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Another note! Yesterday evening Gene T. announced that he has decided to drop our landing fees to $50 instead of $60 for those that sign up for three or more days.
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Mark -
Hey guys we're one week out and I'm told the field is in great shape. All of the planning is going well. Also, I found that the event is now on the website for Apache Pass. They had problems with the web hosting software, from what I heard.
https://apachepassrc.com/home/events...pass-aero-tow/
So, come join us for a fun time flying aerotow in wildflower fields of central Texas. The team is hoping to see you there!MarkComment
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Made it to the hotel and drove out to the field...great wide open space and the grass is very well taken care of....excited to get flyingComment
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Great to hear that Jim. I knew when I first took a look...GREAT SITE! On the plus side the owner understands and welcomes RC operations! The weather moving in tonight and tomorrow should be gone totally by Friday and the rest of the weekend promises to be epic. Also, we have been told the field drains well, so Thursday may be good depending on the WX. See you Thursday. BTW, I did a complete double check on my Ventus and there is no more I can do but fly it, can't wait.MarkComment
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Okay guys, all of the dreaming, all of the planning, all of the hopes...now it is here, the time has come, and the details have been filled in...
Congratulations!
Have a great event and post lots of pictures 😎
A Site for Soar EyesComment
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I was hoping and planning on showing up tomorrow but in the process of starting a new job and covered up with HR stuff. Probably head over at the crack of dawn on Thursday morning.Comment
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I'm leaving before the crack of dawn tomorrow. See you mid-morning.MarkComment
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Sorry about no information on our first day yesterday. A big weather system moved through here mid week and dropped flash flooding quantities of rain and finished during Wednesday night. The early arrivals wanted to get on the field, but the field was quite wet at 9:30 AM. Gene my Co-ED told all the early arrivals not to show-up until noon because of the rain. By, noon the access road was dry enough to allow traffic, but one could get stuck if you drove onto the grass parking area.
So, everyone queued up single file on the access road. We setup and began flying around 1:30-2:00 after the field dried enough to allow flight operations. Lift was good and many flights were flown with no major incidents, except one landing in the young corn field east of the runway. We didn't leave the field until almost 7:00 PM. It seemed all were satisfied with the day.
Once I cleaned up I began to have internet connection problems. Sorry, I was too tired to spend time solving them and to get some pictures from our team. Hopefully we will have some for you tonight. The WX looks epic for today. Winds northerly under 10 MPH shifting to the east in the afternoon.with temperatures in the low 60's to upper 70's. Should be some big Texas Boomers around today!
MarkComment
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I’m sure Mark will post a more detailed event status but Friday was absolutely beautiful spring day. Everyone having a blast with most coming down due to neck strain.Comment
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Well our first full day was a success. The field had dried overnight with only a few damper spots remaining where water was standing the day before. The morning dew was light and I didn’t bother with my boots this time. As the forecast predicted crystal clear blue skies were to be seen everywhere. It looked like it would be a good day for casting for thermals…and it was!
We started operations around 10:00 AM and lift was cycling through on a regular basis. Winds at time felt a little higher at times, especially in the gusts, but were still very flyable. Gliders could be seen working lift in all segments of the compass. Before we shut down when lunch was readied by Linda and Ann many pilots had flown and some just came down, as Bryan has said, due to neck strain.
Operations commenced after lunch and again gilders were working lift in all segments of the compass. However, what goes up must come down and sometimes it appeared to be raining sailplanes! Two, new sailplanes were fledged, so to speak, Victors Arcus and my Ventus. Both pilots were satisfied with their uneventful maidens and had at least one satisfying subsequent flight. As the day progressed the winds became lighter as well.
We had no major incidents and the only down time was when we needed to attach a new tow line or two. Every tow pilot had a time to rest as we cycled them through and basically ran their aircraft fuel tanks dry without stoppages. Around 4:00 PM we shutdown operations, mostly because everybody had enough flying fun for the day.
Many used the vans we had rented to keep their aircraft assembled overnight. Once the field was put to bed for the night most of the group drove across the street to the icehouse to have an adult beverage or two and a very good evening meal. I’m sure many exaggerations were expressed during that time!
All in all a good day was had by everyone. Today, as I type this, looks to be very good as well. Typical Texas weather with very comfortable temperatures, enough breeze to keep the atmosphere active and I’m sure enough solar radiation to generate convection. It’s going to be another fun day!MarkComment
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Thanks for the update! Sounds like the event has already generated enough memories to keep everyone talking about it until next year...and there are still two more days!!!A Site for Soar EyesComment
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Was a bit of a chore to even get this bunch in one spot for a group photo to commemorate the inaugural Texas aero tow at Apache Pass. A number of others didn’t make it in the photo but what a time we’re having!Last edited by BryanB; 04-28-2019, 03:00 AM.Comment
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Nice turnout! I just got in from continuing education so you all know I had lots of fun...NOT! -
I think we came out to right around 30 registered pilots, plus wives and friends and a fairly good number of RC flyers that wanted to just come see as some definitely had interest in the sport. And a number of folks that just wanted to watch the fun. For our first Aerotow event it couldn’t have been much better. The venue itself is an ideal aerotow location with massive grass runway and wide open space. There is some talk of maybe having it twice a year but will definitely be an annual event. A couple different folks took a large number of photos. I don’t know if they’ll post them here or at least post a link to where they are located.
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Geez Bryan,
Thats a great turnout, congratulatuions to you and your team for putting together such a successful event in an area that has not been tapped. The weather is always the challenge and it seems like it held out for you guys.
Have you chosen the date for next year yet???? I'm coming down.
Thank you for sharing the fun...
See you soonLen Buffinton
Team Horizon HobbyComment
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I'm hoping it will be the same time next year but want to make sure the all local groups don't have a conflict for next year. A huge thank you goes out to Gene Travino and Mark Willams for their CD of the event. John Barton, Frank Blevins and their wives were right up there in being instrumental in making this happen plus a few others from the HOTSS (Heart of Texas Soaring Society) group that I can't remember off the top of my head. And, I can't forget the owner of the property and the Apache Pass R/C group that were kind enough to let us use their beautifully maintained airfield. I love it when a plan comes together!Last edited by BryanB; 04-28-2019, 08:17 PM.
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I just arrived home the truck is unpacked, but not much yet put away though. It is official we had 30 registered pilots and many visitors with some coming a rather long distance to watch. Sorry about no information the last day or two though. The hotel had no internet, through Wi-Fi or Ethernet, and I don't do the internet on my cell phone, so I could not log on the last two days...GRRR! My comment to the sympathetic desk clerk was "were not on the dark side of the moon".
A notable couple of young fliers came from Midland (Bruce and Aron) and camped out on the field. They said they wanted to learn about aero towing and with a little coaching from Gene and myself they were having a blast! They would get a tow and as soon as they were down they would get back in line for another. I think they were some new converts when they left for home Saturday.
Saturday was anticlimactic to Friday. The winds forecasted appeared and not much thermal activity was produced during the morning despite no cloud cover. They were most likely getting blown apart before they could develop well. After lunch a little activity formed, but was moving down wind rapidly and gaining good altitude within them was difficult, without going too far. As a result many chose to go back to their rooms and clean up for dinner. Isn't that a new concept for a sailplane crowd!
Attendance today was light, as it has been at other events I attended. Also, a low cloud deck lead to mostly sled rides off of tow. One thermal was caught for a ride when a flock of 8-10 buzzards were noticed just as one pilot was being towed up, but not much else was found. The team pack up at noon has we had announced and headed home.
In summary Gene and I heard nothing but complements of a good first time event. I would like to thank our three primary tow pilots Jim, Josh and Cody they did a great job getting us in the air. Also, they told me they had fun too. As the pictures come in to me that were taken I will get them posted here. We have yet to set a date for next year, most likely about the same time, and when we finalize it we will let you know.Last edited by Mark9; 04-29-2019, 03:41 PM.MarkComment
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