Cable-head Fly-in 2014

8/17/2014

After several re-schedulings due to weather, the annual Cable Head Fly-In finally took place on Saturday, August 16 at Jimbo's.

About a dozen planes and a helicopter or two arrived around noon.

Although most came for the burgers, a few came to show of their chart-folding and piloting skills as well.

Dico also brought his, er, "aerial camera"!

(click an image below for a larger version of that image)

While the grown-ups were very serious eating burgers and folding charts in the fight for the title of master chart-folder (speed is everything; though some noted that Tom gave all the smaller charts to his friends!!!), Alex and Simon enjoyed setting up our new beach chairs in the shade. (Er, we won't mention the other "chair incident", which happened early on, and which some cruel pilot/photographers caught on film, lol!)

After the chart folding and paper-airplane flying competitions, it was time to separate the wheat from the chafe: below left, Tom and his crew give detailed instructions on the message drop exercise. Bottom right, Neil (my soon-to-be-co-pilot), listens intently.

After taxiing out onto the runway, I manage to take a few nice shots from on high before Neil comes in for a low and over, and I drop our message ball out the window with the intent of taking first place in this competition. (The ideas is for ones ball to get on or as close to a painted line on the runway as possible.)

At the end of the afternoon, Tom and Jimbo hand out the prizes (Neil and I win first for the ball drop - yay!), and a very special prize (recognize it, Vinx and Brian???!!!), accompanied by a long-winded and almost-believable story, is handed out to a poor, unsuspecting pilot visiting from away!