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Flying to the Copperstate Fly In

JennyH

Member
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We?ve returned from another successful Copperstate Fly-in. We flew there and back with Scott and Deana McDaniels in the Van?s RV-14. It?s the perfect distance for RV flying- a little over five leisurely hours each way. It certainly seemed to go by fast, but that could be because I tend to be asleep most of the time. I guess that?s a testament to the smooth flying of the RV-10. Thankfully, Rob is always thoughtful enough to take LOTS of pictures of me passed out in the copilot seat.

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Copperstate is such a nicely run fly-in. As vendors, we are made to feel so welcome. From the golf cart that met us upon arrival driven by friendly volunteers who insisted on hauling us and all of our trade-show paraphernalia to the vendor tent, to the lovely lady that checked in on us several times a day offering granola bars and sack lunches, to the cold bottled water always available?we really felt appreciated.

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Copperstate is well attended with quite an assortment of airplanes on display. It was nice to see so many airplanes and aviation enthusiast able to enjoy themselves and their love of aviation.

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The AFS booth was well attended for a relatively small show. As always, we love seeing our customers- those we?ve known for years and those we?re meeting for the first time. I know it sounds corny, but the people are the best part. Oh, and the fact that this fly-in is a perfect two and a half days long. 

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We left for home Sunday mid-morning (after spending a lovely evening with one of our favorite customers, who happens to be local?.you know who you are?.thanks again) we headed for the Deer Valley Airport to meet up with the McDaniels (they spent the night with family). Rob had quite the time getting us from Casa Grande to Deer Valley. There are many complicated airspaces and heavy traffic to maneuver around in that short fifteen minute flight, but once we got there we were able to easily meet up with the RV-14 thanks to traffic with N-numbers displayed on the EFIS. It would have been a real challenge to know which displayed target they were without their N-number on the screen.

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The rest of the flight home was uneventful, other than a short stop in Bend, OR to wait out a little bit of weather.

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Apparently, the Grand Canyon was breath-taking. I saw the pictures after we got home. It must have been amazing to see in person. Maybe if we?d only had a little more turbulence I could have enjoyed it in person.

Jennifer Hickman
N402RH RV-10
Advanced Flight Systems
 
Thanks for the great report and pictures Jennifer, this is on next years "must go" list.
I also love the Arizona landscape (and good flying weather 350 days/yr doesn't hurt either).
 
Thanks for posting the photos Jen (and I fully know that you didn't sleep the entire trip;)).

Fun trip.
We enjoyed traveling with you guys, and hope to some more in the future.

I agree... Copperstate is a great event. We enjoyed talking about RV's with a lot of very nice people, and look fwd. to doing it again in the future.

Hmmmm....... no one ever came by and offered us a sack lunch:(, but we did get to enjoy some of the great food provided for RV'ers on Saturday by Myron Nelson at the RV-10 Nest. Thanks again Myron.
 
My wife just said to me, "See I am not the only one that sleeps". The only turbulence that wakes her up is when she almost hits the cabin top:eek:

Nice right up. We plan to head down one year.
 
Jennifer,
Sorry we didn't spend more time with you and Rob. Just assumed you guys were very busy with customers. Nolan (aka JR ) and I had a great visit to copper state. The pic of the rocket is better than any I have to date so thanks for that ;). I am unsure if you took the pic because the rockets basic colors are the same as yours or the glass we chose is advanced or the fact that we were shoved within a meter of your wingtip! Would like to say that part of the reason I chose Advanced was you and your family's dedication to your system. I may not be up to date with the 5600 technology but I am very happy with the 4500 and 3500 that I have. Somehow I have figured out how to make everything work but someday soon I may have to make Rob work a little harder for his money;). If you and Rob ever find your travels in colorado , we have plenty of room. BTW did you see that launch ;).
;) Ryan
 
Pix

Jen
Great pictures!
As always, I am greatful to you and Rob for incredible avionics and fantastic customer service.
We flew the Grand Canyon last year, and I really recommend that you stay awake next time!
Rinya also likes to sleep enroute, but only does so when it gets bumpy...
I take that as a compliment....
Maybe see you at breakfast on Sat.
Jim Frisbie
RV-9A +AFS panel
 
Scott- we had a great time with you guys, too. Looking forward to our next trip together. You're right, I wasn't asleep the ENTIRE time....I remember hearing your voice over the radio say, "is Jen still asleep" as we were descending into Winnemucca. I sleep through the Grand Canyon and wake up just in time for Winnemucca:(
Ryan- it was nice to see you, too. Beautiful plane, cute son, fantastic panel!
A trip to Colorado sounds pretty good. Thanks for the kind offer. And for the record, I also can't stay awake in the car (unless I'm driving). Yes, he likes to take pictures of that, too.
Jim- thanks for the kind words...much appreciated. It's Dads' Weekend at OSU, so my pilot will be unavailable for a flight to pancake breakfast. Maybe in December....weather permitting.
 
Great stuff

It is always great seeing you guys. After having 7 years of flawless performance with my AFS 2500, choosing the 5500's for the new 7 was easy. Very excited about many of the new features.

See you guys soon!!!
 
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