Pool Party Report -- A new record!

[Jay Honeck]

Just toddled in from the pool party, and all I can say is "Whoa --
what a party!"

Estimates range from 50 to 70 people at the pool, with an absolutely
full ramp at the airport. We were parking them in the grass -- which
is a new first for us! I've never seen so many RVs outside of
Oshkosh, so apparently getting listed on their group chat list is
golden! (And they're a great bunch of people.) We even had two brand-
new RV-10s here today, plus Cary Marish's (spelling?) 2007 Diamond
Twin Star -- very, very cool!

We actually ran out of food -- another new first -- and I lost count
of how many round-trips I made to the airport. I must've put 20 miles
on the van, and the round-trip is only about 800 yards!

This group's own Neal Howard brought some specialty sausage from Texas
that disappeared in a flash -- it was VERY popular. I got one tiny,
little morsel, and it was fantastic. Thanks for bringing it (and the
former "Checkerbird" -- now beautifully repainted), Neal!

Things got so busy that this group's Darrel Toeppfer (spelling?) and
his Dad took over my grillmeister duties -- I was simply too busy
playing shuttle-bus driver to cook. We had pilots show up from the
East Coast, West Coast, Gulf Coast, Mexico, and everything in between!

Dunno how many are going to fly up with us tomorrow (actually, today)
morning, but it ought to be fun...

Many thanks to everyone, especially Darrell. If he'd waited for me to
get time to cook, we might still not have eaten anything!
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Morgans[_2_]]

"Jay Honeck" > wrote

> Dunno how many are going to fly up with us tomorrow (actually, today)
> morning, but it ought to be fun...

"Oshkosh tower, Alexis Park flight of 50, requesting clearance! "

<VBG>

I can see it now! ;-)
--
Jim in NC

[Jay Honeck]

> > Dunno how many are going to fly up with us tomorrow (actually, today)
> > morning, but it ought to be fun...
>
> "Oshkosh tower, Alexis Park flight of 50, requesting clearance! "

Nah, I think it'll only be a few of us. Maybe 5 or 6?

The RV guys wanted to get a VERY early start, no matter how many times
I told them that they did NOT want to arrive right when OSH opened
today.

It was kind of funny -- all the activity at the pool party occurred
between 3 PM and 9 PM. At 9 PM, about 50 pilots headed off to bed
(and people think pilots are partiers!) to get an early start today,
leaving just the "hard core" circled around a couple of tables,
yacking.

15 minutes later, some poor guy arrived, fresh from having just flown
all day from Arizona. Of course, the food was gone, the crowd was
gone, and no one was in the pool. I felt sorry for the guy, but all
we had were beverages to offer.

I'm sure his "Pool Party Report" would be quite different from
mine...but that's what you get when you show up late...

;-)

Now, it's off to the hotel, to rendezvous with our gaggle. Wheels up
at 10 AM!
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Cary]

On Jul 22, 12:22 am, Jay Honeck > wrote:
> Just toddled in from the pool party, and all I can say is "Whoa --
> what a party!"
>
> Estimates range from 50 to 70 people at the pool, with an absolutely
> full ramp at the airport. We were parking them in the grass -- which
> is a new first for us! I've never seen so many RVs outside of
> Oshkosh, so apparently getting listed on their group chat list is
> golden! (And they're a great bunch of people.) We even had two brand-
> new RV-10s here today, plus Cary Marish's (spelling?) 2007 Diamond
> Twin Star -- very, very cool!
>
> We actually ran out of food -- another new first -- and I lost count
> of how many round-trips I made to the airport. I must've put 20 miles
> on the van, and the round-trip is only about 800 yards!
>
> This group's own Neal Howard brought some specialty sausage from Texas
> that disappeared in a flash -- it was VERY popular. I got one tiny,
> little morsel, and it was fantastic. Thanks for bringing it (and the
> former "Checkerbird" -- now beautifully repainted), Neal!
>
> Things got so busy that this group's Darrel Toeppfer (spelling?) and
> his Dad took over my grillmeister duties -- I was simply too busy
> playing shuttle-bus driver to cook. We had pilots show up from the
> East Coast, West Coast, Gulf Coast, Mexico, and everything in between!
>
> Dunno how many are going to fly up with us tomorrow (actually, today)
> morning, but it ought to be fun...
>
> Many thanks to everyone, especially Darrell. If he'd waited for me to
> get time to cook, we might still not have eaten anything!
> --
> Jay Honeck
> Iowa City, IA
> Pathfinder N56993www.AlexisParkInn.com
> "Your Aviation Destination"

Jay, I am sorry I could only stay for the few hours that I was there.
But seeing the Alexis Park Inn (and crashing the simulator) were
fantastic experiences. Thank you very much for the hospitality. It was
wonderful meeting you and Mary. While I won't be able to make OSH this
year, I hope to make it next.

Best wishes,
Cary Mariash
N336TS (DA42)

[Blueskies]

"Jay Honeck" > wrote in message ups.com...
>
> The RV guys wanted to get a VERY early start, no matter how many times
> I told them that they did NOT want to arrive right when OSH opened
> today.
>

Sunday morning was bright and clear, and it seems all arrivals went smoothly....

[John T[_1_]]

Actually, opening time on sat/sun are kinda slow for the first 1/2 to 1
hour for incoming traffic. Then its a slow but steady stream...sometimes
with big gaps for part of the morning, then about 10-11, its picks up a
bit. Then there's the mass arrivals.

John

Jay Honeck wrote:
>>> Dunno how many are going to fly up with us tomorrow (actually, today)
>>> morning, but it ought to be fun...
>> "Oshkosh tower, Alexis Park flight of 50, requesting clearance! "
>
> Nah, I think it'll only be a few of us. Maybe 5 or 6?
>
> The RV guys wanted to get a VERY early start, no matter how many times
> I told them that they did NOT want to arrive right when OSH opened
> today.
>
> It was kind of funny -- all the activity at the pool party occurred
> between 3 PM and 9 PM. At 9 PM, about 50 pilots headed off to bed
> (and people think pilots are partiers!) to get an early start today,
> leaving just the "hard core" circled around a couple of tables,
> yacking.
>
> 15 minutes later, some poor guy arrived, fresh from having just flown
> all day from Arizona. Of course, the food was gone, the crowd was
> gone, and no one was in the pool. I felt sorry for the guy, but all
> we had were beverages to offer.
>
> I'm sure his "Pool Party Report" would be quite different from
> mine...but that's what you get when you show up late...
>
> ;-)
>
> Now, it's off to the hotel, to rendezvous with our gaggle. Wheels up
> at 10 AM!
> --
> Jay Honeck
> Iowa City, IA
> Pathfinder N56993
> www.AlexisParkInn.com
> "Your Aviation Destination"
>

[Art Zemon]

On Jul 22, 12:22 am, Jay Honeck > wrote:
> Just toddled in from the pool party, and all I can say is "Whoa --
> what a party!"

I'll second that! Besides the great company, the best part for me was
*real* corn on the cob, picked fresh and still with FLAVOR. Ahhhh...
the memories from my Indiana childhood. I can't wait til next year.

Cheers,

-- Art Z.
-- www.CheerfulCurmudgeon.com

[Blueskies]

"John T" > wrote in message ...
> Actually, opening time on sat/sun are kinda slow for the first 1/2 to 1 hour for incoming traffic. Then its a slow but
> steady stream...sometimes with big gaps for part of the morning, then about 10-11, its picks up a bit. Then there's
> the mass arrivals.
>
> John
>

Yes, the Bonanza arrivals seemed to go on for 45 minutes, pretty amazing, and then the Stinsons were pretty cool
also....

[Jay Honeck]

> Jay, I am sorry I could only stay for the few hours that I was there.
> But seeing the Alexis Park Inn (and crashing the simulator) were
> fantastic experiences. Thank you very much for the hospitality. It was
> wonderful meeting you and Mary. While I won't be able to make OSH this
> year, I hope to make it next.

Hi Cary (and Art, and everyone) -- just wanted to say thanks for
coming!

We had a wonderful week at OSH -- watch for the write-up shortly...
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[RST Engineering]

But, but ...

You missed Margie taking her shirt off at my forum on Wednesday {:^(


Jim






>
> We had a wonderful week at OSH -- watch for the write-up shortly...
> --
> Jay Honeck
> Iowa City, IA
> Pathfinder N56993
> www.AlexisParkInn.com
> "Your Aviation Destination"
>

[Jay Honeck]

> You missed Margie taking her shirt off at my forum on Wednesday {:^(

I know -- and I feel terrible.

I don't know how it happened, but we had plans to make your forum, we
talked about it -- we even mentioned it to others as a Must See event
-- but when the time came we completely spaced it out!

All of the sudden it was like "Hey, what time is Jim's forum again?"
and it was, like, 1 PM!

Since it started at 10 AM, we just slapped ourselves on the forehead
and cursed our misfortune. It won't happen again.

So what did you name "Best of Show" this year?
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[RST Engineering]

Software went to DUATS for their 2007 complete rewrite of the (free) Golden
Eagle GUI and DaVinci Software for their complete redesign that is given
(free) to Kidventure for the kids to design real working aircraft.

Hardware went to Clarity Aloft for their no-earcup in-ear headset that
straps on BEHIND the head rather than over it, Zaon for their
transponder-based collision avoidance box, and Mutt Muffs for their doggie
hearing protector.

Kitplanes column in the December issue due to press by the 10th of next
month.

BTW, I found that "coin" that Conic Corporation minted to commemorate the
work we did on the real-time video transmitter on the Lunar Rover of Apollo
15. I'll send it to you next week. That was a real interesting job ...
you try and figure out how to keep a microwave dish bolted to a jalopy
bouncing around and over the hills and rills of the Moon and still pointed
within one degree of boresight on a targer a quarter of a million miles
away.

Jim




--
"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in
a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside,
thoroughly used up, totally worn out, with chocolate in one hand and wine in
the other, loudly proclaiming 'WOO HOO What a Ride!'"
--Unknown


>
> So what did you name "Best of Show" this year?

[Jay Honeck]

> BTW, I found that "coin" that Conic Corporation minted to commemorate the
> work we did on the real-time video transmitter on the Lunar Rover of Apollo
> 15. I'll send it to you next week. That was a real interesting job ...
> you try and figure out how to keep a microwave dish bolted to a jalopy
> bouncing around and over the hills and rills of the Moon and still pointed
> within one degree of boresight on a targer a quarter of a million miles
> away.

Cool! I'll look forward to it.

So, how did you keep the danged thing aimed so accurately?
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Morgans[_2_]]

"RST Engineering" > wrote

That was a real interesting job ...
> you try and figure out how to keep a microwave dish bolted to a jalopy
> bouncing around and over the hills and rills of the Moon and still pointed
> within one degree of boresight on a targer a quarter of a million miles
> away.

WOW, REALLY!

The little I remember is seeing the rover bucking around like a ride at a
Texas bar, or like the cartoonish heavy metal landing with severe (with the
nose banging up and down on the runway) pilot induced oscillation.

That would be an interesting problem. Tell us a little about it when you
get the chance.
--
Jim in NC

[RST Engineering]

> That was a real interesting job ...
>> you try and figure out how to keep a microwave dish bolted to a jalopy
>> bouncing around and over the hills and rills of the Moon and still
>> pointed within one degree of boresight on a targer a quarter of a million
>> miles away.
>
> WOW, REALLY!
>
> The little I remember is seeing the rover bucking around like a ride at a
> Texas bar,

I prefer the analogy of a double-jointed hooker on dollar night, but you got
the right idea {;-)

> That would be an interesting problem. Tell us a little about it when you
> get the chance.


Pure optics. A small telescope bolted onto the dish focused on Earth. Put
the target in the middle and push the button marked "track". Nothing else
remotely that bright (*) to track on, so the servos that were connected to
the dish simply kept the target in the center of the screen.

(*) The only caveat is that you had to do it with the sun WELL out of the
line of fire.

Jim