Visitors on Wings

This week and next, we will have hosted a number of pilots winging their way west. Since we live at an airport, we have sometimes been the destination for flying friends.

Recently (May 8th), we hosted two flying friends - Arty Trost and Randy Simpson - who are flying their "ultralights" (now Light Sport) aircraft on quite an aerial adventure. The first photo shows Randy's Carrera, the second photo is of Arty with her Maxair Drifter, and the third shows Paul, a Trike pilot from ABQ, Arty, Randy, and Jeff, another Trike pilot from ABQ. NOTE - Arty does not have an enclosure, just a windscreen. She has all her belongings strapped down to the fuselage. She also has to get into a snowmobile suit (even in 90 degree weather on the ground) and secures her maps to her leg with large rubber bands - it gets very breezy and cold at altitude! She tells me she loves being "out there" where she can see everything! Amazing lady!

Arty and Randy are returning to their homes in Oregon after they flew to the Sun 'n Fun Fly-in at Lakeland, Florida. They left Oregon in late March and arrived in time to enjoy Sun 'n Fun in mid-April. On their return trip, they have been dodging (or not) all kinds of weather on their return flight back home and made lots of new friends along the way. You can read more about their trip at Arty's blog at http://www.lessonsfromtheedge.com/b2evolution/blog1.php. You can also follow them on their SPOT websites - the URLs are on her blog. SPOT is a device that links to satellites to let your loved ones know your location - via emails, text messages, and/or your very own SPOT website. SPOT can also be used to signal for help or emergency assistance.

On May 7th, we started tracking Arty and Randy on their SPOT websites as they crossed the Texas/New Mexico border where they planned to follow I-40 to Moriarity NM and then to our airport, E98. They didn't make it to E98 on May 7th as they got a late start and winds and turbulence caused them to wait it out at a rancher's airstrip near Montoya, NM (Arty describes this airstrip in graphic detail on her blog). Later that day, they flew to Santa Rosa Airport to spend the evening.

Early on May 8th, they started their flight towards E98. Late morning, they met Paul and Jeff, the ABQ Trike pilots at Moriarty and then flew with them to E98 (our home). We gave them hangar space for their aircraft for the afternoon. Mike took them to Denny's for lunch and then brought them back so they could prepare for the next leg of their trip - as it turned out - to Grants, NM. They spent the night of May 8th at Grants and are currently on their way towards Kanab, Utah as shown on their SPOT websites. They are making great progress towards home and their loved ones. We wish them more blue skies, no turbulence, and tailwinds!

I had to interrupt this Blogging for a few minutes to check out a great sounding round-engine airplane coming into Mid Valley awhile ago. It was a WWII T-6 flown by another lady pilot - Julie Smith, who was once also an acrobatic champion, but now she flies her beautiful warbird to Oshkosh for AirVenture, joining other WWII warbirds for a fantastic airshow.

It is great fun - living at an Airpark - when you are a pilot!

Next week - we expect anywhere from 1 to 6 pilots coming from Alabama, Tennessee, Louisiana, Texas - they will be stopping by for RON on Weds. May 13 on their way to Monument Valley. The upstairs entertainment center has been reserved for however many pilots make it to E98. On Friday, May 15, we will be joining them at Monument Valley for the 7th or 8th Annual Unplanned/Unorganized/Unofficial Kolb Fly-in. We will have either the Rebel or the Rans S-18 (depends on an oil cooler arriving next week).

And the week after the fly-in, Mike will be joining our friends on a longer flight to Oregon to visit the Alvord Desert, the Rock House, and the Cottrells at their home and airstrip in SE Oregon. Mike will have a SPOT onboard whichever airplane he takes so we can track his flight to and from Oregon. I will be going back to work on Monday, but will be tracking the Oregon flight on SPOT. My turn for fun comes in July when we plan another Idaho backcountry vacation with the Rebel.