Arizona Chapter 15 fly-in 02-15-13

Kevin_Richey

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A few photos from the event at Barry's field, near Wellton, AZ.

1. Ben S. doing some of his amazing flying in his Sport Copter Lightning.

2.Touching down gently. Didn't capture the couple of engine-off landings. Greased them in a smooth as can be!

3.Almost hovering in the gentle breeze.

4.A close up of how it should be done.
 

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1. Ben (again!)

2. Britta P. floating by in hers and Mark's Woodstock gyro.

3. Mark R. showing his steady flight regime.

4. Thomas F. guest-flying the Lego Copter from Oregon.
 

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Thanks Kevin,
Kat particularly liked the last one, but felt I should have worn a contrasting colored shirt so I could stand out from the rig!
Remind me next year and Ill wear chartreuse!
 
Flying in the valley of Ben!

Flying in the valley of Ben!

Ben led several flights around the valley where the town of Welton is located.

The river wash was a lot of fun, with low-level flight right on the deck of the riverbed between two roads with power lines a couple of miles apart. No water in the riverbed (which is about 150' wide), a few trees along the course maybe 10'-15' high to slalom around if one chose to do so. At the west end of that run, there sits someone's rock house built on a small knoll, that is just large enough for the home.

Near the west end of that "river" run are lots of green fields that provide a nice contrast to the dirt and rock in the valley. There is a canal filled with pretty blue water south of the interstate (I-8). Stock yards add to the senses, too.

Just to the south of Barry's airstrip (several private ones are near) are steep rocky mountains that jut out of the earth like some science fiction novel's cover. They can be seen in the background of some of the above photos.

Flying through the small valley between two of the ranges made me feel like I was flying on some foreign planet. No shrubs, grass, or any type of plant life. Tire tracks in the dust/rocks was the only sign of humans having been there. On the drive down from Portland, I had been listening to a western book on CD, and flying through that tiny rock valley made me think of someone lying in wait in the old west times to ambush any trespasser with a rifle!

On the further-south side of that range, is a round-roof BLM shelter built near some natural water tanks in the rocks. Flying over the water pooled in those tanks looked like mirrors placed there, reflecting the sky. Just to the east beyond, someone has built a mock missile silo site. It has a ring of round covers on the ground, and is surrounded by rather large models of missiles, all point outward around the perimeter. Three real, but derelict, tanks are close by, all pointing to the east. A hidden message?

When Ben led me over that missile site, he asked me on the radio if I had my machine guns ready, and then he did his strafing run, with sound effects.

I had a long two day drive to attend, almost 1,300 miles from home. So, I was tired and was trying to catch up on my sleep on Saturday AM. Ben came by the Toy-home a couple of times around 8 AM to try to get me up. The Ben S. version of a snooze alarm that doesn't give up, and gets more insistent until it REALLY wakes you, and you have to get up for it to shut up!

Each time that he came by, spoke to me, and then left, I drifted back off in dreamland. But, Ben didn't want me to just dream about gyro flying. He wanted some flying partners to show off the wonders of that area.

So, when I had gone back into a deep sleep, I awoke with a start, as a large explosion erupted, echoing back and forth between the mountains. Sounded like maybe a half stick of dynamite or more (but it wasn't dynamite). That jarred me awake! I figured I might as well out of bed, since he wasn't giving up.

Still groggy a while later in the AM, he later sent Kathy, Carl's friend, with a blunt message asking when the "#@*&%!" I was going to get the gyro off the trailer, rotorblades mounted, and get to flying! Kathy is a really nice, friendly, and funny, sixth-grade elementary school teacher that isn't the typical school-marm! Ben and I commented to each other that we liked her a lot!

I'm kinda hoping Ben doesn't come to the other gyro events this year, so I can get all my sleep!

I can just imagine hearing him snickering while he read this...I did ask Kat if she has three, and not just two boys!

So, a warning: If another fly-in is held there, don't go expecting a lazy-just-about-no-one-is-flying event.

There were six gyros and one airplane there. Three Sport Copters (Walt, Ben and myself...all three having different powerplants), one KB-2 (Dave B.), a RAF (Cal), a Carl-Linator type (Mark & Britta's), and Mike's (friend of M& B's) airplane (Stinsen?).

Have some video taken with my digital camera, but the clips are less-than impressive due to the camera's auto focus shifting around between in or out. A major project to splice the good parts from the bad, compounded by it being my first experience editing video. Later down the road it might get done...
 
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Ben, isn't your Sport Copter officially a Vortex? (Trying to get it right for the next issue of WR.)

He has it listed on faa.gov under the "N" number search as a Vortex...but I've not noticed the attachment points on his airframe that the Vortex has for the fairing mount points. I believe they are basically the same airframe except for those mount points and the older engine support braces going from the motor mount bar up to the upper mast.

Also, I've never heard Ben refer to having the fairing/enclosure...
 
Paul, it's a hybrid lightning/vortex. One of the benefits of experimental class!
It is fully upgradeable to the vortex version, but you could think of it as a vortex light!
(I own but may not possess all the upgrades, fairing and 582 engine and such, I just really like to go with the minimalist approach)
Kevin, I snickered....and you can't keep me away from a waking you up with cadence calls at a flyin anymore than I could start wearing mandals and singing kumbaya!
Oh by the way Kevin it was a Luscombe from 1946!
And the S.A.M. Site was just that, a mock up for military pilots to target.
We were blessed with great weather, and not one single machine suffered any downtime due to mechanical reasons! For the second annual Barry's Place Fly-in and first annual Dogman memorial it was almost as if Dougie was there flying with us and making sure everyone had a great time!
 
Another advantage to going to Chapter 15 get togethers!

Another advantage to going to Chapter 15 get togethers!

I was sitting in someone else's fold-up chair at one point at the Barry's fly-in. They are the type that fold up and fit into a sling bag to carry. It was so much more comfortable than the cheapy ones my wife & I had bought at a local discount store.

I asked whose chair it was and Ben and Kat said it was theirs. I asked where they had bought it. They only answered for me to keep it.

So, a precedent has been set: Go to that far SW corner of Arizona for Barry's fly-in, and Ben will give you a chair just for being there!
 
Hey I did not get a chair, what the $ith is going on here?.
 
@Dave
Ya got to be there????


Now for the back story... I wasn't there but as Ben, Dave, and I hang together I do know these guys.

Now Kevin is one the very best at sharing the sport and his GYROPLANE to so many of us and is always trying to help.

So you would assume that Ben gave it to Kevin just because he really desires it.

Wrong... Ben wanted Kevin to not get up and stay seated so Ben and others could fly his ride?:sorry:
 
Cute, John
You know I wouldnt ride someone elses rig!
I gave Kevin the chair cause he said it would make him feel special if he had it and figured that Dave would just get jealous.....that was reason enough!
Dave..."you got nothing!"
Kevin, you looked SOOOOO pathetic from having to actually wake up that morning that I thought you were going to cry if I didnt give you my wifes chair!
 
Cute, John
You know I wouldnt ride someone elses rig!
I gave Kevin the chair cause he said it would make him feel special if he had it and figured that Dave would just get jealous.....that was reason enough!
Dave..."you got nothing!"
Kevin, you looked SOOOOO pathetic from having to actually wake up that morning that I thought you were going to cry if I didnt give you my wifes chair!
Hi Buddy!

Just trying to help you keep your bad boy image intact!!:tape:
 
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