PRA38 2012 Rocky Mountain Fly In

[ms80831]

2012 Colorado Rocky Mountain Rotorcraft Fly In.avi - YouTube



Saturday May 19th began with a change blowing in from the north. What had been temps in the 80's most of the week, turned to mid day temps in the 40's with winds gusting up to 30 mph.

Weather aside, the hardy members of chapter 38 showed up in force, with 4 gyro's (Bruce McCombs-Little Wing 2 place, Tim Mercer- Little wing single, Todd Rieck- Yamaha powered AirCommand, and Mark Shook- Xenon RST) and they brought their friends.

We had Terry Wilson from Billings Montana, the Palmers from Nebraska, and Colorado Rotorcraft fans from Burlington, Denver, Ft. Lupton, Canon City, Colorado Springs, Peyton and Falcon.

EAA72 provided Lunch and some ground support.

And several people got a ride in a Gyrocopter at our high altitude.


Weight and Balance calculations..









Mark stops the Xenon in the brisk wind and holds it stationary above the runway causing it to appear to hover, and back up.

[ms80831]

2012 Colorado Rocky Mountain Rotorcraft Fly In.avi - YouTube



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[GyroDoug]

Guys,

I wish I could have been there this year. My oldest daughter had her wedding reception that Saturday and I couldn't get my wife to buy in on how important it was for me to be there. Hopefully I will be there again next year.

I hope we can most of you to come to "Rotors Over the Rockies" next month. It will be the biggest Gyro Event in the West this year, and since you are only a short days drive or a few hours flight away, I hope ou will decide you need to be a part of our Event this year. We have never had a Little Wing Gyro attend our event and it would be incredible to have two of them join us this year. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help facilitate you coming. We will have hangar space for everyone and forums and training manufacturer demos, so lots of things to make it worth your time to come. Don't forget to plan to stay till the end and join us at our closing Banquet for good food, good friends, good fun and awards too!

[mercert]

Doug,

I would love to come over for ROTR but there is no way i can have the trailer enclosed by then and i will not trailer it that far "open" to the elements. As it was i had some road rash to touch up from the 168 miles round trip from Westminster down to Colorado Springs Saturday. I will commit to being there next year though. I will be at Mentone and El Mirage this year also. Maybe a few of us Denver area guys can come over before El Mirage and fly with you guys there and then all head to El Mirage together. Looking at the map that is not that unrealistic. Something to think about!

Take care

Tim Mercer

[All_In]

What a meet!

I too would love to see one or both of those at ROTR!!!

Thanks for sharing the fun!!!

[GyroDoug]

Tim,

We would love to have you bring your Gyro to ROTR, but if you can't you can't. I have personally never tried to trailer my Gyro for more than about 50 miles, but I know Larry Neal has trailered machines thousands of miles to Oshkosh from TX for years without any incidents. When I asked him about it he said he would prefer an enclosed trailer if he had the choice but he has no reservations about hauling a machine on an open flat bed trailer either and in my case because of the width of my Gyro making it hard to find an enclosed trailer with a wide enough door without having to remove the wheel pants to load it, he simply recommended I buy and use a flat bed trailer. So that is how I plan to haul mine all over the country some day.

Anyway, we are sad you don't feel you can bring your Gyro, but we can live with that. But we would still love to have you join us and bring some of your Brothers from CO. with you. Mark and Todd both told me (last year) they planned to come this year, so I hope that is still the plan. We really need to band together and support one another's fly-ins if we want them to continue to grow and become significant Regional events. Hope to see you there!

[mercert]

Doug,

Here is my trailer as it sits today. I was supposed to have it completed by now to an enclosed fifth wheel toy hauler for the plane but the schedule did not work out. It is going to look something like the black trailer (but in a fifth wheel trailer not a tongue). I am making full living quaters in the fifth wheel so i have a place to stay at the fly-ins and right now that is the next priority.

I used to have a fifth wheel that i drug all over hauling it and a boat or ATV trailer or my Air Command tandem gyro (69'-72' bumper to bumper) as well as hauled my Starcraft Islander cuddy cabin boat behind my truck and camper i had at the time up to Vancouver Island from Denver 8 years in a row for a 10 day salmon / halibut fishing vacation (driving right past Brigham City Airport each time) 1500 miles each way so i am very well experienced in the wear and tear a towed unit receives. That is why i am building this fifth wheel toy hauler to fit my Little Wing inside so it is protected.
I just spent the last 2 1/2 years building this Little wing and i want to protect it from not only road rash from debris and bugs but the elements as well.

I am sorry i wont be there but like previously stated i will make it next year!

Tim

[Ol_Hueycheif]

Sounds like it was a great fly in!

I had planed on coming down from Wyoming but work changed my plans. Hate it when that happens, but I like the pay check. Still shooting for ROTR. It has been almost 4 years without my rotary wing fix.

[BEN S]

I will be in Colorado Springs for a couple of months!
Can't wait to meet you guys, when I traveled to Indiana I got to meet Rick W and the two Dougs and a bunch of other gyronuts.
Looking forward to seweing you guys at your next meet!
Ben S

[All_In]

Originally Posted by BEN S

I will be in Colorado Springs for a couple of months!
Can't wait to meet you guys, when I traveled to Indiana I got to meet Rick W and the two Dougs and a bunch of other gyronuts.
Looking forward to seweing you guys at your next meet!
Ben S

Oh well Ben then your set.

Just get a hold of Mark and you will be flying in a Xenon and for cabin class it doesn't get much better than that!

And Mark is always helping, doing, and flying others I've seen his posts and another one of my forum friends I'm looking to meeting.

Post pictures guys!!!