December 2003 - American Bonanza Society

REGIONAL NEWS
Northeast Bonanza Group
The EBG "Leaf Peeping" fly-in
of October 3-5 was extraordinary in the
Nonh Country of New England. Fall
foliage was at or near its peak for us as
our four Barons, 10 Bonanzas and one
Lake Amphibian ("my other airplane is
a Baron") converged on KHIE in
Whitefield, New Hampshire.
The weekend was billed as a twonight
stay at one of the most beautiful,
fully restored Grand Hotels of Northern
New Hampshire: the Mountain View
Grand Resort and Spa. Forecasts were
typical New England: Wait a minute and
the weather will change.
Beechcraft drivers began arrivmg
early on Friday in a beautiful robin'segg·blue
sky, winds light and variable.
The folks at KHIE were more than
accommodating with airport commission
members providing ground services
unparalleled in the North Country.
The Resort's Hummer H2 picked
us up and by late afternoon, everyone
was safely on the ground. tied and
chocked. We all met in the main baLlroom
for a marvelous cocktail reception
and si t-down dinner where fun and
friendship flowed freely-a fitting end
to a great day of VFR flying!
Saturday morning saw the procession
of a cold front across New
England. bringing unsettled weather
and record cold temperatures. But
Beech drivers are a hearty bunch, and
we decided to press on with our "Leaf
Peeping" adventure! We loaded into a
bus for the trip to Franconia Notch State
Park, site of the former Old Man of the
Mountains.
We visited the Flume, an ancient
geologic gorge of unsurpassed beauty,
and were able to walk the ntile trek
through its glorious beauty before the
rains settled in. We traveled further up
the notch to have lunch at the Cannon
Mountain Tramway, a modern tram providing
a seven-mi nute trip up the 4.300-
foot incline.
On our return to the Mountain
Franconia Notch Slole Park offered the NEBG group
many breathtaking sights,
View, a quick stop at the airport confirmed
all the airplanes were still solidly
secured, despite the gale-force winds.
Those who planned ahead had made
reservations at their world-class spa and
were treated to a relaxing massage.
Others enjoyed the indoor pool, and
some sat on the veranda sipping hot
apple cider or drinks of slightly stronger
proportions before the evening's buffet
dinner and entertainment by a local gui·
tarist at the lodge. Awards for furthest
travel went to Baron drivers Chris Von
Wormer from the Detroit area and Jack
Fox from the Virginia Beach area. Seven
other states were also represented.
Good weather on Sunday morning
allowed everyone to make it out with no
problems, albeit LFR in most cases. It
was a wonderful weekend getaway at a
hidden oasis just perfect for exploration
by aviation enthusiasts. Check it out on
.
- Paul Damiano
Rocky Mountain
Bonanza Society
Our Engine Management Sentinar
was a huge success! A standing-roomonly
crowd participated in the one·day
seminar at Denver's Centennial Airport
on October 18. RMBS members Neil
and Jan Schilmoeller invited GAMJ's
John (Weebs) Wiebener to enlighten
participants regarding the latest in rec·
ommended big-bore engine operating
techniques.
With special emphasis on fuel
economy and long engine life, John
made it convincingly clear that a few
thousand dollars invested in modern
hardware and software can produce
big dividends over the life of our
engines and make us better pilots
as well.
Go fast, go far-in either case. it is
important to know the di fference
between OWT (old wives' tales) and
the huge amount of empirical data now
available to Bonanza and Baron pilots!
To schedule a seminar in yo ur area, call
1-888-Fly-GAM!.
Our Butterflies and Valentines,
ABS December 2003