If you were planning on joining the Husky Round-Up and didn’t…you missed alot of FUN!

On Saturday June 19th we gathered at one of my favorite flying destinations at Gilliam-McConnell Field (5NC3) with the Pik-N-Pig restaurant.

This place is the idyllic fly-in restaurant because the wonderful BBQ fare with corn muffins with jalapeno butter  is served on the large patio overlooking the paved and grass landing strip. Our folks flew in from various points in North Carolina and Virginia. We enjoyed the lunch and fellowship making new friends and talking Husky flying, grass strips and future gatherings to plan.

We were treated to Bill Hodges flying in his beautiful Husky N332F on amphibious floats. All particularly enjoyed hearing his stories of his trips to Florida at low altitudes over the water just off the coast and the numerous waters “landing” opportunities in Florida. He also told of his flight to the Bahamas. John Harris of Louisburg shared his favorite grass strip destinations in West Virginia and Mark Ruston and his lovely wife Dawn of Raleigh shared about their recent explorations in Virginia.

Chris McClure in his beautiful red Husky N15CM with tundra tires and Andrew Dauber in Bill Hodges second Husky joined us just a bit late but in time for the flying competition. Jim Briggs of Hampton Roads with his friend John came in his 172 to check out the Husky line up and Jim got a flight in the Husky and was thoroughly impressed!

When it came time for the short take off and landing competition, Justin Willess in his RV4 was eager to compete. The only prize was bragging rights but that seemed to be plenty motivation for all those involved. The participants lined up at a starting line on the grass strip and were measured for their distance to get off the shortest. They followed that with a low pass at high speed and then came back around for a try at the short landing. They had to touch down after the starting line and our markers measured the shortest distance to a full stop.

It was great fun and most of the guys kept going with multiple tries. Our results were…drum roll please…. John Harris in N103BB won the short field take off competition and the also the honor of being our headline photo above. A beautiful shot of him in action with our beloved Pik-N-Pig Restaurant in the background.

Our landing competition results will undoubtedly require a rematch some time in the future! Justin Willess in his RV 4  took the prize for shortest landing. His win was assisted in no small way by his superb piloting skills to keep his craft only inches from the ground and let down just after the scratch mark and the application of just the right amount of braking. The fact that our chief competitor Mark Ruston in his 200 HP Husky landed shorter on two tries but unfortunately scratched on both tries with wheels touching down just before the mark. Congratulations Justin and consider this your official notice of challenge for a rematch at the next event!

Our Husky Pilots received certificates for their participation in the event to top it off and make it memorable.

So, what could be better? … A perfect fly-in destination, great food on the patio watching planes come and go, a take off and landing competition and talk of our next gathering, not much could top this in my book!

There was discussion of locations for our next events. Included in the list was:

1. Fly-In at Mountain Air in Burnsville NC

2. A Sunday fly-out to Campbell Field in Virginia for their Soup on Sunday gatherings

3. A Coastal Tour in the Fall or Spring

Initial research into MountainAir has already turned up some interesting possibilities as there is already a golf gathering in September that might be the perfect weekend to join in. More news on that soon.

Mark Ruston and Chris McClure both volunteered to help organize and promote our next event. Thanks Guys!

SPECIAL THANKS: To Roland Gilliam the owner of Gilliam-McConnell Field for his generous support of the event and help with flight competition logistics.
To Steve Merritt of Cary NC for being our Flight Competition Judge along with Andy Thomson from the Apex EAA Chapter as measurer.
To Ben Armstrong for his masterful help with all the photos, logos and certificates – Well Done!
To Janie and the staff at the Pik-N-Pig for working so flexibly with me to organize the lunch.
To Premier Aircraft Sales for sponsoring the event and making it possible.

Check out the 2010 HUSKY with the amazing Garmin G600 at the event. Click here to experience the Garmin G600.

The Diamond DA40 XLS has been lauded by the aviation magazine writers for years now as many things including: “Safest Aircraft”, “Most Economical”, “Speedster that Sips Fuel” (150kts on 10gph), “A Sleek European Designed Cruiser”, “Best First Airplane”, and the list goes on.

So how do you top the such an award winning plane as the DA40 XLS? That is the question that the folks at Premier Aircraft Sales asked and then answered. They have spent years now marketing and selling these sleek efficient birds and in the process have come up with every possible add-on and option that customers have asked for that is not already included on the XLS. With a lot of development work and perseverance the folks at Premier have created the Ultimate DA40 XLS by offering different levels of these option combinations and referring to it as the PREMIER EDITION.

“Our goal is to make one of the best airplanes you can buy even more attractive,” says Fred Ahles, president of Premier.  “In today’s marketplace, customers are demanding value, but also differentiation and exclusivity,” he explains.  “They may want more customized options in the areas of system functionality, performance, comfort and luxurious good looks than the OEM offers. The Premier Edition offers buyers the opportunity to customize an aircraft that is as uniquely individual as they are,” he notes.

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Premier Edition Features and Options

There are two versions of the Premier Edition offered.  The Premier Edition Package I includes:

• The Premier PowerPlus™ standby alternator system, which provides additional electrical system redundancy
• The Lopresti Boom Beam™ for enhanced nighttime visibility
• The Hartzell composite propeller, a durable, light weight, low vibration alternative, offering distinctive optics and improved cruise performance
• Luxurious custom contoured all-leather, form-fitting memory foam upholstery with new color choices, piping accents and stitching patterns
• Distinctive Premier Edition exterior striping
• Premier Comfort luxury carpet with new color choices
• Diamond logos embossed in the headrests and an exclusive owner plaque on the instrument panel

The Premier Edition Package II includes all the features of Package I plus Premier’s exclusive CabinCool™ vapor cycle air conditioning system, delivering automotive-style cabin comfort with 55º F at the vent.

“There is a long aviation tradition of enhancements being offered by aftermarket suppliers for specific markets and applications,” said Peter Maurer, president of Diamond Aircraft. “The DA40 XLS is a best seller and features a long list of factory installed features and options.  We welcome Premier’s initiative in offering even more opportunity for our customers to create a truly exclusive and personal airplane.”

For more information about the Premier Edition call John Armstrong at 406-FLY-1NOW. And don’t miss the DA40 XLS Premier Edition Demo Tour!

For more info on the DA42-L360 check out this article or call 877-258-8011

Commercial Ground School —  May 30th and May 31st 2009

Instrument Ground School  —  June 27th and 28th 2009

Private Ground School  —  July 11th and 12th 2009

• What:  Private, Instrument and Commercial Weekend Ground Schools

• When:   Saturday & Sunday 8AM to 5PM

• Where:  534 Air Harbor Rd., Greensboro, NC 27455

• Guarantee:  They guarantee students pass the FAA written;
  if they don’t pass, they work with them one-on-one until they do pass

• Items to Bring:  An E6B, pocket calculator, and something to write with

• Extras:  They provide doughnuts and coffee for breakfast, ham sandwiches for lunch, and we also have soft drinks and water

• Cost:  $275.00 Cash or Check, with checks payable to Pat Owens

• For more info or to register complete the form below:
  1. Name(required)
  2. City, State
  3. Email(valid email required)
  4. phone(required)
  5. Ground School(s) I'm interested in...
  6. Commercial Instrument Private Pilot
  7. Highest Pilot Rating?
  8. Non-Pilot Student Private Instrument Commercial CFI ATP
  9. Pilot Hours?
  10. Question