South Louisiana Gyro Gathering a Success [Archive]

rgraffeo

03-13-2005, 02:06 PM

Here are the totals of this weekends event:

People-50
People at banquet-25

Gyros-14 & one under construction
Gyros that flew-11 (one had engine trouble & two, the pilots need training)
Fixed wing aircraft-4

States represented:
Louisiana
Florida
Texas
Colorado
Arkansas
Alabama

PRA chapters represented:
Chapter 6
Chapter 20
Chapter 26
Chapter 62

Friendly

03-13-2005, 03:38 PM

Is hard to down size a crowd that large into a picture that small.

Friendly

03-13-2005, 03:55 PM

When Rudy cooks people show up. And Scott it was not possium

bogman

03-15-2005, 06:41 PM

Yes indeed Mark, ole Rudy done good!! :) My wife doesn't usually like Jambalaya, but she liked that batch. I didn't think those folks from Florida would eat it, but they were tearin' it up. :D

How about that show Gary put on. :eek: He could charge admission for that. :D I'd love to see Ron try to follow him around. It's good to see just what all a gyro in skilled hands can do.

Bill did a great job with the meeting after lunch and everything went off like clockwork. Another great Louisiana Fly-In

GyroRon

03-15-2005, 06:45 PM

Gary who? :)

ultracruiser41

03-15-2005, 07:11 PM

Sounds like a challenge Ronny!!! :cool:

Bet he can't do what you did in the 30+mph winds we had this past weekend !! :D

BarryK

Friendly

03-15-2005, 08:27 PM

What we need is some video cameras strapped to these guy gyros so we can all share in the thrill over and over again. There is a lot of talent out there. Video will perserve those flying moments for all of us. I have heard Ron is a good operater, I know Gary Hall is. Mike G and the fellow flying the skydancer were great as well. Somebody help me out, I did not learn his name at the flyin. I apologize for that.

rgraffeo

03-16-2005, 03:45 AM

Mark,
That's Danny Whitten form Porter, Texas.
I understand there are only two gyros like that flying.

Here is the group picture you sent me, we were missing several folks. They guys from the EAA that flew in their fixed wings had already left.

gyromike

03-16-2005, 04:31 AM

Here is a shot of Danny Whitten landing his Sky Dancer.

Dean_Dolph

03-16-2005, 05:08 AM

Mark,
That's Danny Whitten form Porter, Texas.
I understand there are only two gyros like that flying.Rudy, I only know of three John Bond Skydancers that have been built (there may have been others) and Danny's is the only one still flying that I know of. Danny performed in Texas air shows for many years in his Bensen but flies much more conservatively now that he has reached a 'mature' age! He did say that he was clipping along at 80 mph during the time he and Mike Gaspard were chasing each other around.

If I can get my act together I'll see if I can get the pictures I took out of the digital camera. I didn't have my contacts in and found that my glasses hindered focusing so no tellin' what I got!

You guys did a great job and now that the word is out you can expect an even larger turn out next year. Oh yeah, what was the mystery meat(s) in the jambalaya? Ken Rehler was speculating on all kinda animals but I don't think armadillo was one of them!

Ruidoso Ron

03-16-2005, 05:57 AM

I lived in South Lousiana for several years. Nutria is one of the favorites.

gyronutt

03-16-2005, 06:03 AM

here's mark's aka friendly :eek: kb-2 running

rgraffeo

03-16-2005, 01:18 PM

Dean,
Mike Gaspard is collecting pictures for a future PRA magazine article. If you have any good ones please send them his way.

As for the meat, you really don't ask questions when something is given to you. I did notice that everyone ate their fill.

gyromike

03-16-2005, 01:49 PM

As for the meat, you really don't ask questions when something is given to you. I did notice that everyone ate their fill.

There was a noticable lack of roadkill in the vicinity of the airport!

Dean_Dolph

03-16-2005, 03:23 PM

There was a noticable lack of roadkill in the vicinity of the airport!I guess that answers the question as to why Rudy won't tell us what was used. He probably couldn't identify it!

bogman

03-16-2005, 04:36 PM

I lived in South Lousiana for several years. Nutria is one of the favorites.

Especially nutria tenderized by an 18 wheeler. :D

Friendly

03-16-2005, 04:47 PM

well you got to admit Rudy does a fine job of skinning the varmits, look there is no hair anywhere in that pot. Just looking at it will make you hungrey all over again!!

CLS447

03-17-2005, 01:07 AM

Did Ken R. get back home yet? I'm beginning to worry. Ken where are you? How about some pics?

bogman

03-17-2005, 06:19 AM

Sounds like a challenge Ronny!!!

No challenge Barry, what I ineptly tried to convey was that I would like to see the two of them puttin' on a display together. It would be better than watchin' the Blue Angels perform.

GyroRon

03-17-2005, 06:54 AM

BogDaddy.... Invite him to Bensen days this year! We can go tear up the cow pastures in formation!

stuart

03-17-2005, 07:03 AM

You guys did a great job...nothing like those first days of spring and gyros to get you fired up...thanks. stuart

bogman

03-17-2005, 09:05 AM

Will do Ron, but I think he said he blew up something in his engine. Something expensive. Don't know if he'll have it going by then.

Did you ever try any of those mower blades from wingfield ag?

rehler

03-17-2005, 10:11 AM

Chris,

Yes, I did get home. It only took about 8 hours on the road.

It was a fun fly-in with really great people and lots of flying time. Sunday morning was the best flying as the wind was not as strong. I hated to land, but I had to get on the road home.

Sunday on one flight Danny Whitten and I flew over the Mississippi and over a beautiful plantation home. There were great views.

Dean_Dolph

03-17-2005, 12:49 PM

Dean,
Mike Gaspard is collecting pictures for a future PRA magazine article. If you have any good ones please send them his way....Okay, I've had a chance to look at the pictures I took and the majority of them came out okay but the composition wasn't too good in many of them. Now, what do I do with them? I would like to post some here but if Mike can use them for the mag then I would like him to have first shot. Is there a problem posting here and also publishing in the mag? I'll need Mike's email address.

I have attached a picture of the Jambalaya King!

gyromike

03-17-2005, 01:58 PM

CLS447

03-17-2005, 03:24 PM

Well, it sounds like everyone had a good, safe time. That's great!

Ken R.
Glad to hear you made it back in one piece. Sounds like fun. Where are the pics?

When are we going to get a full update on the new flight characteristics of the Lonestar gyro? Details....details....

GyroRon

03-17-2005, 03:28 PM

Okay, I've had a chance to look at the pictures I took and the majority of them came out okay but the composition wasn't too good in many of them. Now, what do I do with them? I would like to post some here but if Mike can use them for the mag then I would like him to have first shot. Is there a problem posting here and also publishing in the mag? I'll need Mike's email address.

I have attached a picture of the Jambalaya King!

Is that the famous Rudy?

and please post the pics! I can see them again in the magazine!!!

GyroRon

03-17-2005, 03:29 PM

Will do Ron, but I think he said he blew up something in his engine. Something expensive. Don't know if he'll have it going by then.

Did you ever try any of those mower blades from wingfield ag?

Yes, thanks to you and Chuck I ordered 3 sets and have been a happy mowerman!

Dean_Dolph

03-17-2005, 04:11 PM

.....When are we going to get a full update on the new flight characteristics of the Lonestar gyro? Details....details....Chris, first, you might ask Ken about his wind powered gyro trailer!

Friendly

03-17-2005, 05:46 PM

haha, all of this because some highway worker up north didn't remove a possium from the centerline before he painted it!

Dean_Dolph

03-18-2005, 04:29 AM

Can anyone tell me the name of the guy from Florida that is going to pickup the two place Dominator at Bensen Days? I'm talking about the guy that soloed at 80 years of age! I didn't hear all the details at the meeting but someone said he is now 82! Did I hear right?

gyromike

03-18-2005, 04:38 AM

Dean,

I believe his name is John Palmer.

rehler

03-18-2005, 07:59 AM

Dean mentioned my "wind powered gyro trailer".

To illustrate how windy it was at the fly-in, my trailer was parked on a paved parking lot without wheel chocks. The wind blew it off the pavement down a hill into a gulley turned 90 degrees and tilting over on its side (about 45 degrees but still on the wheels). With help we got it pulled back up onto the pavement and put concrete blocks at each tire to keep it from blowing away again.

Chris, my gyro is working fine. I usually fly around 70 mph, but a few weeks ago it was a calm day and I looked at the ASI and I was flying at just over 100 mph. I didn't even notice that the speed had crept up so high (need firmer trim adjustment).

rgraffeo

03-19-2005, 07:47 PM

If any of you guys have some notes about what happened at the Gonzales meet could you please send them to me by email?

Mike Gaspard, Bill Wieger & myself are trying to get an article together for the PRA magazine.

Dean_Dolph

03-19-2005, 07:58 PM

Dean,

I would like to cull through the pictures and use the best ones for the Magazine article.

My email address is in my sig but if you have a bunch, or if they're hi-resolution, it may be easier to burn 'em to CD and drop it in the mail.

If so, my mailing address is:

18411 Hwy. 699
Kaplan, La. 70548

I'd appreciate any you could contribute.
I am also considering putting all of our Gonzales pictures on one CD for whoever wants one. I took over 100 pics myself.Mike, I don't have a dvd burner in my old computer and the new one isn't debugged yet. However, I'll see what I can put together and see if I can burn a CD. I haven't used the burner much so it is a hit and miss situation. I only took about 30 pictures.

gyromike

03-20-2005, 04:04 AM

Thanks Dean.

A CD would be fine, with the pictures in raw .jpg format.
I'll crop as necessary.

rehler

03-20-2005, 12:33 PM

I just received a good group photo from Rudy Graffeo (below) of most of the pilots at the fly-in. About 8 or 10 others were taking photos, so they were not in the picture.

Thanks Rudy!

Friendly

03-20-2005, 02:07 PM

Now that's a good looking bunch of somebody's

Glenn D

03-23-2005, 04:07 PM

Well Guys,

I Finally got off my Lazy butt and resized a few shots and sent them in, and took a break from building my bee,

Glenn

Dean_Dolph

03-24-2005, 03:30 PM

Dean,

I would like to cull through the pictures and use the best ones for the Magazine article.

My email address is in my sig but if you have a bunch, or if they're hi-resolution, it may be easier to burn 'em to CD and drop it in the mail.

If so, my mailing address is:

18411 Hwy. 699
Kaplan, La. 70548

I'd appreciate any you could contribute.
I am also considering putting all of our Gonzales pictures on one CD for whoever wants one. I took over 100 pics myself.Okay, Mike, I have the CD ready to mail tomorrow. I checked a couple of the pictures so I guess the CD is okay.