Chopper Channel Chopout

StanFoster

Active Member
Joined
Nov 16, 2003
Messages
17,139
Location
Paxton, Il
Aircraft
Helicycle N360SF
Total Flight Time
1250
I will be flying my Helicycle out of my stairshop next year. I have a woods that has a section all knarled and twisted up from the 2004 tornado that destroyed my stairshop. The first picture is my shop with what I call the "HOLE". The tornado tore out over 150 trees and I had a trackhoe spend 3 days clearing this 2 acre HOLE.

The trackhoe is back tomorrow to start clearing out my "chopper channel" through this knarled section of my woods. This is so I can safely fly in and out of the woods.

I am going to seed it down with alfalfa and other deer friendly vegetation and also eventually clear some small 4-wheeler trails so my grandkids can have a ball in a few years.

I will post the trackhoe pics and the completed channel as they are clearing it out.

Stan

Stan
 

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Sorry to hear about the damage!!
But Wow, looks beautiful and what a great idea for the grandkids and wildlife.

John
 
May be hard to believe, but I'm still as enthusiastic about flying as I was 30+ years ago.
So fairly certain I'm just going to become even more so about gyros once I'm flying them!
Can't wait!!
Thank you Stan.
John
 
My chopper channel will be around 500 feet long with an additional 250 into the hole. I could have flown my SparrowHawk out of here when I get done.

The family is all excited....my grandson is only 4 months old...and I have a granddaughter baking in the oven ready to hatch out in August. I am really enthused about turning my wrecked woods into a helipark...and grandkid adventure park.

I have plans for having a Midwest Flyfest there and I would love to see how many choppers, gyros and fixed wingers I can park in the "hole"


Stan

That is really just the coolest thing I ever heard!!!
John
 
My Strip

My Strip

This is the strip I put in at my home for my Xenon.

The first shot shows the proximity of the strip (left lower half) to my home (midscreen right). Then down the hill (if you follow that road) you can see my hangar/shop.

The second shot shows an approach to 34.
 

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Stan Chopper Channel :whoo: I like the sound of that!


Tom nice very nice !
 
WHICH BRINGS UP A POINT ...

Why isn't there a PRA Chapter in Colorado? Or at least, one I know about?
 
WHICH BRINGS UP A POINT ...

Why isn't there a PRA Chapter in Colorado? Or at least, one I know about?

Tom, Here is the sad truth to your question.
Nobody wants to step up to the plate and fill the office positions. It has been talked about many times and many people want to be general members but nothing more.
 
Stan, looking forward to seeing your channel progress. Tom, that's a sweet home strip. Very nice.
 
Tom, Here is the sad truth to your question.
Nobody wants to step up to the plate and fill the office positions. It has been talked about many times and many people want to be general members but nothing more.
Okay, Tom, here's your chance! Make it happen! However, I am getting a little tired of sending chapter starter packets to Colorado and then don't see any result.
 
Are we having fun yet?

Are we having fun yet?

My trackhoe guy never showed up yesterday to start chomping out the channel. I need some pictures here to re hijack my thread.:lol:

Stan

Sorry I can sympathize, been there done that! If you want it done on time, you got to do it yourself.

But I wrote you this little Blues ditty to sing to help us wallow in sorrow while waiting and maybe sign to them when they do show up asking for Da money.

Oh sorrow disillusion and heartbreak on my mind.
Darn construction workers never do show up on time.

Dreamed, skimmed, saved and planned.
Even have a contract in my hand.

Oh sorrow disillusion and heartbreak on my mind.
Darn construction workers never do show up on time.

But here I wait broken hearted.
Paid my nickel, but, no one started!

Oh sorrow disillusion and heartbreak on my mind.
Darn construction workers never do show up on time.

Oh, don't they know, why don't they care.
There mess'n with Stan's Dreams to get into the Air!!!
And this here waiting, just plane aint fair.

John #42
 
The trackhoe arrived today and chomped out my chopper channel. At 60,000 pounds....it looked like a tryannosaurus rex on steroids.

I am looking forward to someday flying in and out of this channel to my stairshop.

Stan
 

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Dang! I haven't seen black dirt since I moved away from Indiana!

How much for a dump truck load of that stuff Stan? :)
 
Looking good!
Cheers
 
My friend took me up in his KitFox today and I took these pictures of my chopper channel. I graded it yesterday and this fall I will disc it up litely and plant some clover/alfalfa/grass for the deer. I have noticed that the deer love this channel as they like to be in the open, away from people...and yet yards away from a wooded seclusion that they can get just disappear into.

I wont be hover taxiing through there this year as it would be a dust storm.

This channel is a lot wider than it looks. I am going bury some white plastic caps down the centerline of this channel and use these to hover taxi down the center of this channel into the big clearing....then set down near my shop where it will be hangared next year.


Stan
 

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I have planned all along to seed my chopper channel down the first week of September...if there is rain coming. The remnants of Hurricane Gustav is making its way to Illinois tonight and tomorrow bringing its much needed rain.

I got my 87 year old dad out of retirement and he loved coming out and grading some loose soil up...I then sowed some clover, grass, and alfalfa seed...which was then harrowed in by dad. Dad loves this kind of stuff..and its all ready waiting for the raindrops that I am just now hearing hitting the windows.

If you notice...there is a tree at the end with an overhanging branch. I am having a boom truck come out and snip it off. I want to be able to start climbing out after I reach 40 mph....instead of hover taxiing down to the end then climbing out.

Thanks dad....I owe you an R22 ride when I get my helicopter rating!

Stan
 

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