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Petit Jean 2015 - It's a wrap ..... Post(up)dates and pictures!

BillSchlatterer

Well Known Member
Petit Jean 2015 - It's a wrap :) ..... Post(up)dates and pictures!

Petit Jean 2015 is officially over but never done! Here is the first really quick Post(up)Date! Picture posting, cleanup, reorg.... it goes on for a while but the most important thing that goes on is the memories.... and I know there were some made this weekend!

What a great bunch showed up this year. We had 151 separate aircraft attend over the 3 day weekend. Well over 100 RVs (final count is 124 RVs 10/22/15), right before lunch Saturday which is our peak period, we had nearly 120 aircraft on the ramp(s). 70% of the smiles were couples and 70% were builders ... not saying which is which :--) We had every RV in the book from 18 different states with the sole exception of the RV14 ??? Great weather, (a little cool in the early AM but perfect for hiking), and a great effort from EAA 165 and all of Jerrys group, the MidSouth RV bunch, and a host of RV'er volunteers!

Here is a link to the first short picture album.... http://kvisit.com/alN0f

Here is our "Where Y'all From ?" pinboard! We had to take a few of our locals off because the area around Petit Jean was just solid pins.

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? Petit Jean All Over Smiles - from start to finish .. over/above/around the ramp, tons of photos: http://kvisit.com/alN0f

? Paul Brown 2015 Arrival / Departure Pictures (200 or so) mostly Friday: http://kvisit.com/ait0f

? Sarah Works 2015 Arrival / Departure Pictures (200 or so) mostly Saturday: http://s32.photobucket.com/user/works_sara/library/2015 Petit Jean Fly-In

? Mark Burns 2015 PJ Album - ( 50 or so great shots ) : https://plus.google.com/photos/1168...s/6207899748408751441?authkey=CI_sjuCvyJ6BtQE

? Point Pictures by pro Dan Valovich (see Dans info below for professional framed wall hanger pictures: https://www.flickr.com/photos/123406878@N02/albums/72157660151954815 Remember that Dan can take ANY of the Arrival or Departure or Ramp pictures and put it into a wonderful Petit Jean Point Background.... Dan's Contact Info ... (501) 622-0765 .. http://www.keepandshare.com/userpic...15-11/sm/img_2015_11_08_203505_02-7260609.jpg

This is a two part post of 15-20 shots out of 150 just to start the flow:

1) Almost ready Thursday night ...before the registration tent blew away :--)


2) 10:45 Friday and 38 RV's on the ramp with a steady stream inbound. Bob Connor (AIR BOSS !) giving expected arrivals to the Parking Crew. He is picking them up from 70 miles out:

3) Planes are arriving in groups... just part of the OK group (and they are not just OK... they're a really fun bunch too :--)


4) This was sometime around lunch Friday... lunch was being served, folks pinning locations, getting ready for the first trails run and museum soir?es.

5) Ramp shot Friday at lunch!


6) Dinner & Games Friday night at the Rockefeller Conference Center. FUN FUN rounds of RV Tail Number Bingo with lots of women's prizes this year. Had no idea women would go crazy over getting jewelry and accessory items instead of flashlights, battery chargers, and Yetti Cups .... Hhmmmm?

We served 183 for dinner, drinks, games, and a nice presentation on Recreational Airports by David Myrick. Videos of RV trips into the mountains were played during dinner and the food was over the top good for "camp out" meal!

7) If you woke up at the campsite, this was the view... sunrise over a sea of RVs. The EAA Cook crew had breakfast going for the campers, coffee is good when it's 40'ish and breezy. (Wind died and it was sunny and calm by 10...perfect)

8) On the other hand... if you "Glamped" this is what your breakfast looked like at the RCC! "Glamping" is a new term the girls coined for this style of Petit Jean RV Camping.... something to do with a trainwreck between Glamorous and Camping and a lot of wine :--)

PS.. no pictures yet of the campground breakfast because I was "Glamping" too! :--)


9) Lunch being served under the Big Top! It wasn't a circus but it was about that much fun.


(Continued on next post)
 
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Petit Jean Post(up)Dates Continued

9) Continued: Lunch under the big top :--) See Chef Lar'riee Watson burger shots in previous post!

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10) Hog Toss for prizes Saturday afternoon on the ramp. Next year we might have a Sooner Sail or a Longhorn Run but hey ... if you don't bring your own game... then we get to name it and play it :--) It's amazing how many adults can't throw a bean bag for squat when they are standing on one leg, with a drink in their hand ???

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Phil giving Lana some serious instruction on "proper form" .. :--)

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Kathy picking prizes .... also awarded "most enthusiastic woman to win a mohair infinity wraparound something kinda wrap/scarf at Petit Jean"

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11) How about a little rampside RV Bingo ? Hard to believe it but the guys with their hands up are competing for a very nice ladies infinity wrap....whatever that is :--)

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And then there is the director of this circus .... Richard "SpinMaster" Gulley

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Figs, if you would just do what Judie said, you could have avoided this Texas Nose Twister .....

.... and Andrew....what's in those brown jugs ?


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12) Shot pictures at the point and on the runway all day!

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Got lots of shots at Petit Jean Point ... about 30 flew the photo run!

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Bulldogs on the prowl ....

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11) Saturday night dinner at the campsite before Stargazing on the ramp! Later Andrew Barker was laying flat on his back on the ramp gazing at stars (his story) but then he had all those bottles of brown water to carry around all day so he was probably very tired .....???

(Oops running out of room.... that's all for now!

As you can see from the previews, it was just a great weekend on the Mountain! If you were there, please post comments, pictures, and links to albums and share any story or memory!

Bill (the Petit Jean Indian)
 
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After Posts in Orginal Thread

Lots of comments and pictures showing up in the original thread. :) The posts after the fly in begin on page 6! Some great pictures from Andy Crabtree and his daughter!

Petit Jean 2015 ... the RV Gathering is ON Again! .. http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=127211&highlight=Petit+Jean+2015&page=6

Please feel free to post any and all pictures and links. If you don't know how to post a picture, just email them to me or [email protected] and I'll get them on the board!

It was big fun! :) :)

Bill
 
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How about that AirBoss and Bossette

How about a shout out to the Air Boss and Bossette :) (Bob & Linda Connor) Bob special built his radio system and regularly talks to pilots 70 miles out. (I'm sure it's at full 5 watt legal max :rolleyes:

Bossette is his wife Linda so that makes him AirBoss but she is really HisBoss :p around our home port! The two of them do airshows around several states and I suppose that is where that calm voice comes from when 8 RVs are in the circuit and the smart guy asks "now is this really a right hand pattern" ?? I actually heard him calling pilots by name on the radio... how does he know ??? :confused:

All kidding aside, we had 151 unique aircraft arrive and depart, plus many that came, stayed, flew, came back, stayed, flew again, etc. With 30 planes doing PJ Point runs and day trippers, we estimate well over 500 separate aircraft operations from Friday 9:00 AM to Sunday 11:00 AM as the last one left.

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All of our crew greatly appreciate their efforts in making this a safe event while making it as simple as possible to get in the pattern, get on the ground, and taxi back with a RV flock circling overhead.

Maybe someone has a better shot of his antenna set up which looks like something straight out of star wars.

Here is an interesting article on AirBossing. They work really hard to get it right and keep it safe: http://generalaviationnews.com/2015/03/15/air-boss-keeping-airshows-and-fly-ins-safe/

Thanks Linda ... and keep bringing Bob along :D

Bill

PS... Someone said this is the most important team on the field short of Jerry and the cooking crew.....and that was said with a hot grilled ham & cheese in one hand!!
 
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More photos from Petit Jean

First let me say that I accidently left one camera at Petit Jean!
I threw my coat on the right wing while un-tying the plane.
Camera was in coat pocket.

Apparently it blew off as I taxied onto the runway.

Bob and Linda Connor (AirBoss crew) saw my jacket on the side of the runway and picked it up! Thanks so much!!
I don't have it back yet but when I do there will be more photos to post.

Here's a few and a link to a lot more.

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You can see Bob and Linda Conner (AirBoss) back by the Van.

What a great weekend!!

Link to more photos:
https://plus.google.com/photos/116830546186939258398/albums/6207899748408751441?authkey=CI_sjuCvyJ6BtQE

Mark
 
Petit Jean....WOW!!

What a great fly-in, over 120 RV's and beautiful weather on the mountain! Good food, good friends, and lots of good times. A great banquet on Friday night then lots of activity and fun and more food on the ramp on Saturday. If you missed this one, don't make that same mistake next year. Dates are already confirmed for 2016, third weekend in October. See y'all at KMPJ next year for a great time. We enjoyed helping put this shindig on and our cook crew from EAA Chapter 165 is already making plans for 2016. Thanks to all who volunteered to make this fly-in GREAT!!
Jerry Homsley, Pres
EAA Chapter 165
N Little Rock, AR
 
petit jean photo run

I have heard from very few participants that made the photo run.please contact me. I hate to think that all involved wasted their time and effort putting this together for you.
This photo is all who made the run
photo run 2015 by daniel valovich, on Flickr
 
photo run

I for one was very pleased with the photos Dan shot for us. Would highly recommend contacting him if you haven't, this was a great service at a very reasonable price!
 
I've been waiting for the arrival pictures

I'm going to order the high diff images from the point but was also waiting to see the arrival pictures.

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Arrival pictures

Bobby, sorry for the delay. We have hundreds of pictures and getting them uploaded has been a problem. Should have them up by early next week.

Bill
 
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