We arrived in Vegas on Thursday and there were only 2 Commanders on the ramp. I knew Morris was there but no one else. Upon walking into the FBO though it turned out there were quite a few people there. The winds were pretty awesome at 25 gusting to 35 and here is a video of my landing and apologize for the language, got a bit excited there at the end and you'll notice how cool I turn (on the outside) after turning off the runway and speaking with the tower again. It was fake as I was still breathing hard on the inside.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DxEtGuYzWKkThe first night we all just got to know each other and we grabbed something to eat at a local restaurant that seemed to not have much heat for their food as everything kept coming raw. Everyone else seemed to enjoy it but I was wondering if maybe there was a heat shortage in California and couldn't figure out why everyone kept laughing at me.
Friday morning we all gathered at the airport and got things started. Every hour or so there was a different topic and we all really enjoyed the great investigation information around the crash of our infamous leader last year. Usually people make stuff up that has holes you can never quite work through in your head but his was a tale of facts that lined up and made perfect sense. It also made more realize a few things about my own plane such as exactly why it is so important to place the gust lock both inside and out of the airplane.
As the day progressed we heard from more Commander pilots and their stories of the life in a Commander world.
That evening we departed the airport and went back for another night of drinks and food at a local restaurant and got to listen to Morris and One Eyed Jack and their many adventures. I could have sat and listened to them all night as they were very entertaining telling of all the Commanders they'd flown all over the world. The stories of how they got some of them running made you realize that with enough motivation and thought you could get almost anything done.
Saturday we got to hear about Steve's project of bringing back his Turbine Commander and wow what a plane. Goes to show with enough money and attention you can make an old Commander turn into a beautiful and inviolable airplane. We also got a good lesson from Morris on the landing gear of a Commander and how important it is to pay attention to things. Also recommended rebuilds and the cost of parts. We got caught up on Twin Commander "The Company" and some of the things they're up to.
Later in the afternoon we got caught up on the current affairs with the new fuel and had a good discussion about diesel engines and the likely hood that they'd ever replace our awesome sounding gas powered engines.
After all was said Saturday we all walked outside to tour the airplanes on the ramp and even though most of the people there had flown or drove in, it was nice to hear stories and get tips about the different parts of the plane from the different people. I again learned a few more things about my plane that I need to pay attention to and it was nice to have the questions and listen to all the stories.
Later Saturday night we all got together for a very nice dinner at the hotel and and an auction. This was no normal auction though as people attending brought all types of gifts to sell. The money was raised to help host next years event and the stories about Moe (The previous owner of my airplane) were awesome. I really haven't heard much but it was awesome that everyone had been so close to him and had great stories to tell. He owned the airplane a lot longer than I had realized and he loved purple even more than I had thought.
We laughed a lot during the auction as our auctioneer (One Eyed Jack) was quite funny had people upping their bids just by blinking their eyes. I actually purchased his external gust lock with the chicken attached. My son asked why the chicken wasn't making money and I told him the story that the crash must have scared the squeaker out of him.
For some reason I won all 3 awards at the meeting this year but I think maybe it was because they were affraid I might not come back so giving me everything that had to be returned would be a good way to make sure I did. It was very fun though and the group is a lot closer than I ever could have imagined. We are very happy to have been let in and hope we stay close to everyone as time progresses.
Oh, and thanks for making so much fun of Moes airplane. I've been flying this bird all over the country and spent two weeks in the caribbean with no real issues. Now because of all the fun it looks like I've got a bad crankshaft seal and will have to fix that upon arriving home in Georgia at the end of the week. At least I won't have to wonder what I will be doing this weekend.
I'll attach some photos as I get them uploaded.
Glenn
