Chilliwack 2012


	Christchurch and District Model Flying Club


	Chilliwack 2012 in pictures

I indulged myself again this year with a trip to the Fraser River valley a couple of hours east of Vancouver, to visit my friends Ivan Pettigrew, Hal Norrish , Frank Jaerschky and many more and get in as much flying as possible in two weeks.

I took three models: two in 4ft cardboard boxes as hold baggage and one in a carry-on box in the plane. I had no trouble at all with customs or Air Canada but did have to upgrade my hire car to something larger than a Ford Focus saloon to fit everything in.

I was superbly looked after both at Chilliwack and Comox and made many new friends as well as renewing old ones. The models all survived pretty well unscathed and I got 116 flights in all, 47 with the Fun Cub, 37 with the Short Mussell and 32 with the Ross Islander. At about 5 minutes each, that gave me nearly 10 hours flying: more than I got all last year I should think!

The weather was very good for flying and the scenery spectacular, but it was the people who stay in the memory. Here are a few who are wearing the now international Club hat.


	Rory the Cessna pilot. Frank and I took a floatplane flight to some of the remote outposts across from Campbell River on Vancouver Island. Rory flew the plane and delivered the mail. These places have no road access, so everything comes in by sea or air…




	Ivan Pettigrew, all round excellent host, pilot/instructor, model plane designer and builder, great skill on the sticks, and good with a motor-mower. He also changes wheels on his caravan. And he’s 82. Ivan was over in UK at the last BIMBO meeting where he flew Trevor’s Pettigrew DH Rapide and Arvid’s Pettigrew Albatross. Quite a trip!


		Hal Norrish in his garage where you can see an array of fine models: his own design Antonov Colt and DH Caribou, FMS models Mustang and my Mussell and Islander in the picture. Cassie is the dog. Hal put me up and was a fine host, introducing me to Kaluha liquor and the fine old Canadian custome of “All you can eat” fish and chips. Hal also came to the UK for the BIMBO meet last year.




		Their beautiful Pond




			Sam Jay and Beverly Hudson “Team Tracon”. Sam has a FMS Spitfire and Beverly her beloved Nikon. You can see their phenomenal selection of photos of the event at their website http://www.teamtracon.com/0001.html They too are great hosts and as an added attraction , have occasionally seen Joni Mitchell on the Sunshine Coast.




	My next-door neighbour at the flying field, both this year and last time, was Glen Peden. He selflessly charged my TX all week after my charger decided not to play ball with Spektrum and flew electric assist gliders from the comfort of his armchair. During one flight he announced that he was leading the RC Groups monthly challenge, with 75 minutes off one 30 second motor run!


	Rick and Roy, the President and Vice Pres of the Club. They went out of their way to make me feel welcome and looked after the Club and the strip superbly. You have never seen such short grass or such an excellent BBQ. And thanks to Rick, I know what a Loonie* is.






	* A loonie is a Candian dollar, so called because it has a Loon on the reverse. Naturally the two-dollar piece is a Toonie.


	Finally, Frank “the Hun in the Sun” Jaerschky. Frank couldn’t make Chilliwack this year because his daughter was graduating, his Mum was over, it was his son’s birthday...you get the picture. Lee Ann, him and all his family, including the two dogs, one of the cats and a rabbit welcomed me and made me very welcome. (The other cat was shy) We flew and flew until we couldn’t fly any more. That is his FMS Stuka and no, the photo is not rotated. Look at the flaps: it’s going straight down from 500 ft and there were four or five of us making siren sounds all the way to a last-minute pull-out and another climb to altitude. We think he’s coming to the 2013 BIMBO meeting. (We’re laying in the cornflake supplies Frank)


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