Smoketown, PA Fly-In

DutchessFlier

DutchessFlier

Line Up and Wait
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DutchessFlier
Made the trip out to Smoketown (S37) yesterday with a friend to pick up his plane from the paint shop...didn't know about the fly-in until late Friday. Had a great time, nice day to fly....kinda exciting to have 10 planes in the pattern, many of them NORDO, all converging on this 2500x50 displaced threshold, uphill runway with terrain obstructions on both ends.

Lots of planes (I guessed about 65-70 planes parked all over the field) Overall good time, food, some seminars, lots of aviation BS, and a nice event.

Wondered if anyone else was there yesterday, or who had been there before?
 
dmccormack said:
Been to Smoketown many times -- nice little strip that was only recently (10 years ago?) converted from turf to tar. Shame.
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It was hard surface when I was training at KLNS in 1994.
 
ScottM said:
Smoketown??!!! Was Martin or Schaffer in attendance?
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No, but the all knowing Bob Reed was the FAA seminar leader. Man, did that make some heads in the area turn. Considering his lack of safety practices in his flying, he sure has pulled the wool over AOPA and the FAA with his safety videos.

www.aviationsafetyvideos.com

Admittedly, the videos aren't bad. But knowing the individual as I do, it is more of a hypocritical type of situation. He has covered himself up while flying to watch a movie, he has outright yelled and disobeyed controllers, he has taught students improper and incomplete training. The desugnated examiner for the area has thrown him out of an examination because of his incomplete knowledge and practices. Long time instructors refuse to fly with him because of his recklessness and inattention to detail.

I am considerably biased because of my interaction with him, but those statements are fact, not opinion. Flying up someone's tailpipe on final with the stall horn blaring continuously and only being able to land because the other plane did a touch and go is not what I would call safe and courteous. It scared the crap out of me as we flew over the high gravitational pull area of a mobile home park.

But his videos aren't bad.

Did anyone attend any of the seminars?
 
I was there and had a good chat with another old-timer who was wearing this year's AOPA hat that he got at Oshkosh this year. We had other mutual experiences, such as Tucson and the airport at Danbury as well as flying a small Cessna into Oshkosh.

Watched the jumpers, the flour-drop competition, and left during the precision landing competition. There was a hoot. Departing aircraft using runway 10 mixed in with precision landers using runway 28 and tailwind.

Sorry I missed the PoA flyers. Apparently it is OK that I missed the seminars.
 
Went to his seminar, but me and Andy left early.....no comment.

The tailwind was interesting to say the least...minor factor landing, major factor departing as it had picked up considerably, quartering from the left rear of the plane, estimated about 7 -9 kts. Even with the short field T-O the stall horn chirped a few times...(boy do I like the 180 vs the 160 hp) now THAT will keep you awake! We asked the guys marshalling planes around before we left why wasn't 10 in use...they directed our eyes to 28 with 4 folks in line to land, and the major hill at the departure end of 10...with the comment that unless its a hurricane, everyone on the field uses 28...

Peggy: So we missed each other once again!!!!
 
AuntPeggy said:
After fueling, we heard chatter on the frequency about a helicopter off the departure end, but didn't really pay attention enough to know that a plane had gone down. Apparently not a major crash. We found out about it after arriving at Bridgeport.
http://www.aircrashobserver.com/e107/news.php?item.1372
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Wow looks more like an LSA to me but what do I know. Only $200 in damage ha it must be an ultra lite.
 
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