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French Lick Insights

wab003

COG President
Supporting Member
Cincinnati, OH
Aircraft Year
1998
Aircraft Type
114TC/115TC
Reg Number
N114AD
Serial Number
20020
Re: French Lick Insights

Harsh crowd!
 
Re: French Lick Insights

These guys are tough! Make sure you landing is picture perfect or maybe come in after dark :)

We're having a lot of fun already and the official program hasn't even started!

The attached is some of the co-pilots enjoying themselves last evening.
 

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Re: French Lick Insights

:DNotice:
Landings will be judged at Kendallville. We have an unbiased team of pilots, comedians and Amish.
Your score (1 to 10) will be shown on cards by the terminal, visible from the runway.
Extra points will be given for those who drop bribe money on the downwind leg over the terminal building.
Any money collected will go toward RB & V Friday night.
 
Re: French Lick Insights

Video Tape the Landings and for a small donation ($50.00) Pilot can challenge his score and view the tape.Save the best ones for the Big Screen Saturday night.

Juergen Koehn
N5893N,114A/GT
 
Re: French Lick Insights

Juerge,
That is good.
Maybe we can have an award for the best landing.
And an award
to be scored Saturday night for the best crowd pleaser
 
Re: French Lick Insights

Camellia and I landed at 7PM Wed. Soft no squeel perfect landing. Found 10 Commanders parked and No one around. FIGURES!
Found ropes and chocks hanging on the fence. Caught up with the usual suspects later at the hotel and having a great time.
 
Re: French Lick Insights

Wow what a great time we made it home took about 3 hours for working around the weather. Once on ground noticed i have a bird strike and put a big dent in the leading edge outboard wing so looks like I may be making another trip up north to Williams in near future. Then next year a turbolizer!!!!! Lol great to see all of you this weekend and pray you all have safe travels home. Everyone check in here when you make it home. Can't wait till Fredericksburg:-)
 
Re: French Lick Insights

Sorry to hear about your wing Lonnie.... I think the birds figured out your 100LL was great for cleaning greasy feathers and have been secretly using your leaking wing as a mineral spring bath... the one you hit just hadn't heard you fixed it yet.

Made it home in 4 1/2 hours... (10:30 CST, 11:30 Indiana time) got a real early start and was able to fly above the weather leaving Indiana and in-between layers from mid-arkansas home.
 
Re: French Lick Insights

I don't why you guys are complaining about the weather. It was clear the whole way to the Northeast, with a 10kt tail wind.

Great big thanks to Bill Bailey, Mike Carpenter, and all the others involved in putting this together. It was another terrific fly-in, great location, and even better crowd. Nice to see some newbies there too, and know they'll fit in with the rest of this nutty bunch. :)

On to Fredericksburg!
 
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Re: French Lick Insights

Serveral people asked about the custom shirts with the Commander embroidery that Betty and I had.
The shirts were done from a picture and people are great to work with. They were at Oshkosh
Star Enterprises
www.embroideryfromphotos.com
269-857-4324
Ask for Dominique:)
 
Re: French Lick Insights

Very cool Pat.
 
We're back home also, another great fly-in, we can't wait to see all of you again next year.
 
Great seeing everyone! Tough weekend for Lonnie, but as usual, I love your positive attitude. Please post your pictures and can't wait for Texas next year. Took 48 minutes to get home. No weather to dodge. Safe travels everyone!
 
Re: French Lick Insights

Can't wait for the photo's to be posted. See and thought you were talking Virginia. Safe travels to all.
 
Re: French Lick Insights

Camellia/I home safe. Wrote long detailed flight report.Lost in cyberspace. 3.15 hrs direct. More later. All superbly wonderful. Texting from phone.
 
Re: French Lick Insights

We had a great time. Really need to look into coming a day or two earlier next year. Two days just isn't enough. Missed talking to a couple of people that we wanted to visit with and cut too many other visits shorter than we'd have liked. Bill, Barbara and everyone else involved - great job and thanks for all your efforts. It was superb!! Ian and Regina so sorry you weren't there. We missed you.
 
Re: French Lick Insights

Well, I made it home fine with Angelo and Natalie, but something tells me I will be visiting French lick again in the very near future.
 
Re: French Lick Insights

Well, I’ll try again from the puter via wifi from our Camp Camellia Tree Farm:
After getting gassed out by diesel fumes in front of French Lick, we finally got the FL suburban to the airport @ noon. Two Commanders left besides our N112HT: Birdstrike Bills and Scott’s. Was a Sad sight not to have ALL of our Commanders together still there. We had lunch with Bill Kimmell . FRH airport Mgr. Did you know that Bill’s son went to the Naval Academy, Flew F18’s and is now a CO of a Frigate?
With the discount, made sense to ‘top off’ and try ‘FRH-HWY Direct’ (3.5-4 hrs?) by minimizing my fluid intake. As we were wrapping up, Bill and Barbara arrived and Camellia/I shared our final smiles and hugs. As has been said, What a superb job Bill, Mike and the team did. Both Greg & Glenn’s insights and perspectives (again) always most refreshing and welcome updates!

So we took off about 1:15-ish. Started at 5500 as the overcast was not a factor, but the southerly winds were picking up. By the time we crossed SW of Cincinatti Class B, it was getting bumpy. So I went to 7500. Was smooth enough, but every once in a while, I was being blown off course (or was it fighting 'precession of the DG' also a factor??. The GPS showed the wiggling course. Just as we entered the ‘concerning leg’ (N of Charlestown to Elkins and over the mts; BAM, a wing schear that knocked Camellia’s Ifly 720 GPS off its suction mount. Would not reboot. Glad I bought two. Then I realized the SD card had popped out. All well by BOGGS (USW). Good news was I was leaned out at 1625 ( cyl 2 and 3 would reach peak above that) but I was burning 10.4 to 10.6 gph at 7500ft. Much better than the 12.2 at 5500. Speeds varied from 139 to 154 knots, but once I approached Elkins and to get over the Cu’s over the ridges, (started a climb to 9500) I was amazed. I saw 164kts at the same 32”MP and 2400 rpm and 1625 EGT readings. Turns out we didn’t have to go to 9500, topped out about 9.1 and then began a slow descent (camellia’s ears) at 250rpm once past Elkins ‘Brown’ and crossed the Shenandoahs at 7.8. Watching EGT’s had a readout of 166 kts. Continued our descent E and looped over the tree farm at 1600; 8NM SE HWY) & set up for the landing.

Lonnie- a BIG BUG wacked /splattered on my windscreen at 7400 just east of the Shenandoahs and downwind in the pattern a HAWK almost got me, Actually banked hard left to avoid him. So we landed about 4:30; the EI R1 said 3.15 hr and the Tfly GPS said 3.13 hr. I burned 38.1 gal; 29.9 remaining and Frank hit it on the nose- about a 10 kt tailwind ; as we averaged 169.67mph for the trip.
Vince, I seemed to have less problems with the friction locks coming home. I tightened the mixture side a little more gently , and used the Pilot side as my main. Was able to keep the rpms with 30RPM and the constant speed governor was doing its thing, and the MP never varied more than 0.4 from my 32” setting. Very [pleased with the fuel burn, and both out and back used 5/8 qt of oil. Engine has about 20 hrs on it now. Maybe rings not quite ‘seated’???
Camellia also enjoyed the entire event and meeting the LOCO’s. Sorry guys if your wives will now be asking for pure Silver (not aircraft aluminum) COMMANDER earrings and necklace set (which I had made for Camellia 21 years ago). A little enticement didn’t hurt years ago.

We are looking forward to the Texas/ Fredericksburg trip and event next year as we missed the last one. Of course have an ‘enhanced’ list of “Wanna Do’s”!
Wonderful seeing everyone, Glad I had a ‘spare’ that helped Radu, sorry Scott didn’t have what you need, but we did ‘keep an eye on’ the Green Machine as we departed. And I will tell Sid that I did NOT get a glare from your panel.

I think this was a better event that I enjoyed at the Cape ; certainly the coming/going weather arranged by Bill and the team was! Again- THANKS from Both of US TO ALL INVOLVED IN PLANNING/ IMPLEMENTING this FL /FRH Fly-in!
Sherman/ Camellia
 
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