National Cherokee Pilots Association Fly-In PIREP

Well, it's over for another year. This year's edition was held at Tan-Tar-A
Resort in Osage Beach, Missouri. Centrally located nationally, this resort
is right on the lake shore, and is top-notch all the way. With multiple
swimming pools (both in and outdoor), a water park, several restaurants,
riding stables, golf -- you name it -- we certainly weren't lacking for
things to do during our stay.

We, of course, came for the airplanes, and we got 'em in spades. Something
like 130 Cherokees, of all flavors (from 140s to Saratogas) were
pre-registered, with more coming in unannounced on Saturday. It was quite a
sight to see!

Grand Glaize airport, located just 3 miles from Tan-Tar-A, was "home base"
for the fly-in, and it turned out to be an excellent choice. With beautiful
approaches over the Lake of the Ozarks, a nicely kept (and amply long) Rwy
14/32, and a terrific FBO staff, Grand Glaize was PERFECT for the fly-in!

We arrived a day early, ahead of what was predicted to be some really nasty
weather. As a result, we were able to park right out front, not far from
the Piper tent with their displays of the new Cherokee Sixes. The FBO was
closed by the time we got there, and we were the only ones on the field --
truly the calm before the storm! -- but a quick call to the resort had a
shuttle bus out to meet us within minutes.

That extra day gave us a chance to take the kids to the water park, where we
all had a great time. Later, we went back to the airport to watch the
constant arrivals, and to partake in a terrific barbeque, hosted by the
Missouri Pilot's Association and a couple of extremely generous local
pilots. The food was great, and the Cherokees were unbelievable -- many
looked like they had just rolled off the showroom floor, despite their age.

Saturday, the first full day of the show, we ran into friends of ours who
own a condo on the lake, and they invited us and our friends out on their
boat for the day. Torn between the show, and the opportunity to go boating,
we opted to do both -- and spent a terrific day bar-hopping up and down the
lake.

We arrived back at Tan-Tar-A, wind-blown, sun-baked, and a little toasted,
with just 30 minutes to spare before the banquet -- but we made it!

The banquet food was unusually excellent, and was followed by an awards
ceremony, where awards were given out for the "Best Cherokee" in several
categories (140, 180, 235, etc.). The poor judges had sacrificed their
entire day, inspecting the dozens of aircraft entered for competition, and
I'm sure it was grueling. (I tried bribing a couple of them, but they were
remarkably resistant! :-)

I'm proud to say that Atlas took home the "Best 235" trophy, despite intense
competition. Mary and I are very proud of him, and are now trying to
determine how best to reward him. New landing lights, perhaps? Or maybe XM
radio? :-)

The speaker at the banquet was Karl Bergey, widely regarded as the "Father
of the Cherokee". Although in his 80s, he spoke extemporaneously for over
an hour about his experiences at Piper, and presented a wonderful PowerPoint
program of slides and memorabilia. He then took questions for another
hour, and it was absolutely fascinating to be able to question and meet the
fellow directly responsible for designing the plane so many of us love.

This program was followed by a DJ, and we proceeded to cut the rug for
several hours. It was wonderful, and over all too soon...

Today, we got up bright and early -- so I could attend the raffle drawings,
and Mary could take the kids swimming one last time. The organizers had
amassed a booty of dozens of really great prizes, from headsets to strobe
systems to air/oil separators, and the drawings took a couple of hours to
complete!

Our amazing luck continued, as my name was drawn second, and we won a
brand-new pair of Lightspeed Twenty 3Gs -- our favorites! To say that I
was surprised was an understatement -- I've never won much of anything in my
life -- but this fly-in certainly took the cake. (I probably should have
bought a lottery ticket today, eh?)

The flight home was uneventful, despite weather predictions to the contrary,
and after many long goodbyes we were soon back home, wondering if it had all
been a wonderful dream. This fly-in is rapidly becoming one of our
favorites! To meet fellow Cherokee drivers from all over the country, to
learn so much about our aircraft, and to enjoy the camaraderie and
fellowship of people I've known "on-line" for many years -- well, it just
doesn't get much better than that.

We're already planning to attend the next one -- don't miss it!
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Sorry, Jay, the resident RST computer guru by the name of Gail has beaten you to
the punch. blue-ON-blue 182 has XM radio piped through the audio panel into the
headphones. That's the beauty of audio systems that you do yourself.

{;-)


Jim


"Jay Honeck"
shared these priceless pearls of wisdom:

Or maybe XM
-radio? :-)


Jim Weir (A&P/IA, CFI, & other good alphabet soup)
VP Eng RST Pres. Cyberchapter EAA Tech. Counselor
http://www.rst-engr.com

Sorry, Jay, the resident RST computer guru by the name of Gail has beaten
you to
the punch. blue-ON-blue 182 has XM radio piped through the audio panel
into the
headphones. That's the beauty of audio systems that you do yourself.

{;-)

That's cool!

Now I will know she's hot if she figured out how to listen to it without
paying a monthly fee!
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"