Tuesday, October 5, 2010

2010 Rough River Canard Fly-In

The one thing I was really looking forward to by being captured in Ohio for 10 weeks was the chance to attend the annual Canard Fly-In at Rough River State Park in Kentucky.  It is thought to be the largest gathering of canard aircraft in the world.  At least nobody has challenged that yet.  This year there were approximately 68 aircraft on hand with the farthest flown from New Mexico.  The non-flying attendees that came the farthest were from Australia!


It was really the first time I had ever been around any significant numbers of canard owners and builders.  What a great group to be associated with!  Each one willing to answer questions and explain thier approach to solving various challenges.  There were some wonderful planes to look at and great learning and inspiration to be had for a builder.  Before I left I grabbed a reservation in the last cottage available for next years event. 

I can't offer enough thanks to my new friend Nick Ugolini for showing me around.  He advertised for a roommate to split expenses and ended up showing me around and introducing me to others.  He probably felt like he had found a lost puppy and wasn't sure how to get rid of him.  Nick was was extremely patient and even offered me valuable "Nick's Nugget's" of advice to help my build.  To top it all off, Nick gave me my first official canard flight in his Long EZ.  What a blast !  That ride will stick with me a long time.   Thanks Nick!

Here are some more pictures of the great weekend.


Chad