2002: AOPA's Open House and Home
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| Just a few days after bringing baby home I talked friend Rob into going to the June 1st Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, AOPA, open house in Frederick Maryland. It was a VMC day, but we filed IFR and went out from the Cleveland area under ATC's watchful eyes. Washington center got a bit goofy with us, sending us backwards for a while so we cancelled IFR and finished the flight VFR. As it happened, we converged on the approach to the airport with several other planes. After a bit of jockeying, we ended up in front for a straight-in approach. Much to my surprise, at about medium final, tower directed me to turn right and then back left to land on the perpendicular runway. FDK had some 800 landings that day and they were using every trick in the book to get everyone in safely. It was fun. | 
Image courtesy of "Great Circle Mapper." |
| Once on the ground and registered for the AOPA Open House Rob and I sought out the informal Cirrus Owners and Pilots Association, COPA, gathering hosted by Steve Lin and Brian Turrisi at their adjacent hangars (Steve's on the left Brian's yet-to-be-filled on the right). Steve's SR20 barely shows in the left background. I've been told that Brian brought back an SR22 to fill the right hangar in mid-October 2002. |
Photo by Rob Logan, all 'round pilot, Tiger owner and Lancair Legacy builder.Additional images are available here. |
| We met up with Steve Lin (COPA's webmaster) again at the Merlin booth. Both Rob and I liked their weather download product. As of this writing (September 2002) neither Garmin or Avidyne can display Merlin's downloaded information, bummer. Because of that I've ordered the Avidyne datalink weather product. While touring the grounds I also stopped at the Tiger Aircraft booth. Tigers are great planes. While there I described my SR22 as a grown-up Tiger. An owner hearing that description said 'no, the SRs are senile Tigers.' Just goes to show, everyone's own plane is best of breed. |
There were planes parked everywhere! On the taxiways, on the grass, and almost on top of each other. Coincidentally, another Cirrus pulled in next to my N464M.
You can just barely see the Kennon Sun Shields in my 22's windows. |  |
| One feature of AOPA's Open House is the stylish work done by Civil Air Patrol youngsters. They direct ground traffic to parking spots in the AM and they direct departing traffic to the runways in the PM. The particularly stylish part is the way they use flags to wave you onto the runway and to signal that you are to start your takeoff roll. Their style is akin to that employed by Navy folks signaling launch on a carrier deck. They have a great time and so do we. Our trip home was uneventful and a good day was had by all. The only down-side was the heat. It was stinking hot and humid and my SR22 is well described as a flying greenhouse! More on that later... |
| Back home at Cuyahoga County Airport, CGF, Rob and I pushed 464M back into the all too snug hangar (18" clearance off each wing!) and called it a day. |  |