Why thank you, Bob!
Guess I'll make Tuesday my Oshkosh day (only have time to take off one day during the week, regrettably)
S/B picking up N23830 in a few weeks, and basing at Palwaukee (aka "Chicago EXECUTIVE"). I'm on a short wait list for a hangar, tie down in the interim. I'll put Sam on my list, does he have an eMail?
Oh, and I'd appreciate your opinion on a new website I started (I do computer software for a living anyhow, so...). It's
www.HangarBuddies.com and it's basically a 'community bulletin board' for locals to swap suggestions, locate $100 pancake and hamburger spots, upcoming FAAst seminars and the like. I found that there's a bit of "Well, if I don't have my own plane and I don't want to go to the airport to plop down $100+ to fly to 'somewhere', then what's the point of being 'in GA' ???". So this is kind of a community-building idea/site. Like 'share a ride' to a Fly-In (get company, split expenses, have a reason to get in the air... etc).
In fact, here's an idea I'd like to bounce off of you:
HangarBuddies will sponsor a "Find the Best 1- or 2-day getaway spot" contest. First prize is $200, 2nd is $100, 3rd is $50. You post your first-person evaluation of a spot (with pictures!) on the Hangar Buddies website, and at the end of the (2 month?) contest period, all the members vote for their favorite to determine 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. This give people a reason to go flying, and readers/lurkers some ideas other than "No place to go but fly around in the pattern for an hour...". Thoughts, ideas, suggestions?
I can spot the $350 prize money as my contribution to GA, and maybe offer $50 sponsorship/advertising to local FBO/Mechanics/Schools to defray the cost and get them to put a pound of flesh into the game.
What do you think?
Oh, and how do you get those cool maps into your signature line????