It's almost time! Next Wednesday Sept. 18th is the “official” start to BACFest 2024. There are several who will be arriving early. If you would like, you can contact me for recommendations and suggestions!
No matter what day you arrive, if you are flying commercially into RDM, please send me your flight #, and cell phone number. I will pick you up at the terminal and bring you to the Waypoint Hotel. If you will be arriving to KBDN, please send me your tail number and cell phone number. Again, I will pick you up and bring you to the Waypoint.
Wed afternoon, from 3:00-6:00 we will have a welcome reception at the Waypoint. Beverages and appetizers will be available. Dinner options will be discussed at that time.
Thursday morning the Vans will depart early, (7:40) heading to the Sampson Sky facilities and tour. That will be followed by the Epic Aircraft tour before returning to the Waypoint. If you have signed up for the alternative activity, you will be driven to “Studio Create” where your session begins at 10:00.
In the afternoon, we will be visiting the High Desert Museum until 5:00 before returning to the Waypoint in preparation for dinner at the Deschutes Brewery Pub in downtown Bend @ 6:30.
Friday will be a Fly/Van excursion to Madras Oregon for the Erickson Aircraft Collection tour, and Ericksons fire bomber facilities visit. While in Madras we will all gather at the FBO for lunch before returning to the Waypoint either by air or by van.
Once we are back at the hotel, our special guest Mike “Cuckoo” Kloch will meet with us to present his brief lecture on “upset prevention & recovery training” or “UPRT” Mike is a two-time NAFI master CFI, a former F/A-18 pilot, combat veteran and school trained Naval aviation safety officer. UPRT is designed to train pilots to recover from a wide variety of situations throughout the entire attitude spectrum. Mikes passion for teaching UPRT skills is obvious. His full courses are 3 or 5 days with ground instruction as well as several flights, demonstrating the techniques and skills you learn in class.
After the UPRT class, we will all take a van trip to the Deschutes Brewery brewhouse, where they make their award winning brews for a factory tour and sampling.
Saturday will begin with the membership meeting at the hotel. Afterward we will visit Tumalo Falls a 97 foot waterfall 30 minutes from Bend. We will have snacks and games or if you still have energy after all the activities we have been doing, there is a short 1 mile walk to the top of the falls for wonderful photo moments.
After Tumalo Falls we will be having another Fly/Van outing to Sunriver, for shopping, touring, and lunch. Sunriver is a planned 3,300 acre residential and resort community 15 miles South of Bend. Within Sunriver, is a public use, privately funded, 5,455’ paved runway which was completely rebuilt in 2009.
We will return to Bend to prepare ourselves for our Annual Banquet and Awards ceremonies which will be held at McMenamins in downtown Bend. In 1985 the McMenamin brothers opened Oregon’s first Brew-Pub. It was an instant success which has been followed by 62 additional locations throughout Oregon and Washington. Many of their Brew-pubs are rehabilitated historical properties. The Bend McMenamins was the former St. Francis Catholic school which opened in 1936. This venue will be unlike anything that you have ever experienced.
Sunday we will put an end to the festivities allowing everyone to depart, but not before a few of your favorite BAC chefs don aprons and flip pancakes for a “walk-in” breakfast!
Of course, rides to the airports will be available for all departing travelers who do not have their own road transportation.
Karen and I are looking forward to showing everyone a great time in Bend for BACFest 2024.