-----Original Message----- Maybe the 2011 Gathering could be somewhere that's routinely a little drier,
like Texas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Nebraska or somewhere to the west. I've only alienated a third of the usual KR Gathering attendees with the I39 push, so I might as well work on those of the eastern persuasion next... Mark Langford -----Snippets of other Original Message----- Mark Jones wrote: My drive home was in clear weather the whole way. Our drive a long 10.5 hours with only brief segments of decent weather Jeff Lange was flying his Sonerai to Waupaca, and he never could get out. both Jeff and Tommy should have an easy trip home. Joe Horton took an airliner back home, realizing that the weather was slowly moving north and east -----A Message That I have been Yelling out for YEARS----- We have to do something about this. Even if you move it to a dry location, we still have to get out of here and get back without risking our planes and our lives. There are many KRs in the south and east who are affected by this every year. One year, it almost took my life, and at the same time, did take the life of a LongEZ pilot trying to get home through the same area in N. Georgia, from their gathering at Rough River Falls, KY. There is no "weather perfect" time of year, but in the Southeast, there is a "Weather Really Bad" time of year, and it is September. I just can't figure out what is so "KR Sacred" about September, that we can't move it to a different month, like October. I wrote to my local TV meteorologist several years ago, about this subject, and he told me that statistically, October was the month for the best weather over the whole country. At the same time, I started this same plea, and it has always fallen on deaf ears. The weather in MVN for the Gathering this year was next to perfect. But, how much is that trip going to cost Joe? How many more times are he and the other KR pilots, going to be willing to risk that kind of expense? I had Mark and the rest of you brave KR Pilots who had not left on Saturday, in mind the whole way home and was really hoping that you were still on the ground. I looked at the weather when I got home and figured that some could get home on Tuesday or for sure on Wednesday and I knew that it was going to be a while for Joe. I don't want to lose any more friends, I don't have that many to spare. I don't mind spending a extra night, but if it is going to cost me up to a week to get home, I won't do that. Also, did Joe tell you that it took him 30 hours to get there. I am sure that his total motivation was not just so the attendees would have another KR to drool over, and drool they did, I believe that he also, just loves to fly. September is the height of HURRICANE season in the Southeast and some other parts of the country. As far as moving the Gathering to a more "Western" location, I am all for that in future years, and I don't mind who's feathers I may ruffle by saying that. I firmly believe that we need to include all KR Builders and flyers in the opportunity to attend, and fly to, the Gathering. It is THE best event of the year for a KR builder, bar none. However, moving to a dry location does not do anything to address this weather problem. See N64KR at http://KRBuilder.org - Then click on the pics See you at the 2009 - KR Gathering in Mt. Vernon, Ill There is a time for building and a time for FLYING and the time for Flying has begun. Daniel R. Heath - Lexington, SC
