Triple tree flyin

Well, WX and the need tobe at work monday ended up in a detour. After the obligatory stop at Lamberts, we flew another hour to kcps Downtown St Louis. No tripletree this year for us but we'll do the arch today and see what ele we can find to do.

Anyone know if we can get from Sullivan Regional to Meramec Caverns?

I don't know about that, but I can take you to Carter Caves. Fly in to HTS or DWU or M97.

http://parks.ky.gov/parks/resortparks/Carter-Caves/default.aspx
 
A couple of pilots tried to get there from KCDN this morning (not yours truly) but were thwarted by widespread 1000-1200' broken ceilings.

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Skies are fairly clear now. I'll try next year.
 
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Made it in to triple tree this morning around 9:15. There was a thin low ceiling that was just clear enough to the north to get people in. Weather was great the rest of the day with 3500 scattered. Stayed till about 3:00pm and headed back. Had a good time as usual but the turnout was not as good as last year. Probably 250 or so airplanes compared to the 500+ last year.

The approach was a disaster thanks to several dimwitted pilots. Got cut off by a Just Highlander super stol that flew direct to Enoree instead of going over wally world. He then flew what I am guessing was an 85-90 mph circling hold over Enoree when the published numbers were 107 mph. I got flaps out to stop from running him over and we went round and round waiting for departing aircraft. Just as we were getting cleared some jack leg in a Cessna cut us both off and didn't observe not one part of the approach procedure.

I will continue to go back but it really is surprising how many idiots are allowed to fly!
 
I will continue to go back but it really is surprising how many idiots are allowed to fly!

TT is unique in the challenges you face on arrival and departure. Best to do both in the low traffic hours.
 
I just got back. I liked it! It was very well run. The food was great. Getting in Friday am was a breeze. getting out Sat. am was a bit chaotic. The grounds people kept trying to park me even though I had the requested landing light on and was coming from the camping area.

Lots of neat planes doing neat things. Formation flights, low, fast fly buys. The facilities were the best. I liked picking up a conversation with interesting strangers know that we have a common interest to always start with. I'll go again, start saving for the P-51 ride.
Some of my pics
 

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I dithered over the weather, but finally decided I could maneuver around isolated thunderstorm cells if I stayed on my toes. Having NEXRAD radar images on my tablet with ADSB-in really helped! I arrived early on Friday afternoon and departed about 11:00 AM on Saturday. Camping in a tent was pretty miserable with the complete lack of any breeze and the high humidity. My plane was parked behind the C-46 and there was a gazebo across the taxiway with power and ceiling fans that ran all night. A bunch of us sat under those fans until late Friday shooting the breeze and enjoying the relative comfort the fans provided. Despite the weather, it was a FABULOUS event, and an absolutely magical destination. Here are my memory shots:

Here's the approach: 7,000' of Bermuda grass is like landing on velvet. WOW!
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My Maule (the TD in the foreground) and my tent on the rise behind the plane. I didn't want to be at the base of the hill if it rained at night. We lucked out though - no rain on the field while I was there!
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The planes that arrived on Thursday or earlier on Friday got all the pretty spots by the lake and in the wooded area behind registration. My spot overlooking the runway turned out to be perfect for watching the flybys.

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The owner's Spartan Executive in the hangar on the hill was sweet
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There were lots of flybys during the evening and in the early morning before arrival and departure traffic filled the sky

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The catered dinners were on the hill overlooking the runway. It was pretty darned spectacular. The food was good too!

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As others have mentioned, the trip home to Northern Virginia required some maneuvering to avoid the bad cells, but it was very doable:

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I did break out into sunshine before I got home though

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I have nothing but good memories of my time there

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Sadly, we are moving from Virginia to Washington State, so this might have been my last chance to see SC00 in a small plane. If you get a chance, you should stop off at this unique location and just sit for a spell and take some mental pictures - there really isn't anything else like it.
 
Flyhound, I unknowingly met you Saturday morning. My friend and I were walking around and stopped to talk with you about your Maule as you were packing up. You told us about your adventures to Washington state. You have an awesome airplane! Good luck on your travels and post back with lots of pictures!
 
Hey Grum.Man - I remember that chat - thanks for reaching out. I'll post a lot of pictures and some video of my flight to Washington State. The strange thing is that I bought my plane in Washington State and flew it to Virginia just a little over a year ago. Here is a link to my pictures of that trip: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/...844.1073741826.1460040976&type=1&l=45986743d3

My first plane was a Grumman Traveler AA5. I flew it all over the country and loved every minute of that time. Whatever you have, just fly the pants off of it and you'll build a repertoire of stories to keep the grandkids entertained once you choose to stay on the ground.
 
I finally finished editing my video footage from this year's Triple Tree Aerodrome fly-in. The composite video is a bit too long, and I talked too much, but I'm tired of working on it. There are still some cool images in the final result. I just wish I could have stayed longer. I also wish I had an extra $1,600 in my pocket for a ride in that P-51!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gaexj33sK4s
 
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Loved the video. Thanks for sharing. Thought about going, but didn't make it. Maybe next year!
 
I liked your video and did not think it was too long. Thanks for posting the link. I was not able to go this year but wished I could. One of my good friends went and loved it. I e-mailed him a link to your video. I know he enjoyed it too.
 
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