AirVenture 2009

What can I possibly say about AirVenture 2009? Especially while pecking this from my iPhone. So it will be short. I quit building trackers for the entire month of July to prepare. Lenny Mack, who went with me the last two years, could not make it this time due to a new job. Lenny besides being a good companion pays for all the gas bought enroute. So he will be doubly missed. Went to EAA's RideShare program and found Bill Cxxxxx from Detroit. He was my age and flies powered parachutes, ultralights and LSA's. I coudn't believe I'd actually find someone thru ride share who wanted to be there all 7 days. Bill had been to AirVenture one other time but had never flown in before. So I knew this would be a treat for him. AND IT WAS! There were light rain showers in Wisconsin when we arrived which provided an interesting challenge to the Ripon VFR arrival process. Bill was blown away by the whole thing thanking me several times the first few days we were there for taking him. Besides visiting with his brother who was there for a few days, Bill saw and did about everything you could do there. It was good to see him have such a GREAT time there. I, on the other hand, started out with a sore back that found a way to heal even while driving and conducting trams 6 hours a day. Other than that I had a GREAT TIME just BEING THERE. It's the sane man's equivalent to burning man. And my friend Ray Blaha was able to finally get there too for the last few days. Showed him around a little Saturday before my tram driving shift started at 2 PM. Sunday we delayed our departure till just before noon. Bill wanted to catch one more workshop on TIG welding and I wanted to get my GPS updated by Jeppesen. And just walk around some more one last time. The weather for the trip home was GREAT and the tailwinds saved us about 1/2 hour. I can't wait for next year.