GyroRon
Former Gyro know it all
- Joined
- Oct 29, 2003
- Messages
- 16,888
- Location
- Fort Mill South Carolina
- Aircraft
- Vans RV4 / Dominator 582 Ultrawhite
- Total Flight Time
- ALOT
Wow what a blast I had... just got home tonight from a full day of flying across the country, got caught up on my emails and posts here and downloaded my pictures.
Didn't get to do the big Northwest gyro trip as we had started to plan to do. We had so much fun in Spokane and then in Seattle that the time I had there flew by and I stayed plenty busy.
Short-ish version of my trip....
Flew out to Spokane last Wednesday, with connecting flights in Chicago and also Seattle. Todd picked me up and dropped me off at the firestation he works at while he went to his 2nd job for the rest of the afternoon. I got to hang out with his fellow firefighters and even got to ride along on the truck on a couple of emergency calls. Very cool experience and.... if you guys only knew what those firemen talk about in the truck and back at the station you would be shocked!!! It was very very fun!!! After Todd got off work we had dinner where his Wife works and then off to a Wrestling match.
Thursday we loaded up some of Todd models - planes and Helicopters - and went to a park near his house to fly them. First off, Todd has a model collection large enough to fill up a large room... He has 4 helicopters, and probably over 20 airplanes and even a remote controlled flying saucer!!! Flying the models that morning was the coldest I believe it was the whole time I was there. We were certainly freezing our butts off, but we had fun just the same. Todd let me fly his big Gas powered model helicopters which was a first for me.
Later Thursday we made it out to where he keeps his gyro. Todd rents hangar space for his gyro and his Ultralight airplane from a fellow firefighter who owns a hangar/house at a nice private airport community about 30 minutes from Spokane. Todd showed me his gyro and his plane and we decided to pull out the gyro and I took it up for a flight - never mind the fact that it was below freezing and we had snow flakes falling from the sky!!! All I can say is DAM Todd has some beautiful terrain to fly over..... mountains, flat lands, farmfields, lakes, etc.... etc.... etc..... Anyway after about 40 minutes I had to come in since it was getting dark and we put the gyro back in the hangar and went back to Todds place were I hung out for the evening while he and his family went back in town to watch more wrestling.
Friday we decided to go back to the airport for more flying. We made it out there a little after lunch and I worked with Todd to get his blades smoother. We played with stringing them, worked on tracking etc.... and made a big improvement. I flew his gyro about 3 or 4 times Friday and after a while we were joined by Todds brother and father and none other than fellow Rotaryforum member Paul Plack. Todd took up the gyro - he said it was too cold to fly, but everyone was there watching so he had to save face - and I tried to fly his ultralight. The ultralight wouldn't make full power so I didn't fly it and I parked the plane and watched Todd wrap up his flight. Afterwards we pulled out one of Todds r/c helicopters and both he and I flew it around at the airport. By dark it was time to leave, Paul Plack had to run and Todd and I went into town for Dinner.
After a nice Steak dinner with Todd and his Father, we were headed home when Todd decided we needed to stop by a pizza joint to say hi to some of his friends. Well, one thing lead to another and before too long Todd was humming and singing songs, we had the bar doing the wave, and WAY too many pitchers of beer ended up drank..... Who knew Todd was a competitive drinker?
finally we made it back to his place by midnight, and after waiting for his daughter to go get cookie dough from the all night supermarket and baking us some cookies at 1am in the morning we made it to bed!
Saturday we bailed out on the trip to Seattle to go to the local PRA chapter meeting and instead went snow skiing. This was my first time ever on the slopes..... Well, all I can say is what a fricking insane sport!!! WHY would a sane person do this??? I have never been more scared in my life than looking down those slopes with nothing to stop you but a cliff or a tree!!! I tried it anyway and by late in the day I was doing pretty good on the bunny slope but was not so good on the more difficult ones. One was called the Terminator for christ sakes!!!! I must have fell down about 25 times and had one hell of a fall off the chairlift when I waited a second too long to hop off at the top - my butt is still very sore from that one. All in all though I had a great time and may very well go do it again... only this time somewhere where the hill isn't so steep! Saturday night we drove to Todds and after a hour long shower to ease the pain I drove into town and got us pizza takeout for Dinner.
Sunday the fun was almost over. We started out for Seattle - a 4 to 5 hour drive from Spokane - and stopped halfway in a small town called Moses Lake to meet Todds youngest Daughter for Lunch. After a big lunch at Arbys we got back on the highway for Seattle and made it there around 3pm. We parked his car near the waterfront and got out and walked about 5 blocks or maybe more to the Football stadium where the Seahawks were playing the Carolina Panthers. Todd and I had a wager on the game, lucky for me it wasn't much of a wager..... We ended up watching the game from a bar a block or so from the stadium and watched as the Seahawks pounded the Panthers.... Good for them I say! Afterwards the streets were alive and we took our time getting back to the car, having fun watching seattle celebrate. After we made it back to the car we drove over to the space needle for a photo op, then over to a local Burger place for Dinner. Finally late Sunday night we found a motel room near the airport and hung it up for the night.
Monday morning Todd had me at Sea-Tac by 6 am and I was on my way home. Flights home were non eventful other than it still seemed like a long time to get back compaired to going over to there.
I want to thank Todd for welcoming me into his home and for the great time he gave me. He has a wonderful wife, and really nice kids. His house is to die for, and the entire area of and around Spokane is just breathtaking. I really had the time of my life and look forwards to Todd coming here to visit me now.
Didn't get to do the big Northwest gyro trip as we had started to plan to do. We had so much fun in Spokane and then in Seattle that the time I had there flew by and I stayed plenty busy.
Short-ish version of my trip....
Flew out to Spokane last Wednesday, with connecting flights in Chicago and also Seattle. Todd picked me up and dropped me off at the firestation he works at while he went to his 2nd job for the rest of the afternoon. I got to hang out with his fellow firefighters and even got to ride along on the truck on a couple of emergency calls. Very cool experience and.... if you guys only knew what those firemen talk about in the truck and back at the station you would be shocked!!! It was very very fun!!! After Todd got off work we had dinner where his Wife works and then off to a Wrestling match.
Thursday we loaded up some of Todd models - planes and Helicopters - and went to a park near his house to fly them. First off, Todd has a model collection large enough to fill up a large room... He has 4 helicopters, and probably over 20 airplanes and even a remote controlled flying saucer!!! Flying the models that morning was the coldest I believe it was the whole time I was there. We were certainly freezing our butts off, but we had fun just the same. Todd let me fly his big Gas powered model helicopters which was a first for me.
Later Thursday we made it out to where he keeps his gyro. Todd rents hangar space for his gyro and his Ultralight airplane from a fellow firefighter who owns a hangar/house at a nice private airport community about 30 minutes from Spokane. Todd showed me his gyro and his plane and we decided to pull out the gyro and I took it up for a flight - never mind the fact that it was below freezing and we had snow flakes falling from the sky!!! All I can say is DAM Todd has some beautiful terrain to fly over..... mountains, flat lands, farmfields, lakes, etc.... etc.... etc..... Anyway after about 40 minutes I had to come in since it was getting dark and we put the gyro back in the hangar and went back to Todds place were I hung out for the evening while he and his family went back in town to watch more wrestling.
Friday we decided to go back to the airport for more flying. We made it out there a little after lunch and I worked with Todd to get his blades smoother. We played with stringing them, worked on tracking etc.... and made a big improvement. I flew his gyro about 3 or 4 times Friday and after a while we were joined by Todds brother and father and none other than fellow Rotaryforum member Paul Plack. Todd took up the gyro - he said it was too cold to fly, but everyone was there watching so he had to save face - and I tried to fly his ultralight. The ultralight wouldn't make full power so I didn't fly it and I parked the plane and watched Todd wrap up his flight. Afterwards we pulled out one of Todds r/c helicopters and both he and I flew it around at the airport. By dark it was time to leave, Paul Plack had to run and Todd and I went into town for Dinner.
After a nice Steak dinner with Todd and his Father, we were headed home when Todd decided we needed to stop by a pizza joint to say hi to some of his friends. Well, one thing lead to another and before too long Todd was humming and singing songs, we had the bar doing the wave, and WAY too many pitchers of beer ended up drank..... Who knew Todd was a competitive drinker?
finally we made it back to his place by midnight, and after waiting for his daughter to go get cookie dough from the all night supermarket and baking us some cookies at 1am in the morning we made it to bed!Saturday we bailed out on the trip to Seattle to go to the local PRA chapter meeting and instead went snow skiing. This was my first time ever on the slopes..... Well, all I can say is what a fricking insane sport!!! WHY would a sane person do this??? I have never been more scared in my life than looking down those slopes with nothing to stop you but a cliff or a tree!!! I tried it anyway and by late in the day I was doing pretty good on the bunny slope but was not so good on the more difficult ones. One was called the Terminator for christ sakes!!!! I must have fell down about 25 times and had one hell of a fall off the chairlift when I waited a second too long to hop off at the top - my butt is still very sore from that one. All in all though I had a great time and may very well go do it again... only this time somewhere where the hill isn't so steep! Saturday night we drove to Todds and after a hour long shower to ease the pain I drove into town and got us pizza takeout for Dinner.
Sunday the fun was almost over. We started out for Seattle - a 4 to 5 hour drive from Spokane - and stopped halfway in a small town called Moses Lake to meet Todds youngest Daughter for Lunch. After a big lunch at Arbys we got back on the highway for Seattle and made it there around 3pm. We parked his car near the waterfront and got out and walked about 5 blocks or maybe more to the Football stadium where the Seahawks were playing the Carolina Panthers. Todd and I had a wager on the game, lucky for me it wasn't much of a wager..... We ended up watching the game from a bar a block or so from the stadium and watched as the Seahawks pounded the Panthers.... Good for them I say! Afterwards the streets were alive and we took our time getting back to the car, having fun watching seattle celebrate. After we made it back to the car we drove over to the space needle for a photo op, then over to a local Burger place for Dinner. Finally late Sunday night we found a motel room near the airport and hung it up for the night.
Monday morning Todd had me at Sea-Tac by 6 am and I was on my way home. Flights home were non eventful other than it still seemed like a long time to get back compaired to going over to there.
I want to thank Todd for welcoming me into his home and for the great time he gave me. He has a wonderful wife, and really nice kids. His house is to die for, and the entire area of and around Spokane is just breathtaking. I really had the time of my life and look forwards to Todd coming here to visit me now.
