CopperState 2009
With no hard numbers yet to quantify my impressions of CopperState 2009,
attendance seemed up from last year while total aircraft may have been slightly less. Quality of aircraft in attendance was high which has been the case for this event for some years. Casa Grande Airport feels like home now for the CopperState event after hopping around Southern Arizona over the last 12 or more years. The town seems to be solidly behind the event as evidenced each year by improved facilities and a more organized feel to the show.
Picture perfect blue skies made a beautiful backdrop for the Showcase Aircraft demonstrating their performance capabilities at show center.
There is no doubt that the star of the show was our very near perfect weather. Temps in the mid to upper 80's and calm to light breezes graced the event on Friday and Saturday. As our friends in more Northern latitudes ready for the imminent arrival of Winter, we find ourselves readying our Kitfoxs for more active duty now that our temperatures no longer hover around the 110 degree mark on local thermometers.
John and Deb McBean along with Mark and Renee Smith were constantly busy at the Kitfox Aircraft's display tent discussing performance, economy of operation, available engine choices and more technical questions from prospective members of our Kitfox family. Phil Laker and Bill Prokes were filling in also when all the factory reps. were busy. The Kitfox display aircraft were continually being inspected and tried on for fit and comfort. One tall gentleman( 6' 6" I'm guessing) and his wife I noticed were sitting in the factory demo for an extended period. After exiting the Kitfox I asked how it fit him and he was very pleased. Plenty of headroom was key in his decision process along with long cross-country comfort, baggage capacity and visibility from the cockpit.100_5446.jpg
No doubt the Kitfox with the most wow appeal at the display tent was Bill Prokes' Model 4 with a Rotec radial engine. It is a pilot magnet. Its beautiful finish and its incredible workmanship are a real tribute to Bill. Hopefully we'll get a chance soon to spotlight it in our Kitfox of the Month. I'm also keeping my fingers crossed for a flight in Bill's Rotec powered Kitfox in the near future.
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On Saturday I had the distinct pleasure of flying three different Kitfox aircraft.
First is a beautifully crafted and even better flying Model 4 Speedster owned by Michael (E.T.) and Dee Holm, one of our founding members of The Desert Fox Squadron. Col. Holm is based out of Glendale, AZ and has been flying his Speedster since 1999. It has been a couple years since yours truly has had a taildragger under his seat cushions (probably E.T.'s)so I was very happy to take E.T. up on his kind offer to get reacquainted with rudder pedals. 1.3 hours and some touch and go's at nearby Phoenix Regional Airport a considerable amount of rust had been removed from my nose-gear loving feet.
No major aircraft parts were lost during my landing and takeoffs from Phoenix Regional so back to the show we went, me with a big Kitfox taildragger grin. Thanks E.T. I needed that.
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My second Kitfox flight was in the gorgeous factory demo. green and white Super Sport. It needed ferrying back to Chandler so I was able to get my 2nd Kitfox flight. It was my first solo flight in this aircraft and I have to say all you lucky members who are building a Super Sport are in for a real flying treat. I'm envious. Thanks Phil.
Mark Smith flew wingman to Chandler to bring me back to the show. I climbed out of the Super Sport and into Mark and Renee's award winning 7. Mark was kind enough to let me fly it back from Chandler and again no major parts were left on runway 23 at Casa Grande. My third flight of the day. Thanks Mark. You've built a fantastic flying Model 7.
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As many of you know TeamKitfox.com was created by Randy Lervold. Randy is now CubCrafters General Manager.
On Friday I had a chance to meet Randy's boss, Jim Richmond, founder of CubCrafters in Yakima, WA. Jim had on display their latest yellow and silver Cub. I found a few minutes when Jim had a break in the action to introduce myself and visit with Jim about his companies history, its products and his enthusiasm for its future. Best of luck Randy and enjoy every minute flying those beautiful Cubs.
Most importantly to all our TeamKitfox.com members that stopped by to say hi, thank you. It's always great to see you again and to meet some of you for the first time.
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