The next meeting and fly-in of Illini Skyriders will be held Saturday, October 21st at the Paxton Illinois Airport.  (1C1).   Mark your calendar now so you don’t forget.  This newsletter is going out earlier than usual because your secretary is leaving for a trip to Baja shortly.  I hope to get back just in time for the October meeting.  In the past, members have tended to forget about the meeting when the newsletter was sent out too early so mark your calendar NOW.

It will be a hangar party at Paxton with plans for the food yet to be developed.  Contact Rob Steiger (781-4464) if you have questions about the Paxton Fly-in or want to bring a food item.  Come anytime especially in the afternoon and plan for the club meeting about 4:00.

There is a lot of flying activity at the Paxton Airport.  On any nice evening or weekend you can expect to see a Challenger, Kolb, Kitfox, GT-400, Gyrocopter, Quicksilver or trike flying.   If not there, they are probably 8 miles north making a low pass over my home strip near Loda.  It’s really great to have regular visitors as I do.

The September 16th meeting and fly-in was held at the airstrip of Mick Schumacher near Sidney, Illinois.  You secretary was not able to attend due to a summer flu and some fairly strong winds. Mick reports they had a good turnout in spite of the wind.  There were 4 Challengers and one Kitfox present.  In addition to Hank ,Tom, and Mick, the fourth Challenger was flown in by Gary Buck from Tuscola.

Vice-president Mick Schumacher reports that his 2-seater was chosen for the prestigious “Presidents Award” at the annual Challenger fly-in which was held recently at Eirie Airpark.  Each year the company president picks his favorite plane from among the fly-in attendees for this award which includes a very nice plaque.  Mick says this same airplane of his won the 2-seat award the previous year.  Congratulations Mick, your hard work and craftsmanship has paid off.

BAJA ADVENTURE

I’m a very lucky guy.  I have been invited to join a small group of pilots traveling to Baja, Mexico for a flying adventure.  A number of vehicles with ultralights on trailers will meet in near Tula Vista, California and then travel as group down into the Baja peninsula.  We will set up camp in various places and fly around the area in our ultralights.  A dry lake bed has been mentioned as well as flying under a brilliant full moon.  Several in the group have made this trip in previous years so we will have experienced guides.   My trike is riding there in a very nice enclosed trailer towed by very comfortable supercab pickup truck.  The current temperature range in Santa Rosalia is low of 72 at night and 102 at midday.  I’ll take lots of pictures and think about my friends back here who will probably be experiencing the first frosts of the Fall season.

Last month I reported on my plans to earn a Gold Colibri pin by flying 750 miles in four days.  The flight has been planned in detail and several possible launch windows came and went because we never had more than three days of good flying weather.  Then I realized a fault in my plan.  I wanted to go southeast into Indiana following a cold front and riding on the tailwinds.  Unfortunately when I want to takeoff, my first couple stops are still under the bad weather.  The launch is delayed until it’s too late.

Now I have modified my plan to go southwest into Missouri after the passage of a cold front, and thus fly parallel to the front instead of into it.   Then I’ll return up through Kentucky and Indiana hoping to get back home before the next front arrives.  In one version of the plan I’ll hit six states in four days including an overnight stop in Paragould Arkansas.  I’m definitely going south where it’s warmer and I’ll put the windshield on my trike as the next chance for me to do this trip is in late October or early November.

So for me it’s going to be return from the desert, change to cold weather jets and go for a Fall color flight down the Mississippi valley.  Finally before the snow gets to deep I have to study and take my Sport Pilot Practical flight test.    --Dan Grunloh