2016 Fly-Ins

On a fine Friday the 13th, 26 plus DAFers set out for for Catalina Island and a weekend in Avalon. The date may have had an influence on how things went; two aircraft and one boat had to turn back to Torrance on Friday, the planes due to low clouds that moved in, and the boat due to mechanical issues. Some people made a quick turnaround and took the boat, others waited until Saturday to make the crossing, but eventually everyone arrived safely.

 

Friday evening's cocktail hour, hosted (and catered) by Bruce and Roxanne, was fantastic. There was so much food that dinner wasn't really required. However, the DAFers bravely soldiered on and went out to eat anyway, and then staggered back for the night.

Saturday, some went on a catamaran trip along the coast while others hiked, worked on the scavenger hunt or wandered around the island. The weather was perfect, with blue skies (except at the airport) and warm temperatures. Afterward, eleven DAFers went to the Avalon Ball, dressed to the nines, and danced the night away. The rest of the group had another cocktail hour, then went to dinner at Steve's Steakhouse. After the ball, there was a nightcap on the patio before bed. 

Sunday, after breakfast, the final (well, only other) team in the scavenger hunt made their run. Despite their superior skill in completing the hunt in 40% of the time taken by the other team, somehow they lost out. It turns out that accuracy in answering the questions was also a criteria in the score; a poorly designed system in this participant's opinion. After lunch, many of the group headed up to the airport for the trip home, to find a solid low overcast. The second group arrived two hours later, to join the group waiting in the cafe. Around 3:30, after Curtis made the desparate move of filing an IFR flight plan, the weather decided to spite him and opened up. There was a rush for the runway, and inside of about 15 minutes the place had cleared out. Everyone made it back in fine shape, and a good time was had by all.

Thanks again to Bruce and Roxanne for their hospitality, not only providing the food and their apartment for the cocktail hour but ferrying people around when they could. Big thanks as well to Liz and Peter (well, mostly Liz) for setting everything up!