Look what I got!!

Look at what Christy Lake is sitting in (click the picture for full-size shot)! It's an Airflow Collectibles Red Baron! Christy and her mother, Mary Lake, were on their way to a wedding shower in Honea Path, when they saw the airplane on the side of the road at a vendor who normally has, according to Mary Lake, "...old junky refrigerators." Well, Mary Lake just had to have it, for me of course - but it surely cost here every dollar she had on her!! I know I'll never be able to live that down! It needs a bit of a polish and wax job, but that will not be any trouble. It sure is a great find, especially for around these parts! I think we're going to try and figure out how to suspend it from the ceiling in our stairwell - wouldn't that be a great conversation piece!

Brand-New FSX Flash page

Microsoft has just published a new Flash website that is well worth checking out! Oh, and be sure to download the free demo!

Mike Gilbert, formerly a PM on Flight Simulator X, has revealed a comprehensive list of aircraft to be flyable in FSX that I'm pleased to repeat here, complete with picture links:

Airbus A321
Aircreation 582SL ultralight
Beech Baron 58
Beech KingAir 350
Bell 206 Jet Ranger III
Boeing 737-800
Boeing 747-400
Bombardier CRJ-700
Cessna 172
Cessna 208
Dehavilland DHC2 Beaver
DG Flugzeugbau DG-808S
Douglas DC-3
Extra 300S
Bombardier Lear 45
Maule M7
Mooney Bravo
Piper J-3
Robinson R22

And in the deluxe version:
Beech Baron w/Garmin G1000
Cessna 172 w/Garmin G1000
Grumman Goose
Maule M7-235 on skis
Mooney Bravo w/Garmin G1000

Christy Lake's new activity

Yep, she's not happy unless she's climbing up on something now. She'll be walking in no time!

Oshkosh post-trip report

Well, I am back and finally into my normal routine after making the trek to and from Oshkosh. It was an awesome experience!

I arrived mid-morning Thursday at Appleton, where I was picked up by another volunteer for the show, Justin Lamb. It's about a 30-minute drive to Oshkosh from Appleton, so we were there in no time. I could tell that we were getting close when planes starting appearing in all directions.

Upon getting all checked into the hotel (which was *right* on the west end of runway 9/27), we headed over to the booth. It was very crowded, and I jumped right into the act of helping people out and answering questions. There's no telling just how many folks stopped by, but they came in droves!

That night, we all enjoyed a great dinner in Appleton at Vince Lombardi's Steakhouse in the company of many great folks including but not limited to: Fr. Bill Leaming, Ron Hamilton, Bob & Tom, Jim Campbell from Aero-News.net, and the booth team. If you're in Appleton for any length of time, this is a great place to dine!

The next several days were pretty much a blur consisting of helping people with machines that locked up (due to the intense heat), answering questions, watching airplanes take off and land atop the Hilton's sky deck, riding around in golf carts (which is the ultimate way to experience Oshkosh), and dodging intense thunderstorms.

Hat's off to the Microsoft team for really making this a first-class trip! It's certainly something I will not forget! Thanks guys!

A few pictures from the trip courtesy of Ron (click for larger shots):


Most common pose for me at the booth, ready to hit that darn "s" key!


Ron Hamilton and I.


Ron, myself, and Howard Bloom.


Standing next to Barrington Irving's Columbia 400.


Brian Adams of Eclipse Aviation and I.