Ramblings on BACfest 2016 (since it came up)
- The mean population center of the USA as of 2014 is Wright County Missouri.
This would suggest that a central location in Missouri would be fair and equitable. I’m thinking Branson, but we could do St. Louis and test those Kevlar belly pads over Ferguson. Seriously, landing at Branson, MO (Polk County) is like landing on a 3,500 foot aircraft carrier with the steep bank arguing for your eye’s attention on short final which is just over the freeway there. But many good shows, shops, restaurants and even a great go-cart track…Shops down on lake Taney-what’sit.
We could come up with a circle around the club membership if anyone has the mapping software and time...(*excuse the auto-number errors now...)
- The gambling center of the USA is either the FAA Headquarters or Las Vegas. This would suggest either Wichita (pass) or Las Vegas, NV (in which case I would take the pass line). I would second Las Vegas, NV. . LV is about 3,000 feet elev. but might as well be 10,000 if it’s a hot day. Our A23-19 took 28 minutes from KVGT to 7,500 feet at MGTOW on an 86-degree morning. We got a first-hand close-up of the AFB north of VGT and they were nice about the slow rate of climb… We will be going out again in Nov for a daughter's wedding and will do KHND - cab ride from KVGT to Bellagio for two with bags is a $50 bill but still cheaper than a rental car. (Mass landing at McCarran anyone?)
- Our third choice would be someplace with an amusement park, other than the hangar. Six Flags over anywhere, or Orlando would be fun.
- Asheville, NC would be fine, but places like Tunica (or Memphis on the other side of the river) might have more interesting music. MS valley is foggy hazy most mornings when I've been through. Why does NC bring to mind the banjo picking in Deliverance?
- We could try West Virginia and see if everyone is everyone else's brother or sister...(just kidding) But they do have airports - and so does Bananaland (KBNA/Nashville). Opry anyone?
- Am I (or is we) the only poor golfers with a Beech? How’s about something with a golf course and a tournament…We’re presently 50 handicappers but it is fun and unlike an airplane, you can throw things and you just expect things to end on the rough.
- Gulfport, NahLins and other spots on the Gulf Coast and have casinos and night life for those who are timid about density altitudes.
- We could all fly to the Bahamas for BACfest '16 rather than the spring trip (or in addition) or Key West and swig margaritas for a week and amble home to rehab with stories. Line up someone like Jimmy Buffet to do a guest shot? (Or simply hoist shots to him, heck, I dunno…) Speaking of which, I you haven’t read it, try on “The Fog: A Never-Before Published Theory of the Bermuda Triangle Phenomena†written by a Bonanza driver who went into the anomaly and flew out of it? Amazon link http://www.amazon.com/Fog-Published...2180&sr=8-1&keywords=the+fog+bermuda+triangle If you do nothing else, read the whole excerpt because that "fog" is an electro-magnetic deal and the air gauges on the Bonanza kept working and that's how the pilot survived. So if you ever get into The Bermuda Triangle Fog, air driven instruments only! It's a great excerpt on Amazon and totally worth the read and so was the book...Not like Stick and Rudder, except in a Rod Serling kind of way.​
- And speaking of crazy: Here is a wild idea…since I like to do new and outlandish things: There is this hobby that we saw a couple of years back at Ellijay when we were in for a mega annual. Railroad Speeder Cars... See the website http://www.railspeeders.com/excursions.asp the site hasn’t been updated for a long time, but it would sure be interesting to do something like a rail excursion in concert with a fly-in. Durango-Silverton is a little higher than our comfort zone and Durango field elevation is 6,700 feet which limits us (with fuel) to going there at 20-below zero, or thereabouts. Farmington Co is downhill 1,200 feet about 5,500 and a boring drive to get to the rail head. We like train trips, though, so maybe something like that as either a front-end or back in add-on to wherever…
- We might be interested in a flight to Washington (and it would give me a chance to use my SIFRA ticket...then rail or rental in to see the Smithsonian which is also on the bucket list.
- We like the big Air Force Museum up in Ohio...which we'd do again because it's more than a one-dayer...
Life’s short, and we only go around once. Unless doing a BFR…and your CFI yells "Go around! A bus full of nuns has just pulled onto the active runway!!!"
George and the blonde auto-pilot