ANN Chronicles the Sights At The AOPA Fly-In
Ya gotta pity poor Phil
Boyer... for the last several years, the Annual AOPA Fly-In has not
only been rained out but a few of them boasted more snorkel sales
than E-6Bs. The day before this year's event, the weather was wet,
lotsa rain and scud was in the area and it was a crap shoot as
whether the WX would clear in time for the fun to begin... without
having to tread water.
Phil was worried.
But... the weather started clearing shortly after sun-up and
while there was a fair amount of IFR scuz to battle, the faithful
made the effort to show up... in great numbers for the annual
one-day AOPA HQ shindig. AOPA tells us that more than 5,000 pilots,
future pilots, and their families and friends turned out for AOPA's
Fifteenth Annual Fly-In and Open House on Saturday. Phil's mood
improved... as the weather did likewise.
Better yet, some 250 aircraft braved the vagaries of the
Washington area's restricted, confusing airspace to take advantage
of the conditions and a temporary control tower to land at
Frederick Municipal Airport for the event... while thousands more
arrived by car.
AOPA's 2005 Prize-plane, a beautifully updated
Commander 112A, got stuck at a nearby airport for a few hours, in
rain and fog, but got to the fly-in as soon as they could get a
clearance. The Red/White/Blue Commander was a major draw... and a
spectacular example of what can be done to update an elder airframe
-- gorgeous!
Face it... it ain't a fly-in anymore without scads
of Cirri on the ramp. Even though the Cirrus bunch were
gathering some 1000 miles to the west at Cirrus Design HQ for
their annual get-together and composite love-fest, quite a few
SR20s and SR22s were in residence and a few folks reportedly took
the plunge and started the process of ordering their own right on
the grounds.
For under $200K, you can get a glass panel-equipped
Symphony of your very own.. setting the most aggressive price-point
in the field for TAA's (Technologically Advanced Aircraft). Mind
you, if you need more than two seats, (Note: with
the exception of Cessna's venerable Skyhawk, which we've been
admonished to recall is ALSO priced under $200K -- but with
four seats) you're out of luck without ponying up the better part
of another $100K... but for many missions, the speedy little 160 HP
Symphony does just what the flight surgeon ordered... cruises
nearly 150 mph, boasts 700 pounds of useful load and is just
plain fun to fly. Serial production and deliveries are getting back
up to speed as we speak... and we couldn't be more pleased. This is
a fun little bird.
NO aircraft is getting more buzz right now than the
SLEEK new Diamond DA42... the first of which are expected to start
showing up in the US using Lycoming engines and later with Thielert
Diesel-power. Garmin G1000 equipped, the four seat DA42 is the
first all-new twin to show up on American shores in a LONG time.
The Lycoming version is known to be quite the hot-rod, with
exceptional single-engine capability, but the diesel is going to
set standards for economy of operation that no twin can hope to
match without serious effort. ANN expects to offer an aggressive
flight test shortly.
If there is a big crowd at the main event tent... one of two
people is speaking -- AOPA Boss Phil Boyer or
aero-humorist/educator Rod Machado. Rod does something amazing in
his well-attended seminars... he not only uses humor to great
effect, he manages to weave in solid aero-educational data and
tools that not only leaves one with a big sloppy grin on their
face, but well-educated and more knowledgeable than when they
started. Rod is a master at keeping audiences entertained... but
he's also one of the most effective instructors we've ever met. If
you get a chance to hear Rod speak, DO NOT miss it. Highly
recommended.
One of the other SRO events at at the AOPA Fly-In was Phil
Boyer's informal chat with membership... principally about the
state of the Washington ADIZ and associated issues. Phil, obviously
still reeling from the fallout of the Washington ADIZ incursion
that SO embarrassed the GA industry, started with a photo of
downtown Washington DC... asking all those in attendance to look it
over (with a number of WELL-KNOWN DC landmarks highly visible) to
let him know if they could not plainly recognize where they (in the
photo) would have been if they saw such a sight from their
cockpits... While he was trying to be polite, he was plainly not
impressed with pilot Jim Schaeffer's explanations about not knowing
where he was when he blundered into prohibited territory and
set-back local GA access issues significantly.
Phil also had some fun with the over-reaction and
hype surrounding the DC ADIZ transgression. While a GA pilot
clearly screwed up, the system DID work, even though small aircraft
like a Cessna 150 make for a ridiculously inefficient weapons
system. Unfortunately; public sensitivity to all manner of aviation
threats since 9/11 has produced a great deal of over-reaction and
little sense in how our nation's aviation security has been
administered. Phil admitted the Schaeffer incident has set back
attempts, on their part, to start dismantling portions of the ADIZ
by weeks... or months. Darn.
While AOPA would normally be very pleased to see
local media interest in their Fly-In, this year's increased
interest came about for all the wrong reasons... as local media
outlets continued to beat the Washington ADIZ incursion story to
death. AOPA has been unusually effective in conducting damage
control after this major screw-up.
One of the best reasons to attend the AOPA Fly-In
has little to do with the outside exhibits... but revolves around
the chance to wander the halls of AOPA HQ and visit EVERY major
office and department in the building... getting an up-close and
personal look at the many functions the organization undertakes and
to meet the staff that handles those tasks. Here, AOPA's Chief
medical trouble-shooter (a staggeringly valuable and effective
function that AOPA undertakes on behalf of its membership), Gray
Crump, holds court and answers one of hundreds of questions he's
asked each week about collective and individual medical
concerns.
A young couple checks out a Lancair cockpit... I
was pleased and impressed with how many couples were trying out
airplanes TOGETHER and talking about what the airplane would do for
them, as a family. VERY cool trend, that. Lancair, like a number of
the slicker GA operators, has a mobile showroom that moves around
the country with a "try-it-before-you-fly-it" cockpit mock-up and a
sales force that is ready with solid answers to the common
questions potential buyers have as they consider an aircraft
purchase. Is it working? Apparently, yes... GA sales activity
continues to look good.
One of the "elder statesmen"of the GA world, New
Piper Aircraft, displayed a roomy six-place Piper 6X... complete
with the new Avidyne glass panel system. We didn't think it was
possible for a panel to dwarf the huge Avidyne displays, but
the monstrous panel of the 6X actually leaves plenty of room for
more toys (HDTV, anyone?). The Avidyne installation has injected
even greater interest and utility into an airframe that has
withstood the test of time surprisingly well. There are few solid
fixed gear six-place offerings at the moment, but the 6X and the
Turbo-Charged 6XT are near the top of our list.
That's just a few of the many cool things we saw
this weekend... but if you don't want to miss the next
opportunity to enjoy such an event, mark your calendars NOW for
next year's AOPA Fly-In... Saturday, June 3, 2006. This has become
one of our favorite one-day events and remains an excellent chance
to see what GA's most dynamic Alphabet Association is all
about.