BACFest 2011

sjcote

Orbiting Earth
OK, boys and girls, time to gear up for our ANNUAL MEETING and INTERNATIONAL CONFAB...BAC FEST. September 29 to October 1
As you noted from the home page, this years BAC Fest (the 6th, Dayton was not BAC-wide) will be in the beautiful Finger Lakes Region of New York. Now I want to stop all you folks from other regions from fretting. Ithaca is almost as far from New York City as you can get and be in New York State. (The farthest is Buffalo...but we couldn't do that to you folks. Ohh, man, am I going to hear about that from the Buffalonians!!!:cry:)

This forum will be for questions you may have, or for members to suggest sights and entertainments you may know of in the area.

Some of you may be going to AOPA Summit in Hartford the week before. May I suggest that you simply extend your vacation to include the days between and see some of the most beautiful country in the Northeast. You want lakes? We got lakes...lots of them. You want mountains...we got them; as well as deep, cool, gorges between with wonderful hiking around the waterfalls.

This is WINE COUNTRY! There are nearly a dozen WINE TRAILS near here. (For the uninitiated, a Wine Trail is defined route between dozens of local wineries within easy, and scenic, driving distance. Stop and sample!

If you know the area, add your suggestions to this forum.
 
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Hmm...JUST WHAT IS BACFEST?

Beech Aero Club Inc must hold an Annual Meeting where we define our existence, purpose, and elect Officers. So, if we gotta do it anyway, why not have fun?? So we hold it in a nice place and invite the whole family!! (Invite? Every member has a gol-durn'd RIGHT to be there!!)

Arrival Day (at KITH, Ithaca/Tompkins Airport) will be Thursday, Sept 29th. Taughannock Aviation, the FBO will be our host and watch over our birds for us. The rest of the day will be yours to explore or to check out the college girls at Cornell. (OK, WHO SAID THAT??)

Friday is our traditional AIRPORT DAY. That is an opportunity to indulge our penchant for hanging around our airplanes and bragging about them. We are planning an educational/entertaining program and a lunch at the airport. Spouses can do more productive things...like shopping or sight seeing.

Friday evening, when most everyone will have arrive, we will have a reception and "swarming of the bees". This may suffice for your dinner. But, if not, there are plenty of places to chow down in the area. I am planning a return to quirky place I discovered many years ago called The Rongovian Embassy. I think the name says it all; although it is more restaurant these days than the college watering hole it was in the 70's. (Was it the 70's? Can't quite remember...it was a really GOOD watering hole.)

On Saturday, Oct 1st, we will get down to the business at hand. The Board of Directors will hold a meeting while the rest of you sleep off the night before.
At lunch time we will hold our ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING for members. The non-members (I cringe when I start to say "the Gals" or even just "Spouses" but there you are.) will have their own get together in a nearby room. (It promotes brisk "business" listening to the galls howling with laughter next door...just WHAT are they up to???)
And both parties will jointly share a buffet luncheon. Eat all you want but don't pig out too much because...

Saturday evening we will hold our big Banquet. That occasion will entail Awards, Prizes, Fun, and our Guest Speaker. This year we have secured one of the most outspoken and passionate advocates of General Aviation. None other than Jim Campbell, Founder and Editor In Chief of Aero News.net (http://wwwaero-news.net) If you love aviation and wonder where we are heading, Jim is in your corner! Ya gotta admit, anyone who can get himself banned from Sun 'N Fun for "speaking truth to power" is no shrinking violet. Come and learn...he's fascinating.

Those who won't be continuing vacation from BAC Fest will be heading back to Job-Land on Sunday morning. But I do Rx the vacation idea.
 
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To properly communicate with the natives, one of the first things you will need to do is learn how to pronounce "Taughannock". It is Ta-can-nock, with the accent on the "can".

You can practice by visiting the scenic Taughannock Falls State Park just a few miles drive from Ithaca up the west side of Cayuga Lake. Bring your cameras.

Glenn
 
Thanks for the update Steve and for the clarification of pronunciation Glenn. Looking forward to being BAC with the crowd again. Better warn the tower that the long, slow drawl on the radio will be the boys arriving from the south!
 
To properly communicate with the natives, one of the first things you will need to do is learn how to pronounce "Taughannock". It is Ta-can-nock, with the accent on the "can".Glenn

Thanks, Glenn. I made the assumption that because I can pronounce it then everyone can. But I had an advantage...being a Massachusetts boy, and there being no "R" on the end, it was easy for me.:D

There is actually no language problem up there. I heard three locals try to tell me that their tongue is peculiar but neither a "y'all" nor a "hey" was heard. And they had no problem understanding me when I "had an idea(r) to go get a pizza(r) after I pa'k'd my ai'ahplane.";)
 
How far is ITH from Canada?

Will the Canucks shoot us down if we stray across the border?

What would it take to fly into Canada and land (legally). I've never landed in a "foreign country."
 
How far is ITH from Canada?
Will the Canucks shoot us down if we stray across the border?
What would it take to fly into Canada and land (legally). I've never landed in a "foreign country."

It is only a little over an hour to Canada; little longer to the Niagara area or Toronto. And they only shoot if you call them Canucks. Besides, it's our own Border and Customs people who are the problem. AOPA has an extensive section on requirements for flight to Canada (unless they make you join the Wine Club to get it).

Yep, it is another country...no matter what some Yanks think. (Although I recall some contingency by Manitoba to become the 51st state which they are living down. And the Maritimes might consider it so they can continue to cheer for the Boston Red Sox. But that may just be Corcoran's influence.)

You do have to assure that your first stop will be at a Customs station airport. If you are "passing through" to another point (mine was crossing Ontario from Michigan to New York) they are just another friendly ATC voice on the radio.
 
Can I invite Bigbajon to BACFest? I think he lives near Toronto.
 
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We plan on being there.. Brad.. the drawl in GA can be VERY long. Those fast talking northerners better be ready. :)
Doug
 
Yeah Cloyd, I guess the South is a pretty nice place to live most of the time. Come to think of it, I don't recall anyone retiring and moving North.

Marty Vanover
Phoenix, Az.
 
We plan on being there.. Brad.. the drawl in GA can be VERY long. Those fast talking northerners better be ready. :)
Doug

We don't talk fast...we just cut out extraneous syllables. In the winter (pardon me, "win-tuh") you can lose a lot of body heat with your mouth open too long! Moving the "r"s around is sort of a linguistic ping-pong we engage in.

And speaking of winter...I am assured that all of last winter's snow will be scooped up by the time we get to Ithaca in September.;)
 
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Hi Guys:

Becky and I will be coming to Ithaca for our first BACfest since Myrtle Beech. Look forward to seeing our fellow Bacers and making new acquaintenances.
 
Hey, Board, what's going on with BAC Fest?

We're a little over 8 weeks from BAC Fest.

Where's the registration info?

Where's the agenda?

Tell us something.
 
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CVH, ever the silver tongued eagle. But I guess with Oz out of the country, someone had to fill the Minister of Public Relations position!

Methinks your BACFest invitation will somehow get lost in the mail. Just send cash so TC and I can pay the bar tab.
 
BACFest 2011 is still in planning stages. While I am disappointed that something is not already up on the website to allow registration, some late changes in planning assignments for the event have created some delays. The event is for the dates advertised, so mark it off on the calendar. Once I get the final planning completed with the hotel/conference center, we will be able to get the registration section into play.

The agenda is complete, even if a few of the specific parts of the airport day remain to be defined. We have a guest speaker for the dinner event. I am waiting for some questions about meal choices and if we are going to spoil the attendees at a few of the events with an open bar.

I am expecting an extraordinary effort fromt the northeast crew towards getting members to this event.
 
Dan Jonas could use some help with BACFest.


Tom Corcoran - Prince Edward Island, Canada
 
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Being only 20 minutes flight time or an hour and 15 minutes drve time from KITH, I most certainly will be there.

Glenn
 
Denni and I are coming, of course. Although she is driving (sigh).
Ithaca was chosen because:
A) It is in the Northeast
B) It is within easy reach of 70% of members
C) If you go down anywhere within 100 miles, you can survive until rescue by eating grapes!!
 
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