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I tried by best to sleep on the couch in the Baxley FBO, but there unicom frequency was piped into a loudspeaker - 122.8 out of all frequencies. I remember every time I thought I was about to fall asleep, someones transmission would come alive. My personal favorite was an R22 helo announcing from 15 miles out his proximity to Baxley in 5 mile increments...COMING AND GOING! Oh well, free place to crash for the night, I can't really complain I didn't get what I paid for. We woke up to an absolutely perfect morning Thursday. A little morning dew coated the canopy and was quite stubborn to get rid of. In fact it didn't decide to disappear until around 90kts ;-). My friends Peter and Wayne joked about our low takeoff visibility out of Baxley once we all arrived at Sun 'N Fun. While all three of us were getting ready to depart, I looked up at the sky to the north and saw the most incredible meteor shooting to the sky towards the east. I quickly yelled for Wayne and Peter to look up to enjoy. Apparently the three of us weren't the only ones to see it - The American Meteor Society had quite a couple hundred people also report it (https://fireball.amsmeteors.org/members/imo_view/event/2019/1561).  I am not typically a morning person. But today could of convinced me to become one. Silky smooth air and severe CAVU. This weather can only mean one thing - I am going to pay for it on the way home. I never get it easy coming and going from SNF.  Off to the west is equally as tranquil.  Finally, after 700nm some sort of obscuration in the sky. These things called clouds.  Lake Parker approach was eerily quiet. Dare I keep my OSH/SNF record of never being in a hold???  Garmin Pilot ADS-B and my uAvionics ADS-B agreed with the quiet approach frequency. Not a whole lot of arrivals at 8:40am.  It was a relatively uneventful landing at SNF. I was able to get a GREAT parking spot...a mere two spots away from the amazing HBC tent.  After a few hours my Sonex friends arrived (actually they were nearly right behind me...but I like to keep it lively). Sun N Fun is nice enough to offer me media passes for the week to write up my adventures. My usual partner in crime at the last minute needed to cancel (RV-8 Builder, Peter - http://papalimabravo.com/), so I traded one Peter for another! Sonex Peter was great. We really clicked from the moment we first met last night in GA.  WELL THIS WAS UNEXPECTED! The former HBC chair, Mary Jane, made a surprise appearance at SNF. We chat occasionally throughout the year and she kept this an amazing secret.  Off to a quick run through the vendors to see what sort of free goodies I could load up on. Spencer Aircraft had a really cool electric assisted folding bike. 30 lbs, folds up, and was QUICK! Buy one before they're GONE! These things were selling like hotcakes.  The One Week Wonder painted in front of the EAA tent.  Phew...after a long night of little sleep, it was time to catch up with my friend Chad and his dad at the beer chalet. While not show center to watch the Blue Angels from...it sufficed quite nicely.    The relocated Homebuilt Parking. Before HBP really had rock star parking location. There was a long thread on the change weeks before the event on VAF...however, this media representative didn't pay much attention since he's a HBC'er.  4 SNF's in a ROW!!!! That's how many times Quick Draw Jim Buechler has stolen a beer of mine right before his wife Paula snaps a pic.  Next up was HBC volunteer awards.  Hey...check out those WOOD FLOORS AT HBC! And not to be outdone...the wood floors have LIVE MUSIC! Two firsts for SNF.  Heidi and her team did an AMAZING job at HBC hosting all of us. It was a seamless transition from the previous years. THANKS SO MUCH HEIDI!!!   Her beauty is only outdone by her class! Ladies and gentlemen - take a look at that presentation of that fine bottle of elixir. 
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Last Modified: October 5, 2024 |