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