Organized by Kitten and John Blickhan |
|
What a beautiful spot for a fly in . . . I heard those words quite often during the week. The 31st annual fly in was held in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. The setting truly was picturesque. We were situated right along the banks of the Mississippi River, and the weather cooperated the entire week with brilliant blue skies and crisp fall temperatures.
The Wings Weekend, which was organized by Larry Bartlett began on Monday, September 11th and was held for the three days prior to the fly in. We had many people arriving well before the planned activities. Those who participated in the Wings Program felt very satisfied after being put through their paces by Larry Bartlett, Neil Brady, and John Hambleton. I would like to thank those gentlemen for their donation of time and skills in the betterment of general aviation. I arrived on Tuesday and readied myself for the arrivals of the group. We had several arrive on Wednesday, including my number one helper, John, and had a nice evening of hospitality at the hotel. Thursday saw the majority of planes and people arrive. The FBO, Colgan Air, had some of the nicest and best service I have seen in a long time. The planes were tied down in front of Colgan Air and we were able to walk the flight line to see the fine display of 195's. The planes just keep getting nicer and nicer. Thursday evening we all got together for a catered cook-out meal at the Colgan Air Hangar. The FBO was generous to our group and donated 200 Gallons of fuel. We gave away ten 20 gallon certificates to lucky winners. It was nice that some of the winners were people who had flown the farthest distance. After a wonderful evening of socializing, we all went back to the hotel for some more time together at the hospitality room. Friday came and with it more planes. We were up to 19 195's and 3 other types. The day saw everyone going about on their own touring the many sights and shops that LaCrosse has to offer. A group of 8 planes flew to Owatonna, Minnesota, to Cabella's (What I heard it called was the Nordstrom's for Men) and also to the Heritage Halls Museum. Those who went had a great time. In the evening, we all were passengers on the LaCrosse Queen paddlewheel riverboat for a sight-seeing and pizza cruise. The cruise was a relaxing hour and a half ride up river to the Lock and Dam and then returning. Saturday morning was a time for the business meetings. The Board of Director's met early with the General Membership meeting following immediately after. Once the business meetings were complete, the maintenance meeting was held at the airport. This was well attended and Mike Barron of Barron Aviation and John Collett of Butterfly Aviation gave a series of talks on the 195. The area was holding an apple festival and several of the members went to participate. Others went to the many shops and toured the river road scenery. The evening found the group gathering at the Radisson Hotel for our banquet. After a lovely prime rib dinner we were entertained by Diane Earhart, our guest speaker, who spoke on general aviation and air traffic controllers. Informative and humorous, it was a nice way to review and learn about safety. We were fortunate enough to have several very nice door prizes donated. The hand held radio, donated by Sporty's, was won by Phil VanReeth. The 195 door sills, donated by Barron Aviation, was won by Gary Jones. We also had numerous baskets of Wisconsin products donated by James Peirson. The Rag Bag Aero Works donated a nice embroidered jacket, and we also had several hats and t-shirts to give away. It was a great way to end a great evening. Sunday saw everybody at Breakfast and then scurrying to the airport to get started home. The weather looked good for most all who were flying that day. As I saw people depart, I thought that it had been a great week and that I was looking forward to next year already! (Of course, because I would not be hosting it!!) Those of you who were not able to make it this year, you missed a beautiful spot. If your journeys ever take you near there, stop in, you'll be pleasantly surprised. It is a hidden jewel. Overall, we had 20 195's and 4 other type of aircraft. We had 81 people registered. It was a great time and I thank all of you who participated. See you next year!!! The following is a listing of those who were in attendance:
Cash Flow Report
International 195 Club Fly In La Crosse, Wisconsin September 2000
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Home | Gallery | Resources | Services | Hangar Talk | Events | Memories | Members
Page Top | Webmaster