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Thread: 2010 DFS Fly In

  1. #1
    Administrator DesertFox4's Avatar
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    Default 2010 DFS Fly In

    10 years of DFS fly in's have come and gone and one thing remained constant from the first to the latest. The folks that attend make it a blast every year. From now old and dear friends to the newest attendees the enthusiasm for aviation and our little high wing aircraft is always a spirit lifter.
    The Southwest was buffeted by gusty winds Friday which took a slight toll on the overall attendance that was expected. It did not diminish the fun. Those that could get in either by air or car had a great time and Saturday turned out much less turbulent and some Kitfoxing and Highlandering and Ransing was accomplished several times throughout the day. We had quite a cross section of airplane makes this year including a beautiful Bearhawk, a stretched Piper Pacer with a Ford V-6 engine which sounded like a race car, a Europa, a Cessna 400, a Tri-Pacer, a couple Rans and a couple Highlanders along with a 180 Cessna and a scratch built aircraft by a very talented young man. The aircraft is called Savor. Chris, congrats on a spectacular job. I have a feeling that if Chris can attend Oshkosh this year he will need to leave some luggage room for an award or two. What an inspiration he is. Hope you all get to meet him some time.

    Stan & Cara's hangar was a refuge from the gusting winds on Friday but Saturday the doors opened and the flying took place. While we had planned on a couple of excursions out to very interesting Arizona vistas, the still breezy winds made that something we'll take on next year. Many attendees arrived with tail winds pushing them to very respectable ground speeds. Some escaped snow and bad weather to at least arrive to temps in the 70's. Throughout Saturday the pattern was at times very busy.

    I had the fun of taking another Kitfox enthusiast (Jeff from Idaho) for his first Kitfox flight and his very first time on the controls of an aircraft. I think we got a pretty good future pilot and a future Kitfox owner in our midst.

    Friends from my hometown in S. Minnesota, Wayne and Char, stopped by to visit and I got a chance to take Wayne for a flight Sat. morning. Got some great raw video on "the river run" which I'll try to get to in the next couple days.

    I made a quick slide show on YouTube of a few of the photos I took at the fly in. I'll try to get around to the videos in the next couple days.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_FlxHjZgJ0



    Thanks Stan for turning me loose with your new Highlander. Stan has a unique Highlander with a one-off wing for even greater lift. Worked pretty good and I think I brought it back with most of the major parts still attached.

    Not only was the Savor a big crowd gatherer but Mike B's model 5 on Downwind floats attracted people also. Maybe it's the beauty of the aircraft or the rarity of floats in Arizona that drew them in. Who can say?
    I'm sure Dave Cook from Downwind Technologies would tell you it has to be the beautiful Downwind amphib floats and I think he'd be right. Nice job Mike and Dave. Downwind Technologies.


    Bill P. from Chandler arrived with his stunning Model 4 with the impressive Rotec radial. Now just try to get near that thing when the prop. stops spinning. Take a number.

    Thanks to Stan and Cara Foster for their over the top hospitality again. Thanks to James and Stan for arriving about a week early to help get the place ready for the gathering.

    For those that planned to attend and could not due to weather, you were missed. Hopefully next year we'll have our normal perfect weather for you. For those that could not get away , we hope you can attend next year.

    Fly safe and " Enjoy every flight".


    DesertFox4
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  2. #2
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    Default Re: 2010 DFS Fly In

    thanks for the update and pictures. I went flying on friday in a wind that was a little stiffer than what I would normally fly in, and it sounds like it was the same for you. It was also a good cross wind to the runway but I figured you guys would be flying so I should too.
    Thanks to everyone who put so much effort into hosting this event that will be on my wish list to attend...keep the pics and videos coming,,,iI will watch them all a number of times....cheers

  3. #3
    Senior Member SkySteve's Avatar
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    Thumbs up Re: 2010 DFS Fly In

    Great vid. Looks like those of us that were sitting in blowing snow really missed out.

    I had to run the vid twice. Once to enjoy all the planes and great background music and then a second time just to listen to the great music after I noticed in the credits "Guitar by Desert Fox IV". Very nicely done. As one who enjoys good music performed well, I say, "Congrats to you and thanks for sharing". When does the album come out ... or has it already?
    Steve Wilson
    Huntsville, UT
    Kitfox 85DD
    912A / 3 Blade Taper Tip Warp Drive
    Convertible Nosewheel & Tailwheel
    SkySteve's SPOT Page
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  4. #4
    Administrator DesertFox4's Avatar
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    Default Re: 2010 DFS Fly In

    Steve, missed seeing you but I think you'd have had a pretty rough trip trying to get in from your direction. Sounded like the worst was North of Arizona. You made the right call Steve.
    Thanks for the nice words on the "music". I don't expect a recording contract anytime soon. Only been playing at playing less than 24 months.
    Wanted to use something YouTube wouldn't wipe off due to copyrights and all. Weird little song in it's original form so I changed it quite a bit to soften it up.

    Stay well and we'll see you soon hopefully.


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  5. #5
    Administrator DesertFox4's Avatar
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    Default Re: 2010 DFS Fly In

    Took some of the video off my Kitfox at the fly in and pasted it together in Windows Movie Maker and uploaded it on YouTube. Hope it runs ok. There are two resolutions available on YouTube for this video in case one works better than the other. Lots of processing steps between the raw video and the end product on YouTube. I'll get the hang of it someday soon. I hope.

    I had two cameras mounted on the plane. One shooting forward is a little GoPro Hero HD. The one mounted on the tail is a X170 Drift camera (not HD). Not sure that matters as YouTube processes them to death. I like the X170 Drift for ease of use and it has a two button remote control which is slick. Wear it on your wrist like a big ugly orange watch. Handy. The GoPro really does produce great HD quality. On my big screen it is like being strapped to the strut and going for a flight. Sound from both is unusable obviously when out in that much slipstream. At lower speeds it may be alright. The X170 Drift more unusable than the GoPro. GoPro gives you a neat clear case to put your camera in for protection. It is waterproof to 60' or something like that. Not sure I'm ready to test that feature while strapped to my Kitfox yet. Both were bought off EBay just before the fly in so I didn't have much time to get familiar with them. Hence I lost one great flight from the GoPro by not setting it properly before pushing the "record" button.
    GoPro =$258.00 plus the cost of the memory card (8gb at Best Buy).
    X170 Drift=$199.99 plus cost of the memory card (8gb at Best Buy).


    This little flight is dedicated to DesertFox1. Thanks for all the good times Papa.



    Fly by and River Run DFS Fly in.


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  6. #6
    Administrator DesertFox4's Avatar
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    Default Re: 2010 DFS Fly In

    More video posted on YouTube provided by Jim Pekola. Thanks Jim.
    Video shows some of the interesting non-Kitfox aircraft that attended this year and a couple Kitfox's too.
    Desert Fox Squadron Fly in 2010


    DesertFox4
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  7. #7
    Administrator DesertFox4's Avatar
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    Default Re: 2010 DFS Fly In

    Some photos from the fly in
    Foster's fly-in 2010 108.jpg
    Our gracious hosts Stan and Cara Foster with
    Wayne and Char Kahler from Fairmont, MN.

    AZ FLY-IN 08 108.jpg
    desert life

    Foster's fly-in 2010 097.jpg
    sharing "stories"
    Photos by Jim Pekola


    DesertFox4
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  8. #8
    Administrator DesertFox4's Avatar
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    Default Re: 2010 DFS Fly In

    Foster's fly-in 2010 004.jpg
    Mike's Model 5 on Downwinds

    AZ 034.jpg
    one of our local residents

    AZ FLY-IN 08 114.jpg
    great time of the year in the desert
    Photos by Jim Pekola


    DesertFox4
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  9. #9
    Administrator DesertFox4's Avatar
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    Default Re: 2010 DFS Fly In

    100_5970.jpg

    100_5965.jpgFoster's fly-in 2010 061.jpg
    Bill's model 4 (more to come later)


    DesertFox4
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  10. #10
    Senior Member DanB's Avatar
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    Default Re: 2010 DFS Fly In

    Now that was some great footage Steve. Alternating between the front and tail cam gave a unique touch. As Bob hope used to say (I ain't gunna sing it) thanks for the memories!
    Enjoyed the photos and other video also Jim, thanks
    Dan B
    Dan B
    Mesa, AZ

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