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What did you do with your RV this weekend (3/23 - 3/24’ish)

SPX

SPX

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Yesterday I took my Baron to Pahrump, Nv and picked up a prop for my RV-4. This one is metal. I have a Catto currently installed. Not sure that I’ll ever install it, but….

Today I woke up and saw that the weather was better than the forecast called for — rain all day. So I drove out to the airport to take the RV-4 for a quick flight around. Fantastic as always.

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Decided to do a quick flight to get re-familiarized with flying with reference to instruments. Doing this at night really makes it feel like real IFR. Here is a picture of the city.

Guess which city.
 

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We went to Courchevel, France, for lunch. You either need a familiarisation for the airport, which you have to renew every 6 months, or have the EASA MOU rating for mountain landings. The airport is in the middle of the ski resort, our neighbours on the ramp took the skis out of their malibu and went on the slopes. We definitely need to buy foldable skies that fit into our 14 😉 airfield elevation 6600 ft, 536 mtrs runway length with a slope of 18%. It‘s a small hub for PC12 operations…
on the way back we landed in Sion, Switzerland, for customs. Because Switzerland is not in the European Union, we need a custom clearance every time we fly to our neighbouring countries… Which is often, because Switzerland is small. You reach every border within one hour RV flying time…

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Mont Blanc in the back. Highest in Europe. 15‘771 ft

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Mont Blanc

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Final RWY25 at Sion, LSGS
 
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I'm jealous of you all. Not good flying weather here in the PNW. I spent the last couple of days in the hangar with Bubba Dog reading manuals and watching rain showers.
 
While definitely not as cool as flying around Switzerland (thanks for sharinging those beautiful photos Swiss14A - wow!), the wife and I decided to head up to Glentanner Airfield for a coffee and muffin. It's only a 45 minute flight but the local scenery is stunning. And the muffins were good. We're definitely going back.

After returning to base we spent the afternoon washing and polishing the aircraft in preparation for static display at Warbirds of Wanaka - an airshow we are all very excited to attend this Easter. After being cancelled twice due to covid, this year the event has sold out of tickets for both Saturday and Sunday.

On approach to Glentanner RWY 33:
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jbDC9 said:
I’m gonna say Swiss14A wins for the overall cool factor for the weekend! Man, landing at Courchevel would intimidate the crap outta me… :oops:
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Come to Colorado and try out Leadville Airport! 9933.5ft/3027.7m. You get a certificate that you have been there when you land! Well within the service ceiling of an RV.
 
Roadjunkie1 said:
Come to Colorado and try out Leadville Airport! 9933.5ft/3027.7m. You get a certificate that you have been there when you land! Well within the service ceiling of an RV.
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I’ve bagged Leadville and got the certificate, but in comparison to Courchevel, Leadville is easy! Long, flat runway, wide open approaches, easy go around if needed… Courchevel has none of that. I’d be skeered!

Those are some stunning views from New Zealand as well! Makes me realize just how boring the scenery is around Central/SE Texas…
 
AusFly 2024 fly-in and airshow at Wentworth (YWTO), NSW, Australia. https://maps.app.goo.gl/v1QXyPbremifyBeX7

Freedom Formation did our 2023 Pacific Airshow routine. Last time we'll do it, we're currently working on the 2024 routine.

Here's my synchro wingman Trent Stewart's helmet cam when we're drawing a big ❤️ in the sky for the audience. You can see the first puff of smoke-on near the top of the up-line before the break, you can probably guess the smoke-off point at the end.
photos.app.goo.gl

New video by Mark Newton

photos.app.goo.gl photos.app.goo.gl

Coming home: Most of us left at about 09:30 local and stopped for brunch an hour and a half downrange at Tocumwal (YTOC), where there's a museum with a really good café. Rueben sandwiches, egg and bacon rolls, coffee, lots of lies about how the airshow went.

I finished up IFR to Bankstown (YSBK) at 7000, arriving as the convection had started to pop cumulus over the Blue Mountains, but before they'd really kicked up into TCU and turbulence. Visual on descent at 5500, clear run back to Bankstown after that.

Logged about 10h since Thursday, 5.2 IFR. Giggity.

- mark
 
planenutz said:
While definitely not as cool as flying around Switzerland (thanks for sharinging those beautiful photos Swiss14A - wow!), the wife and I decided to head up to Glentanner Airfield for a coffee and muffin. It's only a 45 minute flight but the local scenery is stunning. And the muffins were good. We're definitely going back.

After returning to base we spent the afternoon washing and polishing the aircraft in preparation for static display at Warbirds of Wanaka - an airshow we are all very excited to attend this Easter. After being cancelled twice due to covid, this year the event has sold out of tickets for both Saturday and Sunday.

On approach to Glentanner RWY 33:
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Mike that looks stunning! My wife and I discussed the possibility to take some unpaid leave and travel „down“ to the other side of the globe and spend two months or so in New Zealand. Looks like we would have to include some flying too 😉
 
Flew with another RV-10 to Louisiana for SwampSTOL, one of the National STOL competitions (https://nationalstol.com/swamp/). Fun to watch and a great fly-in dinner at D.I.'s Cajun Restaurant.

Sunrise in Jennings, Louisiana.
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Me and my fellow RV-10'er.
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230 mph with a tailwind.
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Got my first ride in a bush plane. Low, slow and fun.
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Fly-In dinner at D.I.'s Cajun. Very popular spot. Highly recommend. The water in the background are crawfish ponds.
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Swiss14A said:
We went to Courchevel, France, for lunch. You either need a familiarisation for the airport, which you have to renew every 6 months, or have the EASA MOU rating for mountain landings. The airport is in the middle of the ski resort, our neighbours on the ramp took the skis out of their malibu and went on the slopes. We definitely need to buy foldable skies that fit into our 14 😉 airfield elevation 6600 ft, 536 mtrs runway length with a slope of 18%. It‘s a small hub for PC12 operations…
on the way back we landed in Sion, Switzerland, for customs. Because Switzerland is not in the European Union, we need a custom clearance every time we fly to our neighbouring countries… Which is often, because Switzerland is small. You reach every border within one hour RV flying time…

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Mont Blanc in the back. Highest in Europe. 15‘771 ft

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Mont Blanc

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Final RWY25 at Sion, LSGS
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Just WOW!!
 
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A short trip in the 3 to get some fuel/lunch at nearby Popham, Hampshire. Parked up next to a 4 based locally.
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Well they say a picture is worth a thousand words. In this case Rivets!
 

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