Homer Bell's Fly In

[donlew]

This event is drawing near.
At this point I am still planning the trip.

Is anyone else considering attending?
I would like to see as many Brantly owners & Forum members as I can.

Hope to see ya.

Don L.

[Ron Spiker]

Looking forward to seeing you Don. Are you bringing your ship? I was practicing landing on & taking off from my new trailer for a while last evening, getting everything ready for Homer's. I should be arriving Thursday afternoon and leaving Sunday afternoon.

I also hope to see & meet several other Brantly owners there this year.

[donlew]

I and a friend will be leaving KC Early Thursday the 15th. It is about a 10 hr drive. I am bringing my ship (by trailer). Although flying off or on it is out of the question for me. The fender wells rise above the floor and the handling wheels just fit inbetween them. Hence dynamic roll over danger. It is really easy to load and unload. I have a small winch to pull the ship onto the trailer.

I am anticipating it being hot and humid. Since you have been there before, maybe you could advise me? Should we bring our own shade?

We have made reservations at Cedar Hill Motel in Hillsboro.

Is the atmosphere pretty active Friday & Saturday? (Things to watch & do all day).

Was thinking about going to a local racetrack Friday or Saturday night. Maybe a little golf Sat. late afternoon. I certainly don't want to miss out on any helicopter action though.

How about access to fuel. Is the closest place KHOC? I am trying to decide whether to fill my ship before I leave.

I see that Sporty's is only about 25 miles or so. Might fly over and do some pilot shopping. Looks like a restaraunt there also.

Is there a comm frequency that the pilots at Homer's use?

I hope we see some more Brantly owners and pilots there.

I suppose I can get a Cincinatti Sectional at Sporty's or KHOC. What do you think?.

I have given you lats of questions. Hope you don't mind. Just trying to gather as much info as I can before we leave.

Thanks,

Don L.

[Ron Spiker]

I and a friend will be leaving KC Early Thursday the 15th. It is about a 10 hr drive. I am bringing my ship (by trailer). Although flying off or on it is out of the question for me. The fender wells rise above the floor and the handling wheels just fit inbetween them. Hence dynamic roll over danger. It is really easy to load and unload. I have a small winch to pull the ship onto the trailer.

I built a landing deck on top of my trailer that I'm landing on. The helicopter can just barely fit inside the trailer if I need to load it that way, but without the wheels. Looks like it should work pretty good with the platform/deck on top.

I am anticipating it being hot and humid. Since you have been there before, maybe you could advise me? Should we bring our own shade?

I do bring a shade tent (thingy). My first couple years I tried to stay in the shade at the barn or 1 tree that everyone sits around, but found that bringing my own shade and chairs and setting up away from the commotion works well. Look for me set up out along the road, past the silos. Hopefully I'll get about the same spot again this year.

Is the atmosphere pretty active Friday & Saturday? (Things to watch & do all day).

Yes, both days are pretty active, but Saturday more so. That's when they have all the games to watch and participate in. Each morning several ships head out to a local restaurant for breakfast. There's usually a Dairy Queen run as well, which is impressive to be a part of. That's late Friday afternoon usually (I think). There's always people flying and walking around.

How about access to fuel. Is the closest place KHOC? I am trying to decide whether to fill my ship before I leave.

I will be filled up before I leave home. Yes, HOC is the closest airport, and I went there several times last year for a top-off. Only about 10 minutes or so flight from Homer's, but probably 1/2 hour drive.

Is there a comm frequency that the pilots at Homer's use?

Yes, we talk to each other, like at a non-towered airport. It at times becomes a real bee-hive of activity. Homer usually has a couple pilot briefings with the active "runway", where to go and not go, the freq to talk on (I don't remember what we used the last couple of years), etc.

I suppose I can get a Cincinatti Sectional at Sporty's or KHOC. What do you think?.

Probably not a bad idea to have one.

I have given you lats of questions. Hope you don't mind. Just trying to gather as much info as I can before we leave.

Don't mind at all.

[Steve Chenoweth]

Ron,

I'd be very curious about how you built your landing platform on your trailer. Do you have any pictures?

Steve

[Ron Spiker]

Hi Steve, I'd like to make the trip to Homer's and back first before posting any pics of it, to make sure everything works like I have planned. If so I'll take some close-ups and post them. It's my own design so I want to be careful.

Ron

[Steve Chenoweth]

Ron,

Hope it works out well for you and look forward to your field report.

I have a winch and just pull it up a ramp (two boards), and I roll it off using the ground handling wheels down the ramp. I can control the speed down the ramp by how far back I push the tail, controlling the amount of skid contact to act as a brake. I have to admit landing on a trailer scares me, especially when I read the number of NTSB reports associated with trailer landings/take-offs. However, a good design may help to eliminate most of the risk, hence my curiousity.

Wish I could be at Homers this year. It sounds like we will have some great ambassador's for Brantlys.

Steve