2016: What a Great ROTR!

[Kevin_Richey]

Cell phone photos

Cell phone photos

1. Rick Eichmann (Paulden, Arizona) taking his Butterfly gyroplane out for a spin.

2. Gillan Bradley (Portland, Oregon) leaving in his Sport Copter Vortex, to burn off a boat-load of fuel, as usual. He was awarded, for the second year in a row, the "Dead Dinosaur" plaque, for flying almost constantly.

3. Kermit, the gyro, not the frog. See nose artwork for him. Heath Lowery, (Custer, South Dakota) owner, getting ready to fire it up.

4. Australian gyroplane: Titanium Explorer. Gyroplane CFI Chris Lord, of Illinois, in front, a visitor from Wyoming in the backseat, who, upon landing, told Chris Toevs (of Fickerville, Kansas), standing in back, that he would like to load her gyro into the back of his pickup to take it home.

An interesting note re: Fickerville, Kansas (Population: 2). The entire township's population are licensed gyroplane pilots! They even have another gyro, a Butterfly. Imagine that, a small town where each individual town citizen has a gyroplane of their own to fly!

 

[GyrOZprey]

Reminicing on ROTR 2016

Reminicing on ROTR 2016

4. Australian gyroplane: Titanium Explorer. Gyroplane CFI Chris Lord, of Illinois, in front, a visitor from Wyoming in the backseat, who, upon landing, told Chris Toevs (of Fickerville, Kansas), standing in back, that he woud like to load her gyro into the back of his pickup to take it home.

An interesting note re: Fickerville, Kansas (Population: 2). The entire township's population are licensed gyroplane pilots! They even have another gyro, a Butterfly. Imagine that, a small town where each individual town citizen has a gyroplane of their own to fly!

LOL :lol: ... you are too funny Kevin!!! .... some of the humor you :boink: here will kinda golaneoverhead) ...of many ... not "IN" on the SW jokes!!!


More on our fellow Cowboy/ farmer from Wyoming ...you pictured above after a great gyro-demo flight with Chris Lord .... yes he loves our Titanium and is planning on getting one later this year to do aerial surveillance of his lands in Wyoming(& eventually mustering???) of his herds !! :whoo:

First here are the award pictures to go with Paul's post ...... #3 !

1 Fartherest traveled to attend ROTR(with a gyro) ...Team Toevs/Titanium!
2 Most Innovative - Glenn Kerr ...with his Yammy3 onto his Butterfly "super-monarch"!
3 Glenn & daughter Lindsay celebrating a well earned award ...WTG ! eace:
4/8 Gillan's Dead-Dino award ...accepted by Kevin ...as Gillan had to depart earlier!
5 Curt Pittman ...Reserve GrandChamp ...for his immaculate yellow "Tweety-bird" RAF
6. GREAT choice for Pilot & Machine ...Charlie W. ...another pilot who fought through great multi-year adversity & trials to sort out his machine & finally get his rating - just prior to the event! :whoo:
7. Grand Champ gyro ...N556XT ... TeamToevs Titanium "Festey"

Thanks to URA for the awesome event ...warm hospitality & excellent finale ... banquet & awards!

The smaller regional gyro/ rotorcraft gatherings ( ROTR, El Mirage Freedom Fly-in, Anahuac) - have a wholly different atmosphere to the majors BensenDays & Mentone ...but are very special & SOOO FUN - especially when we see our beloved friends who don't get to the others!

I especially LOVE the way ROTR has developed into a practical workshop week to help regionally isolated gyro-naughts to receive DAR/DPE/CFI services to achieve yearly condition inspections, airworthy certs, , flight reviews & pilot training , upgrades, basic initial & ongoing instruction! :yo:

 

[GyrOZprey]

Our ROTR 2016 adventure!

Our ROTR 2016 adventure!

We had a lovely 1080 mile drive out Sunday - Monday ... overnight stop @ Rawlins WY ...arriving early Monday afternoon.

The first couple of "earlybird" days centered on Curt & Glenn's hangars and focused for us on enjoying a relaxed time with good friends,hangar-gyrotalk & Jim's lessons & frequent daily flights to get back in the gyro groove ... TAGNA partner,VP/CFI Desmon Butts was able to be there early in the week and enjoyed doing several scenic flights ( "Desmon's drop" / WillardBay canyon) with friends,family & other earlybirds looking for the gyro experience!

By time the big hangar opened & the camp area was mowed on Wed ... we had filled Curt's hangar to capacity & thoroughly appreciated his hospitality ... & facilities( bathroom,power & water!) :yo: & THANKS mate!

1. TTT rig(AKA "Fickerville") parked outside Curt's hangar
2. Thomas Fernandez from CO arrives
3.4. Glenn comes back from his last phase1 fly-off hours ... ..(with a cracked exhaust!) ... lots of safety-wiring,lots of ideas for new mods & some extra noise = carry on!
5.Thomas stringing his rotors
6.7.&8. Desmon headed out with his excited grandson Ethan, enthusiastic friends Carl & then Carl's son Mike!

 

[GyrOZprey]

A growing group ...

A growing group ...

... the first& second day a small group became a larger-small group ... the fun & fellowship was gaining speed!


1 Ethan(Desmon's grandson), Doug, Glenn, Rick & Sherri
2 Gillan & Kevin arrive from OR
3 This group?? ..(I hope I remember correctly were/are from OR) Charlie,Rick&Sherri,Kevin
4 Glenn,Charlie & Desmon ...quick chat-in-passing
5 Gillan setting up his rotors - Doug helping.
6 a couple of gyronut goofballs !! :lol:
7 Curt's FULL hangar!
8 SO nice to have hangar space & the rotor hoist!

 

[GyrOZprey]

Wednesday

Wednesday

- more arrivals & moving camp to the grass area & gyro's to the big hangar!

In shifts... but plenty of CFI's to keep busy with the drop-ins for intro/ demo flight & training students - Desmon had to leave after a couple of early days ... but Chris Lord stayed on until Brandon & Michael arrived ... one Airgyro machine Red Cavalon " Puff" - kept busy!

Three participated in the thrust tests. Rick's Butterfly Aurora, Guy's Agressor/Falcon, & Glenn's Yammy-SuperMonarch. (Glenn will have to post the results ... I forgot to take note!) Later in the week the URA club sportcopter vortex/582 project had a thrust test done also!

1 Charlie getting his rotors ready
2 Desmon & Chris Lord ... doing a Titanium run up to the scenic canyon "D-Drop!"
3 ...Butterfly's & Titanium ...looks like the "home-hangar":lol:
4 a nice assortment of sportcopters & single "classics"!
5 Enjoying the flying,gyro-talk & majestic mountain scenery
6 Jim Gilchrist ..local DAR, (behind) Kevin,Jim & ??
7 Guy's orange aggressor with soob ... ready for thrust-test
8 Setting up for the thrust-test.

 

[GyrOZprey]

Flying & fun

Flying & fun

... those magnificent men-'n -machines!:usa2:

1,2 more of thrust-tests
3 Hanger-flying
4 Jim off for a lesson with Chris Lord
5 Paul,Vance & Glenn ... casual "Yammy-conversion" seminar! ( What WERE they looking at???)
6 Charlie & his upgraded Aircommand - NOVA-copter!
7 Gillan feeding his SC-vortex more "Dead-dino go-juice"
8 Guy & curt by Curt's beaut Tweety-bird SparrowHawk/RAF!

 

[GyrOZprey]

Are you sorry ...you didn't make-it???

Are you sorry ...you didn't make-it???

All you piker's who dropped out ( -I know some had good reason's!!)

... Tell AutogyroUSA NOT to schedule a week-long dealer's workshop in Maryland - next time!! - the SAME week as ROTR ... :noidea: were they thinking (NOT!)

1 ... enlarge this one of Kermit ... I LOVE the reflections in the rotor .. SO shiny!
2 the lovely Laurie & hunksome Heath ..Lowrey - with the unique Kermit Aviomania convertible!
3. End of the day relaxing
4,5 colorful arrays
6 A quiet time ... Heath off for his limited flights ... just a few observers!
7. Gathered around Glenn's butterfly again! ...AWESOME to see him in the air again! :first:
8 Jim & Kevin again!

 

[GyrOZprey]

Friday-Saturday

Friday-Saturday

2,4 The pictures show how low-key & relaxed the event was.

I had fun taking Heath's adventurous Laurie up for a Titanium flight & also Kathy ... our camp neighbor from CA (her spouse also Jim was getting intro lessons) - K. was not planning to go flying but with a "conservative lady pilot" ... felt OK about it! She seemed to have a great time & it was fun to spend lots of hangertime bringing this new couple into the fold!

1 Kathy & Jim talking to Vance re gyro training in CA
3 Gillan .. prepping for his return home!
5,6,7,8 - the Logan breakfast fliers ( Charlie,Thomas,Rick &TeamToevs)... always a big attraction ..@ the destination!

The traditional Maddox dinner was attended by those with a good appetite! Good evening flying was enjoyed after.

Friday morning four flew to Ogden lead by Brandon and several drove. I intended to fly along with Jim backseat - but woke groggy & fuzzy-headed after a horrible nights sleep ... so IMSAFE 'd myself grounded until I'd got a good nap!

On Saturday four of us flew to Logan for the weekly pancake breakfast!
The winds @ each airport were opposite directions when we started ... so i had a preconceived idea of the likely landing pattern @ Logan ... but it was switched back by time we got there ... I'm glad Jim was aware & got me straightened out ..entering the busy pattern! The trip home was quite thermally & bumpy ... a little worrysome for the others in the single light machines!

I had three flying highlights of the week - the Curt/Glenn "Demon's run" ... ( just me in Festey) ... following Curt & Glenn ... what a blast! Hoping I got some good Gopro footage!
The Logan pancake flight ... my first effort @ flight-lead ( from the rear to start ... but being the fastest machine ... ended up in front at the end) ... a real challenge trying to keep tabs on three hard-to-see-singles ... thank goodness for radios & good landmarks!
On Sunday ... the gyro-shuttle flight to Spanish fork. As Mike Burton was returning their Red Cavalon and rather than remove rotor & trailer down I flew ours in close trail ... we did a flight-of two with him leading & talking to towers/transponder on ... I just practiced the frequent freq changes & listened ! That was a really fun & scenically dramatic flight for me ... once I got past the heavy controlled airspace anxiety! ( sadly, we were watching weather ... so no time to set up Gopro)

 

[GyrOZprey]

Saturday washout!

Saturday washout!

Within an hour of our return from Logan it was clear that the rest of the day was going to be rained out ... wave after wave of rain & clouds blew up from the south ... initially looked like an hour-or two & then clear ... but it just kept re-generating more over the lake!

We enjoyed a good lunch out with close friends - then of course the banquet!

After the banquet we took to the clearing skies for a final round before ... everyone started the pack-up!

Just a couple of gyros left to depart on Sunday ... then TTT was headed to Spanish Fork to get Jim's solo done & finish prep for his testflight with Brandon!

 

[GyrOZprey]

last few pics

last few pics

Some of the banquet ...good tasty Mexican chow!

Thomas - the last to loadup!

 

[PW_Plack]

Chris, thanks for the great photos and descriptions. It's hard not to love this area, even when it rains, because the mountains are so beautiful!

We're already working on the big tenth anniversary of ROTR in 2017. What we know so far for sure - Cindy and Mary will be back after a couple years off to do the banquet, which will tentatively feature a choice of Grilled Salmon with Rice Pilaf or Filet Mignon. We expect a couple of major announcements regarding services available to gyro enthusiasts in the west. Mark your calendars now for Tuesday-Saturday, June 6-10!

 

[All_In]

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I/we love pictures lets us almost be there.

 

[BadAir Express]

Today is the first chance since ROTR that I've had a chance to sit down and look through all this and relive the event. Thank you all that came and participated. A special thanks to those that have great camera and writing skills. You have produced great results that make the event come alive over and over again... I always look forward to seeing close friends and family every year.. I love flying with you, hearing your stories, seeing your successes and learning from every single one of you. Thanks for making ROTR a highlight in my life.

 

[farmer jim]

Thank YOU, Curt !!

Thank YOU, Curt !!

For letting us hang out at your hanger, all your help & advice, etc.etc.etc. !!!!

fj

 

[GyroDoug]

It was a great event! And many things go into making it great, but above all else, it's the people that make this such a great experience. Many have mentioned to me that their is a special atmosphere at the ROTR event, and I wholeheartedly agree. Thank you to all who came and participated and helped make it what it is. Can't wait for next year!!!!

 

[dabkb2]

How is your gyro coming along Doug?

 

[GyrOZprey]

Doug's gyro report ...

Doug's gyro report ...

see post #13 - 2nd para!

For me personally, the information that was shared, and the advice that was offered were invaluable to me. I received direction and guidance that I needed to help me to overcome some of the obstacles that have been holding me back on my personal journey. Thank You! to all that offered thoughts and suggestions. My eyes were opened to options that I hadn't previously thought of, and thanks to your help, I feel I am on a much more direct course to finishing my project and getting into the air.

 

[ENef]

The flight to Ogden

The flight to Ogden

You will have to help me out with the aircraft types and pilots names and if there is a little blur forgive me, bifocals make photography a little tricky. On thing is for sure, it was great to see such wonderful rides taking to the air making the most of an early Friday morning.

 

[ENef]

The flight to Ogden, pt.2

The flight to Ogden, pt.2

A few more.

 

[All_In]

Looks like too much fun to me. Thank you for sharing the pictures!