Well, the 2012 LOBO/Lancair Fly-in, held at Sedona, AZ from 28 – 30 September, 2012, is in the history books—and what a spectacular event it was! If you were unable to attend you missed a very special occasion. Event Co-Chairpersons Lisa Williams and Claudette Colwell, in a dazzling display of organization, coordination and Machiavellian manipulation (not to mention wheedling and cajoling) brought together all the key people and stuff, in the right place, at the right time, to put a smile of delight on the face of every attendee. Among the highlights:

• 150+ fun, lively Lancairians
• 50+ unique, hand-built Lancair aircraft
• Marvelous accommodations and victuals at Sedona’s Poco Diablo Resort
• Incredible weather with warm, dry, sunny days, and cool evenings
• Informative daily lectures and forums
• Picnic lunches in the shade
• Entertaining evenings spent enjoying pleasurable company
• A keynote address from EAA President Rod Hightower
• The spectacular scenery of Sedona’s Red Rock Country
• A veritable cornucopia of extracurricular activities

All in all, I can’t imagine a better way to spend a weekend in October!

This year’s twist included a Lancair ground school conducted by two of the Lancair community’s most respected, Ernie Sutter and Bob Jeffrey, the day before the official start of the fly-in. Along with Jeff Edwards and Art Jensen, Ernie and Bob shared flying lessons learned over several lifetimes of professional aviation. The material presented offered nothing less than a behavioral, psychological and attitudinal checklist that if followed can greatly enhance the safety and enjoyment of building, owning and flying not just Lancair aircraft, but any aircraft.

Friday, 28 September marked the official start of the fly-in. Following registration in the morning you could either remain at the airport and attend the forums, wander off to the ramp to ogle the eye candy, hang out at the airport diner and drink coffee or head off for any of several off-airport activities arranged by various fly-in committee members. Forums were presented by representatives of fly-in sponsors including Dave McCoy of NationAir Aviation Insurance, Bill Weeks from Cascade Aircraft Management and Marc Ausman of Vertical Power.

Dave gave us an update on the status of the insurance as applicable to Lancair owners. Underwriters continue to add and eliminate coverage for the various Lancair models, and NationAir continues to keep abreast of the changes, as well as keeping the underwriters informed of LOBO’s efforts toward improving fleet safety. The good news is insurance is available for all Lancair models. For more information contact Dave at NationAir, LOBO’s preferred insurance broker.

In the middle of the day everyone grabbed a chair, a sack lunch provided by a local caterer and a soda, and found a cool spot to sit in the shade outside. The scenery around Sedona is stunningly beautiful, and enjoying a picnic in the middle of it while talking about Lancairs was exactly as delightful as it sounds.

After lunch Bill Weeks told us of a new player in the Lancair support market, Cascade Aircraft Management (CAM). CAM has partnered with Lancair to provide technical support and maintenance services for the entire range of Lancair aircraft. If you need technical help or maintenance service for your aircraft call Lancair or CAM—they’re sure to have the answers and the help you need.

Finally, Marc Ausman gave us a fascinating peek at the future of experimental avionics. His work in integrating the power management technology developed and marketed by Vertical Power with the latest navigation, database and autopilot technology has resulted in a very interesting product called Runway Finder. As its name implies, it is a safety device intended to help a pilot (or the passenger of an incapacitated pilot) find the safest runway—based on a number of factors—in the event of an engine loss. The system continually tracks aircraft position, altitude and direction of flight in relation to the nearest airports, along with pertinent weather info such as winds. It’s activated with the press of a single, large red button on the panel.

Once activated, Vertical Power’s magic boxes, when properly programmed and paired with flight management systems such as Garmin’s G3X, will determine all airports within gliding distance, select the best one based on a number of programmable parameters (runway length, surface, availability of services, expected traffic, etc.) and then assume full control of the aircraft using the installed autopilot. It will fly the aircraft along the most appropriate flight path while using flaps and gear to manage available energy, eventually gliding it to a position—on appropriate speed, altitude and glide path—from which a safe landing can be completed.

Needless to say, the safety implications of such a system for Lancair aircraft got our attention. Not surprisingly, it has also gotten the attention of some big players in the industry, namely the FAA. Vertical Power’s Runway finder, if it lives up to its promise, has the potential to save many, many lives. We wish Marc Ausman the very best as he and his team bring this marvelous product to market in the next few months.

Friday ended with a cocktail party in the evening. It was a great opportunity to meet some new folks, and/or get reacquainted with the many folks who attended last year’s fly-in in Branson, MO. The hors d'oeuvres provided by the Poco Diablo kitchen included a relish tray of veggies and dip, various crackers and cheeses along with hot appetizers like spinach pastries, BBQ meatballs, teriyaki beef and peanut chicken. Needless to say, it all went very well with the variety of wines offered at the bar!

Adam & Anne

Then, amid the camaraderie came a very special announcement. If you thought you knew how to spice up a fly-in experience, LOBO member Adam Molny has a few pointers for you. First, find a great gal who loves aviation and Lancairs as much as you do. Next, bring her to the fly-in with you. Finally, ask her to marry you! Clearly, Adam chose wisely, because his sweetheart, Anne Daley, said yes! Awwwwwww.

Saturday morning dawned bright and clear, and attendees again had the choice of several off-airport activities, or back to the airport for more airplane stuff. Morning forums included an address from LOBO’s President, Jeff Edwards, who gave us a state of the organization briefing. Thanks to the efforts of the many volunteers who make it happen LOBO becomes healthier each year. We have remained steadfastly true to our primary goal of increasing the safety and enjoyment of flying Lancairs, and continued our efforts toward keeping our beloved avocation as safe, fun and affordable as possible. Jeff highlighted our latest advocacy work with the NTSB and the FAA in seeking effective ways to improve Lancair safety.

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LOBO has spearheaded a number of safety efforts, including an initiative which would allow a second, experienced Lancair pilot to be aboard the aircraft during flight test. This second pilot would act as a safety observer and flight advisor to the pilot conducting the flight testing, who is typically inexperienced in Lancairs. LOBO research has shown the most dangerous time for new Lancair pilots is the first hundred flight hours in their new aircraft. Because of the difficulty of finding a Lancair available for flight training, owners of newly-built Lancairs must either fly twenty-five to forty hours of flight test—usually without training—or deal with the expense of hiring a test pilot. We know which choice many make…

LOBO President Jeff Edwards

Another significant LOBO effort is our push to contact buyers of used Lancairs. The first-100-hour danger zone does not apply to builders only; it also applies to second owners. Indeed, second owners may be at an even bigger disadvantage than the builder, who at least has intimate knowledge of the aircraft’s systems. LOBO is seeking assistance from our membership, Lancair, the wider Lancair community and the FAA in reaching out to second owners to provide them the data regarding the nature of high-performance aircraft and assist them in obtaining appropriate, effective training. We also heard from Mike Council from Continental Motors, who shared with us the manufacturer’s perspective about operating and maintaining Continental piston engines. Following Mike, Tim Casey gave us an update on Garmin’s latest development work in avionics for the experimental market. After another marvelous picnic, Randall Harris of Aviation Specialty Lubricants (ASL) presented a very technical description of how ASL’s CamGuard product, when used as part of a comprehensive maintenance program, can help your piston engine meet or exceed expected service limits. Doug Meyer from Lancair then took the microphone and regaled us with an insightful, personal account of Lancair’s long history. We learned much about the personalities that make up the Lancair team.

Rod Hightower speaks at banquet

Saturday evening brought the capstone of the fly-in, the banquet, featuring guest speaker and EAA President, Rod Hightower. The Poco Diablo Resort set out a scrumptious, banquet-style feast including a fresh green salad, a selection of hot vegetables, rice, pasta and entrees of beef cutlets or chicken. And if you didn’t fill yourself to button-bursting satisfaction will all that, there was a choice of several different absolutely delicious cheesecakes and coffee for dessert. You might think it would be difficult to stay awake after such a meal, but you would be underestimating Rod Hightower’s ability to entertain! Mr. Hightower shared with us EAA’s philosophy in keeping the dream of personal aviation alive in a world which seems to grow more hostile to it every day. His vision for the future of EAA is as inspiring and refreshing as the humor he so clearly delighted in sharing with us. If you've never heard Rod speak you should!

Rick Richardson wins big!

Before leaving the podium, Rod surprised the crowd with an unannounced donation from EAA: A VIP package for AirVenture 2013, including tickets and parking passes which was given away to lucky attendee Rick Richardson! After thanking Mr. Hightower, LOBO President Jeff Edwards recognized a few key people involved in making this year’s fly-in a success. Then it was time for the SWAG! Door prizes for this year’s fly-in were donated by EAA, Garmin, Precise Flight, AeroLED, Reno Air Races, General Aviation Modifications, Inc., Continental Motors, High Performance Aircraft Training, ForeFlight, One Mile Up, Aircraft Specialty Services, Aircraft Specialty Lubricants, Sporty’s and Aircraft Spruce and Specialty. If you didn’t win one of these fantastic gifts from the many vendors and suppliers who support our Lancair fleet, better luck next year!

Event Masterminds             Lisa & Claudette

All-in-all, the 2012 LOBO/Lancair Fly-In set a standard for future events that will be hard to match. The location, the forums, the planes, the accommodations and food, the extracurricular activities, the fellowship and the guest speaker were simply superlative. And it was all made possible by the hard work of event Co-Chairpersons Lisa Williams and Claudette Colwell and the support of our generous sponsors including: Lancair International, Garmin, NationAir Aviation Insurance, Cascade Aircraft Management, Aircraft Specialties Services, Continental Motors, Vertical Power, Aerotronics, Grove Aircraft Landing Systems, Avalong Logistics Inc., Barrett Precision Engines, Dynon Avionics, E-Mag Electronic Ignitions, Hartzell Propellers, RDD and Performance One Aviation. Click here if you'd like to view an online photo album of the fly-in. If you didn't make it this year you missed a great deal of fun. We hope you are making time in your calendar for next year’s event. If you did make it this year, thanks for coming, and we hope to see you again next year!