Two Fly-In Weekend

This past weekend I had TWO fly-in options.  What else could I do but attended both of them!

Crazy!! I know…

The first was the New Mexico Pilots Association Gila Fly-in at Reserve, NM which was Friday thru Sunday.

The second was the annual Quickie/Q2/Q200 Field of Dreams Fly-in at Enid, OK which was Thursday thru Sunday.

The weather was a bit crazy due to the remnants of some hurricanes or tropical storms or something. However; it actually worked out pretty well.

On Thursday, nearly all of New Mexico was IFR (bad flying weather). That is highly unusual!! So, I was going nowhere that day.

On Friday, the weather all across Texas and Oklahoma was IFR (again, bad…). I was sure NOT getting into Enid, OK that day.

So, what to do?!?!

Like any wise aviator… I took the option that was currently available!!

I flew over to Reserve Friday morning, hung out, and ate dinner with the gang.

Our poor Negrito back country airstrip. The airstrip at which this fly-in used to be located. Apparently it had to be moved so the people that are afraid of that dirt airstrip can attend. Shedding a tear…

I then zipped back home at dusk. See how long those shadows are getting!

Saturday dawned a very nice day with clear skies all the way to Enid, so off I went. It is a fairly long trip of about 525 nautical miles (600 statute miles) which required a fuel stop. I chose Dumas, TX as they had the best fuel price in the area. Eastern New Mexico had lots of ground fog – again, very unusual. With the time zone change, I didn’t arrive until shortly after lunch and then the fun began!!

I previously had a Quickie (aircraft) and then later a Q2 and have been a member of this group and known these same guys and gals for thirty years. They are wonderful people and more of a family now than anything else. We used to get together to look at airplanes and talk details about what each person was doing with their airplane. Now it is a family reunion!! We hardly notice the airplanes and instead catch up on each person, their children, life’s up’s and down’s, and what’s going on in their lives! I really love each of them and sometimes forget that the effort involved to attend these events is well worth it.

We stayed up late talking and Sunday morning arrived all too quickly. The Sunday morning weather was poor and Enid was IFR due to low cloud ceiling. It was an inconvenience for many but, in hindsight, I was thankful. It gave me more time to visit with my family!!

The cloud layer eventually lifted and people began departing just before noon. It was sad to see them go.

Another very long time member and I were both headed west so we decided to make the flight together. He was flying a Long-EZ and our airplane cruise speed aligned pretty well. Our trip to Tucumcari, NM was very nice and having someone to talk on these long flights is always very nice and very appreciated. He was staying the night there and would then continue onto the San Francisco bay area the next day. I fueled up and continue home.

The remainder of the flight was very bumpy. Flying over New Mexico on a hot afternoon is always bumpy so not unexpected. I went up to 10,500′ to find the cool air and minimize the roughness as much as possible. The final 1.5 hours passed fairly quickly and soon enough I was home.

I’ve had “cockpit comfort” for the RV-4 on my to do list for a while but often forget the priority until I make a long cross-country flight like this. I now remember!!! Before spending another ten hours in the cockpit – I need an Oregon Aero memory foam seat!!