AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2022 - 20

FROM THE EDITOR
Together again
Fly in, hang out, celebrate GA
BY KOLLIN STAGNITO / Editor in Chief
AOPA Foundation Legacy Society member
THE T R E ADL ESS TUNDR A tires on the AOPA Sweepstakes
Cessna 170 kissed the runway at Felts Field (SFF) in Spokane,
Washington. As I taxied to Western Aviation-the FBO on the
field with impressively modern facilities-I reflected on being
the vanguard of aircraft, pilots, and families who would soon
gather at this historic airport to enjoy the first AOPA fly-in
in three years.
AOPA had a full slate of fly-ins scheduled for 2020, but you
know what happened to all events that year. Long into 2021,
COVID-19 continued to impose on our lives, making planning for
complex events such as fly-ins extremely difficult. This was finally
the year we could welcome members-and all pilots and aviation
enthusiasts-back to our unique celebrations of general aviation.
We named 2022's fly-ins " Hangouts " to emphasize our collective
desire to spend time together at the airport after being cautious
around each other for so long.
It takes nearly a year to plan an AOPA fly-in, and almost
a week to set up the temporary infrastructure needed at the
airport-tents, fencing, toilets, showers, electricity, signage,
transportation, and so much more. Then we hope for good
weather and eagerly await all of you.
Some members want to do more than attend and can volunteer
to help with setup, aircraft parking, attendee check in, and
many other roles during (and after) the event. You get to see
what it would be like to be an AOPA employee for a day (or
just a few hours), and spend time with AOPA staff from our
Frederick, Maryland, headquarters. To show our appreciation,
we give you an AOPA hat and volunteer T-shirt-and you don't
have to pay to attend the fly-in.
The weather in Spokane was amazing, except for the smoke
from forest fires around the region that limited visibility to less
than 5 miles. Still, more than 150 airplanes flew into Felts Field for
the Hangout-their pilots and passengers joining nearly 1,000 who
drove or flew commercially. More than a third took the opportunity
to camp next to their airplanes, and they were delighted to
find air-conditioned showers and bathrooms had been brought in
to help ensure a pleasant experience.
Attendees strolled among the exhibits looking at new
airplanes, tempting upgrades for airplanes they already own, or
pilot gear they could not live without (see " Tried and True Pilot
20
AOPA PILOT / November 2022
Gear, " p. 49)-interspersed with trips to the seminar tents to soak
up knowledge from aviation experts. Backcountry flying with
Mike Vivion and the AOPA Pilot Town Hall with Mark Baker
were extremely popular sessions with standing room only. During
the Town Hall, Baker and AOPA senior vice presidents answered
questions about unleaded fuel, insurance, BasicMed, safety,
eVTOLs, future events, and more-and we welcomed them all.
Arguably the most fun part of the Hangout was the STOL
demonstrations. Announced by Mike Vivion, wrangled by Jimmy
Gist, and flown by highly experienced backcountry pilots, eight
aircraft ranging from a Beechcraft Staggerwing to Cessna and
Piper tailwheel airplanes and a 1928 Travel Air 6000 showed
how GA aircraft-expertly flown-can fly impressively slowly
to take off in under 400 feet and land in under 300 (see " Don't
Try This at Home, " p. 82). Richard McSpadden, senior vice president
of the AOPA Air Safety Institute, masterfully flew the AOPA
Sweepstakes Cessna 170, pre-upgrades, to within feet of several
highly modified airplanes.
After the demonstration, attendees headed for the wide array
of food trucks: gourmet burgers, salads, Mexican food, Vietnamese
dishes, and other appetizing options were on the menus. At 5 p.m.,
the 39 Lounge lit up with a bar, live music, and fire pits. This is
where most of the hanging out occurred, although the campers
loved their digs and many hung out there. Nightfall brought an
aviation-themed movie for all to enjoy played on a huge inflatable
screen positioned on the closed runway: The Rocketeer on Friday
and Speed & Angels on Saturday.
If this sounds like fun, we invite you (and a friend or your
family) to hang out with fellow pilots and aviation enthusiasts
at AOPA's next Hangout at Tampa Executive Airport (VDF) on
November 4 and 5 (see " Hang Out with Us in Tampa, " p. 48). You
can check out the AOPA Sweepstakes Cessna 170, watch it fly
in the STOL demo, and make
your own adventure flying to
sunny, warm Florida when
points north will be getting
pretty chilly.
We look forward to hanging
out with you.
kollin.stagnito@aopa.org
KOLLIN STAGNITO,
AOPA senior vice president
of media and marketing,
is a commercial pilot and
enjoys meeting members
while flying the AOPA
Sweepstakes Cessna 170
to aviation events.
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2022

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