BACFest 2014 - Planning

I'll take a Philly Cheesesteak, some broiled chicken with sour-milk biscuits and some lemon jelly. Naw, just get out here!
 
Well the boss says I either have to use my leave or lose it, so it looks like I will be coming to my first BAC Fest! Not sure if I will be coming in commercial or flying myself, would prefer to bring CF-MEX, but will have to look at the weather trends in the mountains during September before I make that decision. For now count me in for numbers, just me, one only....LOL
 
We're coming! Elaine & George from Palestine, TX. N7912L

Does a certain Chiro from Nebraska & bride & Elliijay dinner friends wanna track over the I-90 VFR route? Might mean leaving the gear down, o'course...to kinda even things up...

Otherwise, we'll come up coast-wise from the south and go back over the rocky/Rockies... We had a grand trip last time through up there (Tacoma Industrial to Creswell, Or, then over to Sun River....The scenery from Seattle over to Ellensburg and Spokane to Bozeman is a once (but we're planning twice) in a lifetime ride. If you're coming from the South, Sun River (and south over the Deschutes River is in-frigging-credible, too, as is seeing Mt. Shasta from over Klamath Falls. (When we did it there was almost IFR smoke from fires, so we detoured west from NorCal down to Modesto and then down over Tahachapi Pass into North Las Vegas...KDVT and back east. That was the trip where the Badlands were Bad due to near IFR smoke too, if you remember the Colorado fires...)

I'm also thinking about shooting an approach into Cascade Locks (KCZK) to see if we can beat our lowest ever ground-speed landing (23 MPH thanks to a 30 gusting 33 at Palm Springs a couple of years back). Light fuel on an A23-19 with VGs isn't exactly short field contestant, but it has a certain je ne said quoi about it, them places upwind from PDX toward Yakima can be fun, too....

Seriously, 1800 feet and 30' wide? Read the warnings here: http://www.oregon.gov/Aviation/Pages/warning.aspx#Cascade_Locks

Load up on Enzyte (or whatever the lady's equivalent is), first?

Even a touch & go would be one for the logbook, though. 1800 feet in a ground-hugger? uh...yeah....

Assuming my IQ doesn't drop any lower, see you at the fly-in!
 
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George, it is good to hear from you and recall the great time we had together working on our planes last year. Linda and I are planning on being at BACFest 2014. I would like to fly it, but have not made the final decision on whether to fly our Sierra or take the airlines. I have been looking at following I80 to I84 into Portland. I90 is quite a ways north and looks like it may have more mountains than the I84 route. I am more concerned about IFR weather on and near the coast. My son-in-law has a brother in Corvalis, OR and he says it rains all the time there. I know Bob is planning on coming and I think he will bring one or both sons. I look forward to another Hammerhead dinner among old friends again. It will be hard to beat the back droop of the Smoky Mountains at Ellijay.
 
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Don't worry too much about the wx during Sept. It's very dry here July thru Oct. Your biggest concern will be the dry wild fires. Plenty of TFRs.


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Thanks Jim. I have a couple of cousins in Gig Harbor that would like to fly up and see. I am also a bit sentimental about the Tacoma area as that is where my folks met and where my two brothers were born. I also went to the Seattle World's Fair with my family....Boy does that date me. Flying up the coast with Mt. St. Helen off to the east and the ocean to the west seems like it would be very scenic. It would take quite a bit more time to have to drive although we did that about 10 years ago when we were in the Sea-Tac area. We wanted to go to an ocean beach and my cousins told me it would be best to go to Canon Beach in Oregon. This is not far from Portland and would be a must see for anyone who likes that sort of thing.
 
Urbansurvival said:
I'm also thinking about shooting an approach into Cascade Locks (KCZK) to see if we can beat our lowest ever ground-speed landing (23 MPH thanks to a 30 gusting 33 at Palm Springs a couple of years back). Light fuel on an A23-19 with VGs isn't exactly short field contestant, but it has a certain je ne said quoi about it, them places upwind from PDX toward Yakima can be fun, too....
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My best "lowest ground speed" landing was in the "Gorge" just East of Portland at Hood River. 3 kts. Had to add power to taxi. I was in my Stinson at the time.
 
Easy flying between Portland and the Seattle area. MEAs are around 6K, good flight following and good ADS-B coverage.
If VFR, once you get handed off to Seattle approach, ask for a class B clearance. No problem, they are very accomidating.


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I've also been thinking about flying to BAC Fest. I haven't flown the Sundowner west much, certainly not over the Rockies, so I'm looking at it as an adventure. Then again, I've always wanted to take Amtrak out west. Decisions, decisions. The only thing I know for sure is that I am going to BAC Fest!
 
My best "lowest ground speed" landing was in the "Gorge" just East of Portland at Hood River. 3 kts. Had to add power to taxi. I was in my Stinson at the time.
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T'aint nothin! I actually flew BACkerds here at KLGD in a Traumahawk in 1999. Was a screaming downwind, and crazy base..... but I actually was watching the numbers for 34 get farther away! After adding power, and hovering over the numbers, and setting her down "ON" them, I had to add lotsa power just to make the first turn in about 30 feet!. But BOY ... what a taxi! Just about blew the doors off of that thing on dismount.

I sure Love the way the Super handles the same winds!
See ya all at BACFest (barring any unseen - issues)
 
The interest in BACFest 2014 seems to be heating up. The attendee list grows every day. I'm ready to see a new list of who is planning to attend.
It will give me an opportunity to get face to face with some Pacific Ocean types like Thom Smith, a guy I've corresponded with on similar health issues but never met.
Also, I'll see Jeff Knight who lives in Alberta who I met at a BAC fly-in he went to on Prince Edward Island, Canada last year (He flew 1800+ miles).
And I look forward to some good arguments with the likes of Marty Vanover and Sciscoe and the other thugs and hoodlums I have met in BAC.

Reminder, Margie and I have booked a week cruise to Alaska beginning September 21 from Seattle. We'd love company. (Norwegian Cruise Lines Glacier Bay on the Pearl).

Tom Corcoran, Boston
 
corcoran said:
The interest in BACFest 2014 seems to be heating up. The attendee list grows every day. I'm ready to see a new list of who is planning to attend.
It will give me an opportunity to get face to face with some Pacific Ocean types like Thom Smith, a guy I've corresponded with on similar health issues but never met.
Also, I'll see Jeff Knight who lives in Alberta who I met at a BAC fly-in he went to on Prince Edward Island, Canada last year (He flew 1800+ miles).
And I look forward to some good arguments with the likes of Marty Vanover and Sciscoe and the other thugs and hoodlums I have met in BAC.
Click to expand...

Yes things are heating up indeed! Temperatures are now in the 50's this week and might even seem some 70's this week here in the PDX area!! Let's hope for BACFest, temperatures will still be in the 70's.

Tom - That cruise looks fantastic! I wish I could go. Anyone that can go, should go. Is Sciscoe coming? I have not seen him chime in yet, Sciscoe, you coming?

Also, here is a link to the "official" 2014 BACFest, it has the latest list of who's planning to attend:

https://vbl.beechaeroclub.org/showthread.php/9661-BACFest-2014-Planning?p=67109&viewfull=1#post67109
 
Tom, you got me beat. My slowest groundspeed was "0", yrs ago at north vegas in a champ. Hope you are doing well and look foward to seeing you at BACfest.
 
My niece and her husband took a cruise up the inland passage from Seattle. First few days were nice enough. But it got boring quick. They wound up wishing they took the short cruise. But they are young and probably get bored faster than some of us senior types. I hate boats.

September will be a good month for me. Looking forward to BAC Fest. I invited Sciscoe to fly with me, but he snoozed on that one. Probably intentional as he's flown with me before (I make him do all the flying). I do hope the weather is good. My Northwest scudrunning techniques are a bit rusty. I know it can be beautiful, but it is the Northwest. I'll leave here for Reno and attend the air races. 50th year for them this year. Last year was the 50th year of air racing. Then my bride will arrive after the races and we will fly to Sun Valley for a few days of relaxation (and maybe some fishing). Then on to Vancouver for BAC Fest. I don't think my wife will make it to BAC Fest as she doesn't like to hear airplane talk for more than a minute or so. I'm hoping I can talk her in to staying at least for the "Social". Afterwards, she will take a jet home and I'll fly to McMinnville and pick up some of the local wine. They'll deliver to the airport for you. Pressing on with the precious cargo, I'll head to California, spend a few days with an ol' Navy Buddy (flies a Mooney) and stop off here and there until I make my way home. This will probably be the last big trip in the Sierra. Too bad I'll be mostly flying alone. But, I'll get a couple legs in with the bride and that will be neat..... if it isn't bumpy.
 
A Sailor that hates boats . Any Airman that hate airplanes? I wouldn't mind flying a leg with you if its okay? I am going Commercial but it doesn't have to be round trip DC to Portland .I wonder if anybody else out there would like to split a flight to Bacfest or any of the other events this year.
 
Well, I've had a windfall and think I can save that money for this long trip and all the expenses that go with it. After this, I'm afraid I'll be relagated to the $100 pancake. As far as personal transportation, the airlines now pretty much beat the Sierra for the 500+ nm trips. Things would be different if I had someone to share the experience or someone to share the cost, but I have neither really. So, it will pretty much be breakfast over there, and lunch over yonder from here on out.
 
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