Thank You-from the 6Y9 Management Team

E

el con

Line Up and Wait
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The Flied Piper
Hey-Everyone who made it, Thank You for coming.
As in the other Thank You thread we had 27 planes this year, a new record by one.
Diz does a tremendous amount of planning and work on this and some of our closest friends like Jen and Ryan,Pattie ,Marvin and Beth helped a great deal to make this a success.
Besides all the POA faithful we had some new people show which is encouraging.
Diz put a lot of work into the "pilot's Lounge" lucky the weather god's were good to us this year and we didn't have to use it much.
By the looks of it we sold a few cap's and tee shirts and the lunch went well so we have a little money in the coffer to keep things mowed.
I know how much it costs to make the trip so Thank You for supporting 6Y9.
As always we are looking for new ways to make 6Y9 better ,so If you have good ideas let me know.
Brad
 
I'd like to first thank everyone that put so much work into this. I know there is a lot to it and it's difficult to get everything done that you'd like to get done.

The only reason thing I could suggest relates to food for those of us that get there earlier. Those of us that arrived Thursday ate dinner Thursday night but we were on our own until Friday night. It'd be really nice if there were a way for us to cook ourselves breakfast or lunch on Friday.

Really all we'd need is some meat in that fridge that we would gladly pay for and a grill to cook it on. I finally ended up buying some bread and peanut butter from the gas station and we had that for breakfast and lunch. It was the best option I could find -- much of what I checked in the store was grossly expired.

It's a tricky balance if you're staying there for a few days to bring what you need to get by independently while being careful about weight and balance.
 
jesse said:
I'd like to first thank everyone that put so much work into this. I know there is a lot to it and it's difficult to get everything done that you'd like to get done.

The only reason thing I could suggest relates to food for those of us that get there earlier. Those of us that arrived Thursday ate dinner Thursday night but we were on our own until Friday night. It'd be really nice if there were a way for us to cook ourselves breakfast or lunch on Friday.

Really all we'd need is some meat in that fridge that we would gladly pay for and a grill to cook it on. I finally ended up buying some bread and peanut butter from the gas station and we had that for breakfast and lunch. It was the best option I could find -- much of what I checked in the store was grossly expired.

It's a tricky balance if you're staying there for a few days to bring what you need to get by independently while being careful about weight and balance.
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Or just tell me what you need. I could have probably helped out.
 
jesse said:
I'd like to first thank everyone that put so much work into this. I know there is a lot to it and it's difficult to get everything done that you'd like to get done.

The only reason thing I could suggest relates to food for those of us that get there earlier. Those of us that arrived Thursday ate dinner Thursday night but we were on our own until Friday night. It'd be really nice if there were a way for us to cook ourselves breakfast or lunch on Friday.

Really all we'd need is some meat in that fridge that we would gladly pay for and a grill to cook it on. I finally ended up buying some bread and peanut butter from the gas station and we had that for breakfast and lunch. It was the best option I could find -- much of what I checked in the store was grossly expired.

It's a tricky balance if you're staying there for a few days to bring what you need to get by independently while being careful about weight and balance.
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I suspect that you could find better food shopping near one of the reasonably close towns like Ironwood, Ontonogan, Iron Mountain, or Land O' Lakes. A bit far to drive (30-50 miles) but not too far by airplane. Seems likely you had one or more airplanes available (just sayin).
 
gismo said:
I suspect that you could find better food shopping near one of the reasonably close towns like Ironwood, Ontonogan, Iron Mountain, or Land O' Lakes. A bit far to drive (30-50 miles) but not too far by airplane. Seems likely you had one or more airplanes available (just sayin).
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Possibly but he asked for a suggestions so I made one. Given how much time I was spending in the airplane that weekend and the rather sporty conditions Friday I decided I'd rather eat peanut butter sandwiches then fly to random airports while getting slammed around by the winds in a 700 lb airplane with the hope that I'd be able to find, purchase, and transport food back.
 
Jesse
There is a decent store 5 miles down the road and we have two trucks up there that we leave at our cabin,Diz drove her car, Grant rented a car, so we had ground transportation.
Not knowing what people bring or need, we haven't planned for that. We certainly had the capability if someone would have asked. The grill was there,the store was there ,what we had was a lack of communication. That known next year should be easy to solve this. Thanks for bringing it up.
 
I was going to carry some food with me in addition to a camp stove, something I'd recommend to anyone flying in early. It's just second nature for me to carry food in to a campsite. If there's a fire pit then you even have the means to cook. If there isn't a fire pit we could probably build one in short order during one of the fly ins. As far as fuel goes, always deadwood in the forest.

I hope I'm not being overly harsh. With my own peculiar dietary requirements I had planned on feeding myself the whole weekend.
 
el con said:
Jesse
There is a decent store 5 miles down the road and we have two trucks up there that we leave at our cabin,Diz drove her car, Grant rented a car, so we had ground transportation.
Not knowing what people bring or need, we haven't planned for that. We certainly had the capability if someone would have asked. The grill was there,the store was there ,what we had was a lack of communication. That known next year should be easy to solve this. Thanks for bringing it up.
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Understand Brad - it wasn't that huge of a deal - you all were busy getting ready for everything and It wasn't important enough to me to interrupt that. I was just making a suggestion since suggestions were asked for :)

I wasn't aware that there was a fridge there this year - that really changes things - really what would be ideal would be some meat products in the freezer there and a grill we can cook them on. Set a price on each meat product and raise some more money.

steingar said:
I was going to carry some food with me in addition to a camp stove, something I'd recommend to anyone flying in early. It's just second nature for me to carry food in to a campsite. If there's a fire pit then you even have the means to cook. If there isn't a fire pit we could probably build one in short order during one of the fly ins. As far as fuel goes, always deadwood in the forest.

I hope I'm not being overly harsh. With my own peculiar dietary requirements I had planned on feeding myself the whole weekend.
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It's a little easier to bring food for yourself when you don't eat meat and you're not spending 12 hours in a hot airplane with little room. Given the choice of trying to fit a small cooler with a small amount of meat and ice versus choosing to fit my tie downs I'll pick the tie downs every time :)
 
jesse said:
It's a little easier to bring food for yourself when you don't eat meat and you're not spending 12 hours in a hot airplane with little room. Given the choice of trying to fit a small cooler with a small amount of meat and ice versus choosing to fit my tie downs I'll pick the tie downs every time :)
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First, it is never easier being a vegetarian. Second, and far more importantly, I was under the impression that you were in some fashion flying in with David and Dani. I was thinking of David's aircraft as the one to haul the cooler. I can fit one in mine, I figure David's aircraft is more than sufficient.

Should I be mistaken I would hasten point out that MREs and other dried foods are available that need no more than some hot water, weigh little and fit into confined spaces. Indeed, a pouch of tuna does likewise and can be eaten as is. I've carried a week's worth of victuals on bikes, I have no doubt one could do so in an airplane, even a small one-seater. Traveling light isn't rocket science, though it does take some forethought.
 
steingar said:
First, it is never easier being a vegetarian. Second, and far more importantly, I was under the impression that you were in some fashion flying in with David and Dani. I was thinking of David's aircraft as the one to haul the cooler. I can fit one in mine, I figure David's aircraft is more than sufficient.

Should I be mistaken I would hasten point out that MREs and other dried foods are available that need no more than some hot water, weigh little and fit into confined spaces. Indeed, a pouch of tuna does likewise and can be eaten as is. I've carried a week's worth of victuals on bikes, I have no doubt one could do so in an airplane, even a small one-seater. Traveling light isn't rocket science, though it does take some forethought.
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Perhaps you can just relax Michael and take my suggestion to Brad as what it was, a suggestion. There is no need for you to educate me as to your spectacular packing abilities. It's annoying, irrelevant, and does not apply to the situation that was at hand. Can you not just let two people converse about a detail at a fly-in that they actually attended?

David's airplane was quite full and was not capable of taking a cooler capable of carrying food for three people for multiple days either.

Brad asked for suggestions and I made a friendly one. It obviously wasn't that big of a deal else I would have said something while I was there. I'm not picky and was plenty satisfied enough with what I was able to purchase at the gas station. They're just always looking for improvements and this seems like something that could improve.
 
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We must agree to disagree. Long experience has ingrained into me the necessity of bringing food into a campsite.
 
steingar said:
I was going to carry some food with me in addition to a camp stove, something I'd recommend to anyone flying in early. It's just second nature for me to carry food in to a campsite. If there's a fire pit then you even have the means to cook. If there isn't a fire pit we could probably build one in short order during one of the fly ins. As far as fuel goes, always deadwood in the forest.

I hope I'm not being overly harsh. With my own peculiar dietary requirements I had planned on feeding myself the whole weekend.
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Just an FYI, but fire pits are NOT to be made at the airport. Ask me how I know! :) Besides, the Fire Marshall was by, telling Brad that outdoor fires were not permitted. The campfire on their property was acceptable because they had a well-established deep metal-lined pit surrounded by rocks.
 
gprellwitz said:
The campfire on their property was acceptable because they had a well-established deep metal-lined pit surrounded by rocks.
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That's exactly what I was mentioning. I figured they'd put one in sooner or later, especially after the impromptu campfire of a few years back.
 
steingar said:
That's exactly what I was mentioning. I figured they'd put one in sooner or later, especially after the impromptu campfire of a few years back.
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By "their property" I was referring to the cabin, not the airport. There is no fire pit at the airport that I remember seeing. And if there was, we weren't allowed to use it this year per the Fire Marshall.
 
My apologies to make this about an argument between me and Jesse. Since I did, I thought I should make a positive suggestion that might even be moot, since I was absent. But here goes.

I assume there are nearby bodies of water and lookouts and such. I wouldn't know how to get to any of these, and I don't recall seeing any signs or anything. I assume there are ATV and hiking trails running all over the place, and if one or more ran to said body of water or scenic outlook, might be a good idea to mark them with signs and cairns. Nothing that would take more than a couple bucks and an hour or so.

Of course, if anyone has to blaze a trail, forget it, too much work. And if they are already extant, then just consider it great minds thinking alike.
 
I'll pile on to Steingar's comment that may also speak to the food situation .... It'd be great to have a map of area attractions / amenities available in the pilot shack and on the 6Y9 website.

Despite reading more 6Y9 threads than visits I've made, until this year I had no idea there were groceries available within walking/biking distance.

The bicycles I saw by the shack, are they normally available? Another great piece of info to have when deciding on a destination.

Perhaps info on these things is already out there, but I haven't seen it, despite looking (at least cursorily) - of course, I might be blind.
 
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JoeSelch said:
I'll pile on to Steingar's comment that may also speak to the food situation .... It'd be great to have a map of area attractions / amenities available in the pilot shack and on the 6Y9 website.

Perhaps info on these things is already out there, but I haven't seen it, despite looking (at least curiously) - of course, I might be blind.
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Yes, I'll definitely agree with that! Brad, Diz, Grant, Sue, and I all took a 4-wheeler ride on some of those trails at night and without Brad leading us and Diz bringing up the rear, I know I'd still be in the woods eating berries and bark with the bears, if I didn't become their dinner first. :hairraise: It's nice to know about the bicycles now too... It will be fun next year to explore the town a little more and maybe check out some of the garage sales that apparently were going on in town. :D
 
I am willing to bring a bunch of you to Marquette from 6Y9 for a day or two. We have some beautiful hiking trails in the area. A flying tour over the UP could also be fun.
 
Well I guess I'm a poor host and assumed that some of this info of 6Y9 and the area was already out there so here's a list for next year:
1. We have about 5 bikes that have been there and available for the last 5yrs. They are in the pilot shack year round, sitting outside during fly in.
2. Sidnaw Minimart(gas Station next door) gas ,ice cream,pop,water,ice, beer and wine, snack foods. Two cabins that they rent.
3. Watton Coop Grocery -Meats, vegetables, and most everything. about five miles down the road.
4.Camp fire at our cabin only as there is usually a high or extreme fire danger this time of year. ( we are allowed as we have a water source and are present at all times)
5.We brought the grille over on Thurs. and left it at the pilot shack, this we be there full time next year as we're getting another for the cabin.
6.We have two vehicles we leave there year round , if some one needs a ride to get something we can make time to help.
7. We have 5 ATV's and 2 trail bikes for supervised rides.(supervised as we don't want anyone lost and for liability reasons. Also in Mi. you must have a cycle endorsement to ride on a public road. We may be selective on this as we have our necks really sticking out here if someone gets hurt.
8.We now have a room in the school for gathering,we have a refrigerator/freezer that was recently donated and now know that it works.
9. If you have a question or a need when there please ask Diz or I ,we will try and help ,solve ,handle your requests. If I could read minds I'd be wealthy,SO PLEASE ASK, we are at your service.
10. If you need emergency fuel I usually have some five gal. cans of 100LL around.
11. Code to get in the pilot shack is 5 -2and 3 at the same time then one, turn the wing knob and the door knob to open.

One suggestion I have is that many planes that arrived seemed to have either beer or Crown on board, maybe in the future substitute for food:wink2:
We'll try a little harder next year to make sure we communicate better, we are run a little ragged as we don't live there we travel there also only a day or so before you arrive.
 
el con said:
Well I guess I'm a poor host and assumed that some of this info of 6Y9 and the area was already out there so here's a list for next year:
1. We have about 5 bikes that have been there and available for the last 5yrs. They are in the pilot shack year round, sitting outside during fly in.
2. Sidnaw Minimart(gas Station next door) gas ,ice cream,pop,water,ice, beer and wine, snack foods. Two cabins that they rent.
3. Watton Coop Grocery -Meats, vegetables, and most everything. about five miles down the road.
4.Camp fire at our cabin only as there is usually a high or extreme fire danger this time of year. ( we are allowed as we have a water source and are present at all times)
5.We brought the grille over on Thurs. and left it at the pilot shack, this we be there full time next year as we're getting another for the cabin.
6.We have two vehicles we leave there year round , if some one needs a ride to get something we can make time to help.
7. We have 5 ATV's and 2 trail bikes for supervised rides.(supervised as we don't want anyone lost and for liability reasons. Also in Mi. you must have a cycle endorsement to ride on a public road. We may be selective on this as we have our necks really sticking out here if someone gets hurt.
8.We now have a room in the school for gathering,we have a refrigerator/freezer that was recently donated and now know that it works.
9. If you have a question or a need when there please ask Diz or I ,we will try and help ,solve ,handle your requests. If I could read minds I'd be wealthy,SO PLEASE ASK, we are at your service.
10. If you need emergency fuel I usually have some five gal. cans of 100LL around.
11. Code to get in the pilot shack is 5 -2and 3 at the same time then one, turn the wing knob and the door knob to open.

One suggestion I have is that many planes that arrived seemed to have either beer or Crown on board, maybe in the future substitute for food:wink2:
We'll try a little harder next year to make sure we communicate better, we are run a little ragged as we don't live there we travel there also only a day or so before you arrive.
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Thanks Brad! I thought that this was on the airport website, but, other than the existence of the minimart, I don't see much of it there. Some of it, of course, shouldn't be there (not that people won't find this thread via Google!)

We did a grocery run soon after we arrived and asked around to see if people needed anything, but I know we didn't talk to everyone. Another alternative would be to do what we did (and Tim Winters was going to do); call Pam (in service) at Big Valley Ford in Ewan, MI and have her deliver a car. Contact info on their website.
 
el con said:
Well I guess I'm a poor host and assumed that some of this info of 6Y9 and the area was already out there so here's a list for next year...
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The one descriptor I have never thought of regarding you and Diz is poor hosts. I don't make 500 mile round trips for just anybody. Of course, lately I haven't made them for you either, but not for lack of trying.
 
I take all the suggestions seriously and am happy that people are giving their input.
I'm a firm believer in continuous improvement, so no offense is taken. I'll do what I can do and won't do what I can't:wink2:
I'm grateful that we had so many show up this year ,it makes all the work we do all year on the Airfield worthwhile. Thanks to all.
 
el con said:
I take all the suggestions seriously and am happy that people are giving their input.
I'm a firm believer in continuous improvement, so no offense is taken. I'll do what I can do and won't do what I can't:wink2:
I'm grateful that we had so many show up this year ,it makes all the work we do all year on the Airfield worthwhile. Thanks to all.
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It was a good time and we certainly appreicate all the effort you put into this.

I am a bit confused by how people here interpreted my suggestion as a complaint or lack of planning on anyones part. It's rather disturbing to me that someone can't make a suggestion in a thread where suggestions were asked for without fear of The Experts(tm) telling me how poorly I planned. We were not starving and we fed ourselves. If it were something that I was actually worried about I would have said something but it wasn't so I didn't. It's not something that bothered me at the time and was just something I thought up while reflecting about what could improve as per the subject of this thread.

Everyone that I knew of had a good time. Everyone was perfectly content and nobody that I know of was afraid to speak up because there was nothing to speak up about.

At the end of the day suggestions were asked for so I made one. Since there is a fridge now having some frozen food in it (nothing complicated, a box of pre-formed hamburgers) could make things easier for many and could also provide an opportunity for you to raise more mowing gas money. Mark them up a few hundred percent and I'd gladly pay for them.
 
First, a BIG thank you to all who made it to 6Y9 this year! I've written before, and I'll write it again…you can't have a fly in without planes or pilots! Some of you came quite the distance; Nebraska, Texas, Colorado.
Thanks to all who came whether by plane or car….in Gary's case- both!

I had a lot of time to ponder the event while driving the 8 hrs back home. WOW! From the weather (which was the best ever), to the attendance (both planes and people), to the extras (hang out room, successful hayride, trip to Bond Falls, night quad ride), I couldn't be happier with the results. I personally think that this was the best 6Y9 fly in to date!

I would like to extend a HUGE thank you to Ryan and Jenn as they see first hand all of my stresses, worries, planning, re-stressing, worrying again, change of plans, and yes sometimes my lack of patience when things go temporarily awry. Through it all, they still put up with me (!) and have given so much time and support to both Brad and I. Whether a physical task or moral support, they have given an unbelievable amount of their time and energy to help us out all year long.

AND many of you stepped up to lend a hand when you saw the need and we truly appreciate your willingness to do so. My mind becomes a blur at times and I may not show my gratitude as effectively as I should at the time, but I truly value each and everyone of you who stepped in to assist.

We missed those who were unable to make it this year for whatever reason. Hopefully next time! Mike, Andy, "A-ron" (I like this better:D ), Jeff: Welcome to 6Y9, PoA, and we're glad you had a good time. Come back often...you're not very far away. And Tim, what a nice surprise that was waiting for us at Hoppy's! Thank you! Wish you could have shared with us in person!

In reading the posts I would like to add my two cents. We appreciate the comments that show both what we're doing right and those that will help us improve.

Warren, the former twp. supervisor who has since passed, had made some printouts of what-to-do in the local area and had put some in the pilot's shack. I haven't checked to see exactly what is still there but I do remember seeing that there were some in the little rack on the table. Looking at a good old fashioned road map of MI shows some points of interest, too, and I will try and find one and put it on the wall in the new hang out lounge.

There are hiking trails in the Sturgeon Gorge Wilderness area just north of the field. No one has ever asked before, so never gave it a thought….we have focused more on the quad rides when we've had time and interest. As for a UP tour, that has been discussed in the past also, but has never gotten off the ground. Pun intended. My feeling has been that everyone is so happy to "just chill" so that is what ends up happening, save for a few who go up for a flight. As Brad mentioned, the bikes have been there for years. They have been put to good use in the past. Maybe we can blame the ones who have used them before, for not coming this year and making that amenity obvious…(ahem…..see? WE NEED YOU ALL!)

Before I left I did post (in the "Who's gonna be first…" thread) that we had a fridge this year and that we could make arrangements for a grocery run. We can certainly "fix" the food-in-the-fridge issue. I was already en route when the arrival times for the first of you were posted and I didn't get a chance to check the PoA board again. I was [happily] surprised with early arrivals but with my mind in "fly in mode" I apologize that I didn't realize that there was a need. ugh. We don't take Jesse's comment as a complaint so we'll do our best to continue to make things better! Without suggestions, we don't know. :wink2::)

So, notes are made, and planning begins again for next year. Now that I've posted, we can kill this thread. LOL!!!:D:D:D
 
Thanks again all, im excited to see the pics when they are posted on the website. That being said, in thw name of improvement, any chance the flush toilet is possible? (As David would say)
 
Apache said:
Thanks again all, im excited to see the pics when they are posted on the website. That being said, in thw name of improvement, any chance the flush toilet is possible? (As David would say)
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Those of us who spent the bucks for the cabins got to enjoy them! For the others, maybe a small donation would go a long way? :dunno: :D:D:D
 
On the flush toilets:
The estimate of putting in a septic system is about $30,000 at the school building.
All donations are willingly accepted, it may take some time to save up enough:wink2:
Until then it's the porta john.
 
Ah, didnt realize that. Cabins or porta john it is for now then.:)
 
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