Recent TX Mooney Caravan Formation Flying Course- Report

[bucko]

Hi All;

 

Just wanted to send out a short report on the recent Mooney Caravan Formation Flying Clinic that took place this past weekend at San Marcos, TX (KHYI).

 

We had 9 "Newbies", myself included.  The Mooney Caravan group came through with Safety Pilots flying in from all over the country, including one from the Beechcraft B2OSH group, and several Military IP's (Instructor Pilots) from the local airbase.

 

The course started out with a briefing at the hosting FBO, Redbird Skyport, on Friday night, followed by flying sorties on Saturday and Sunday.  The entire operation was professionally done and safety was the major priority.  

 

Each sortie was carefully planned and pre-briefed. and then flown as planned.  There was a post flight debriefing where each pilot (Newbie and Safety) discussed everything that happened- what went well/ what didn't/ what changes or improvements could be made/ etc.

 

Everyone there said it was great and all expressed interest in coming back next year (yes, this will become an annual event).  Several people spoke about bringing more Mooney friends and their planes with them to the next one.

 

Even the military IP's (who were initially a bit concerned about flying with "civilians" in GA equipment) praised the program and said that they would tell their fellow pilots that "this was done right and a lot of fun".  I see more of them being available next year, should we need additional SP's.

 

So that it basically it, except for mentioning the incredible camaraderie that pilots have when sharing actual flying together, meals, and fantastic stories of aviation prowess.

 

I cannot wait to get together and do this all again.

 

Bucko Strehlow

M20-E