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Weekend trip to Tennessee

Vlad

Well Known Member
I like boats. Classic mahogany ones. Thinking of building some day. Last year with help of Roberta Hegy I found an amateur boat building community and decided to visit their annual gathering. It's a sort of boating oshkosh event.

This year the boaters were meeting on Lake Nickajack, TN. Boats were towed from as far as Canada and Oregon. Beautiful wooden crafts from all over the country. Having the time machine (my RV-9A) ready it was a quick HAVE TO GO decision.

Weather was vfr at departure, destination and along the Appalachians. Take off from Princeton, NJ.


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Some boeing was on the way to the Moon


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and I headed to Pennsylvania


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for a quick check if my buddy Mark is awake


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I didn't see Mark but I saw OTHER TWO GUYS along VR43. It's tough to spot those two fast moving targets on Friday but they are there when image is magnified and cropped.


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Nothing can escape from vans kgb :D


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I had plenty of fuel, food but no entertainment for a while. In couple hours there was some fun with a p-portable. A bit of a show at altitude :D That's why they have vertical zig-zags on flightaware.


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A mystery picture. Where is it and what is it behind that ridge? Ted, you are not allowed to participate :)


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Then were puffies for couple hours and it was boring.


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There is a very funny village on sectional named Joppa. If you transliterate it to Russian you get a variation of the rear but applicable to different unfavorable causes. Quick look at the window confirms that :D


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It's good to be high in the sky.
 
A bit shy of five hours on Bear Clock I was at my destination.


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Still lots of fuel.


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Here is the destination. Hales Bar at Lake Nickajack, TN.

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Marion County airport is couple miles from the lake. The fun will start tomorrow...


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I've been playing with setting up my new tracker from Byon and an Igate station. So, I go to the aprs.fi site to see if I'm leaving any tracks yet and I notice that there was one track that wasn't following roads and lo and behold, an airplane icon. Hmm, So I click on one of the breadcrumbs and who is it? Vlad flying right over me in Knoxville. Although, I couldn't see ya because of the cloud layer. Small world ain't it?
 
Greg,
What you saw was not Vlad. Vlad's icon is a nice yellow HOUSE, not an airplane! :D

Vlad,
Bear clock must have rusty "jim balls". According to aprs, you flew way over 5 hours. I wonder which one is wrong:confused::confused:

Good write up but where are the beautiful boats?
 
Yes, I do know where it is

Unfortunately you did not have time to tour the once top secret "nuclear bunker" for the US government under Greenbrier resort (center right along I64).

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Vlad, in one of your pictures, you show a clock/stopwatch with Russian markings. A buddy of mine has a clock like this in his YAK-52, and has no idea how how it works or what it is telling him.

From your photo, the (red) push button on the left causes the clock flag to change between red, white, and 1/2red---1/2white.

The POH is no help and does not describe its operation. Can you tell us how it operates??
Thanks.
 
Interesting clock

As above, I'd enjoy hearing more about it and because of the novelty, would love to obtain one if they can be found.

Looking forward to the boats. I share your interest in the classic mahogany runabouts.
 
Performance numbers

Hey Vlad - yes, you were probably out too early for me!! In addition to the boats, I'd like to hear about what kind of performance numbers you achieved . . . better be careful, at this rate you may reach your Lycoming overhaul hours by sometime next year - that means more $$$ :)

See you on the Oct 1.
 
is that radioactive? looks cool though:)

A lot of older instruments are marked with radium/paint mixture - see note below.
Doesn't stop me for liking relic instruments, but just a word to the wise.

Quote from Health Physics Society;
"For many years radium was used to make luminescent dials for various purposes. The radium was mixed into a paint with a phosphorescent agent that emitted light after absorbing the radiation from radium's decay process. Radium and its progeny are a part of the natural uranium decay chain but have been concentrated from its natural state for this use. Radium (and its progeny) emit alpha, beta, and gamma radiation. All of the alpha radiation and most of the beta radiation is stopped by the glass cover of the instrument. The gamma radiation passes through the glass and is easily detected by most radiation meters. At 1 foot from the instrument, the radiation is usually 30 times less than at the instrument's surface. "
 
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That's my home base in the lower right....


Brantel, I scanned RV White Pages during the planning phase and I had your location handy just in case.

Small world ain't it?

Small world indeed Greg. I am glad somebody other then ATC was watching.


Greg,
What you saw was not Vlad. Vlad's icon is a nice yellow HOUSE, not an airplane! :D

Vlad,
Bear clock must have rusty "jim balls". According to aprs, you flew way over 5 hours. I wonder which one is wrong:confused::confused:

Cousin I reprogrammed the thingy already. The tracker doesn't know that there is Central Time.

Vlad, in one of your pictures, you show a clock/stopwatch with Russian markings. A buddy of mine has a clock like this in his YAK-52, and has no idea how how it works or what it is telling him.

From your photo, the (red) push button on the left causes the clock flag to change between red, white, and 1/2red---1/2white.

The POH is no help and does not describe its operation. Can you tell us how it operates??
Thanks.

I got .pdf manual for this clock if you need it. Red push button activates flight time. If you stop it it's half red, reset - white. If you don't stop it turns half red after one day (24 hours flight time) it can count 48 hobbs hours. There are some newer modifications I am not aware of.



As above, I'd enjoy hearing more about it and because of the novelty, would love to obtain one if they can be found.


Bunch of them on the market. They are called AChS-1 ( АЧС-1) used are traded below hundred bucks.

is that radioactive? looks cool though:)


There was some radioactive material in them indeed but in the 80ies a mandatory directive was issued and instrumentation was disposed and recycled. That what I was told by an AF faculty professor back in USSR.
 
There were many beautiful boats. Mahoganies had their own rows by floating cabins.

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Roberta gives ride to somebody I missed it again.


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Mighty Riviera


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Impressive Monaco



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Fine Zip



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Missle (not missile)


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Quick Squirt, the one I can afford to build :D


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A workshop. In couple hours two boats were built.


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I completely forgot about them. Then there was lot of noise and cheers. Crowd was laughing the guys who built those boats were racing. I doubt they made 10 feet of distance before sinking.


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It was fun to watch. Even funnier from the tug.


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An interview.


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GEMMA means initials of five women who were involved in the project.


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And then there was food. That was delicious. Brats and saurcraut from Wisconsin, salmon from Alaska, chili from Alabama, soup from Georgia and many many other home cooked dishes. Breakfast waffles were cooked by a Waffle House partner himself I wish I had a big belly :D
 
Bigger homebuilt boats had their share of attention too. People spend from 5 to 15 years building such a beauty.


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and then there were rides and races...




will be continued...
 
Cousin I reprogrammed the thingy already. The tracker doesn't know that there is Central Time.

The tracker uses ZULU time. It doesn't care WHAT time zone you are in. You flew over 5 hours. Fill the bear clock with some fresh radium...it must be leaking and not keeping accurate time!! :D
 
Greg,
What you saw was not Vlad. Vlad's icon is a nice yellow HOUSE, not an airplane! :D

Ha,ha, your absolutely right now that I think of it. There was another aircraft (RV-8,started in NC) in SW Virginia (with the right icon) on his return trip that was practically merging with him. I was wondering if it was a planned rendezvous. I never did get to see, cause I had to get back to work.
 
Great to meet you, Vlad!!! All the best in your boat build. Hope to see you again at the next "G" and I promise to make good on the ride.

Roberta:)
 
... I was offered a seat in rear cockpit of the lead mahogany powered by 300+ chevy horses. Short briefing and forward we go.



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These wooden marvels move. 60 mpg and up.


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We had so much fun. There was a boat in the middle of the lake guy was filming the races. Boats in formations were directed straight to the operator's vessel and then sharply turned to split... I didn't get picture of that too many Gs camera shut down. :D


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Evening rides were totally different. Relaxing atmosphere.


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Pictures Pete Howell style.


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Then were boat lies, beer, good homemade food and guitar.


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Sunken boats from yesterday workshop were recovered and ready for new owners. Sad there were none.


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There was flying too. :) An electric powered seaplane was competing with bats living in old dam in great multitudes.


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Everything good ends fast. The Gathering was over. Weather looked excellent all the way back


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I gave Jeffrey fellow boater a ride and started calling airport people for fuel. Sunny Sunday it was not a single airplane in the air. Air traffic heaven. Cousin, want to relocate? :D


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Three phone numbers listed and none responding. Things are getting interesting with empty fuel tanks :)


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I waited about an hour no joy. Then a truck stopped by and a local gentleman with very heavy Alabamian accent suggested to try my credit card in that rusty fuel terminal. It WORKED! The system was somehow activated and started dispensing sacred blue liquid. I topped off, drained a lot of flakes and noticed that fuel pump is not shut and still humming. I tried pushing, rocking, resetting, still on. Emergency button was frozen from rust. I left it as it is. No charge on card yet, waiting for the bill. Could it come for 500 gallons instead of 35? They do have my N-number in the book.



On my way back I climbed high and was sitting there all the way to home base.


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The ride was nice and smooth, ATC folks courteous and accommodating.


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A big dish was listening to space sounds. Really One Big Ear.


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The boeing was already on the way home from the Moon.


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Mark was not visible again probably too late for him :D


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Squawk VFR have a nice day!



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Next year the same place, the same time.
 
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Vlad,
Don't known what to think of you, Gave you ride in my Squirt, and you didn't post a picture of it.

Fabricflyer
 
Allen,
That was one good ride many thanks you converted me back :D Cool little boat you have! I will be there next year don't forget your handheld radio :)

Is that true that you build the boat because you've already had the motor?


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How is RV progress? We have a dedicated page here :)
 
Vlad, next time you are down KY way...i39, give me a shout. I've got a Glen L Riviera underway in my garage. After working with fiberglass on my first airplane, alum on my 7 and now 10, there is just something relaxing about working with wood.
 
Vlad, next time you are down KY way...i39, give me a shout. I've got a Glen L Riviera underway in my garage. After working with fiberglass on my first airplane, alum on my 7 and now 10, there is just something relaxing about working with wood.

Dana, Riviera is a beautiful and mighty boat, rode in one. What kind of engine you have? Next year I go to TN again about the same time, may swing by you to take a look. Currently I am shopless but hope to get a space early next year for my Squirt. Post a picture of you Riviera progress here or there please.
 
Yes Vlad, had the motor and needed a boat to fit it. Had a great time talking with you, and will see you next year. Will bring the handheld.
Allen
 
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