until late June.
 
Unknown at this point here too. It's looking like we'll either fly down (unlikely) or ride the Harley (more likely). I should probably get a room.
 
We're down as "tentative." Not sure we'll have the vacation time or money left.
 
I'll book mine tomorrow!
 
Greg Bockelman said:
I will be a late entry. Depends on the career.
Click to expand...

I suggest you try for Airliner Pilot. I hear the pay's awesome, and everyone treats you like you're a near-god.
 
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