We could not have asked for nicer weather for our Annual Mystery Fly-In on Saturday, November 9. Joe, Peter, Mitch, Anne and Wayne dug deep into the aviation trivia world and came up with a great quiz. 28 DAFers participated and all were able to decipher the destination airport without resorting to the only-open-in-an-emergency-only envelope.

A good lunch followed at the Voyager restaurant where the quiz was debated and litigation strategies discussed.

Twenty-three DAFers in nine aircraft descended into Columbia Airport (O22) Friday October 11 for a spectacular fall weekend. The leaves were turning, the days were warm and nights cool - it could not have been better weather. Eleven of us stayed at the airport's well-kept campground, while everyone else lodged in nearby Sonora. The campers had use of the campground's kitchen pavilion for the weekend, and hosted the "townies" on Friday night for a a tri-tip and chicken dinner (grilling courtesy of master chef Mitch).

On Saturday, many of us walked around historic Columbia, where a Fall Crafts Fair was being held. On Saturday evening, it was Happy Hour at the townies' hotel followed by a group dinner in neighboring Jamestown. The weekend demonstrated that with a adequate supply of beverages, even life-embracing campers and buttoned-down townies can all get along. Thanks to Larry and Jodie Chapman for organizing this fun weekend.

Eighteen DAFers in six aircraft landed on Kern Valley's 3600' runway on a blustery Saturday, September 21. Unfortunately, IFR conditions at Torrance prevented some pilots and passengers from attending, but for those who made it, a fine lunch at the airport cafe was waiting. We all would have loved to have seen Lambi's short approach in his King Air - but as he always seems to arrive first, there sadly were no witnesses.

Joe Cogan and Craig Narr were responsible for organizing this event, which as far as we can tell, consisted of a phone call to the cafe to make sure they could accommodate us. For this kind of effort, I'm smelling Wings award.

43 DAFers in 15 aircraft and two cars met up in Agua Dulce (L70) for another successful Flaming Brisket on Saturday, July 13.  Even the threat of a rumble with a local Boy Scout troop couldn't dampen the good spirits our group or create any clouds on a bright sunny day. (Curiously, this was not the club's first run-in with the Boy Scouts.  See the Nov. 20, 1991 issue of the DAF newsletter: "Fistfight at Furnace Creek".  We lost some good DAFers on that sad day my friends).  

As always, Mitch brought the perfectly-prepared brisket while everyone else brought plenty of side dishes.  Mitch and Jan were also the key organizers for this event - so a special thanks to both of them for everything they did.

June 22-25, 2013. 24 DAFers landed on a beautiful Saturday afternoon in Victoria, British Columbia for the club's second international outing in two years.

We stayed at Victoria's premier hotel: The Fairmont Empress (Liz Broen had negotiated a great rate for our group). Everyone met up for Happy Hour in Liz and Peter's room which had great views of the city and harbor.

Saturday night was the pub crawl, with Peter laying out plans for visiting up to 8 city pubs. (Un)fortunately, everyone really enjoyed the food and spirits of the first pub, the Sticky Wicket, and maybe we stayed a little too long. Only 10 hardy souls ventured to the second pub, and after that, it was just Peter and Mitch wandering the streets of Victoria.

On Sunday, we all went to the BC Aviation Museum (nice people, good exhibits) followed by Happy Hour and dinner at a nearby restaurant. After dinner, a few of us attended one of the concerts that were part of the ongoing Victoria Jazz Festival (really good music).

On Monday morning, we all caravanned via the scenic coastal route to the world-famous Butchart Gardens. The gardens were stunning - we lucked on the weather and had a delicious picnic lunch.

On Tuesday morning, some of us returned to the US whiles others waited out the weather in Victoria for a trip to Tsuniah Lake.

This trip took a lot of planning - a big thank-you to Peter, Liz and Lisa for putting together such a fun weekend.  Click picture for more photo's.

28 DAFers and 4 potential DAFers in 13 aircraft flew into Laughlin-Bullhead International Airport on April 14 for an event-packed weekend orchestrated by Craig and Jody Narr. Craig and Jody shuttled everyone from the airport to our river-view rooms at the Aquarius Hotel, where an early happy hour started at 4pm. We then walked down to the dock in front of the hotel and boarded the Celebration paddle-wheeler for two-hour dinner cruise.  The food was great and the balmy evening weather couldn't have been nicer.

On Saturday morning, the Narrs and Taylors picked up a couple of large passenger vans and took us all to Oatman, AZ on historic Route 66.  At Oatman, there were plenty of shops, fat yet seemingly insatiable burros, and a staged gunfight that raised money for charity.  After riding back to the hotel, most of us had dinner at the Vineyard restaurant.  We all then walked next door to the Riverside Hotel and Casino and saw a Johnny Cash tribute show.  This was a very well-produced show that is touring internationally.

Most of us departed for Torrance on Sunday morning, but the Narrs, Falstroms and Delanes took a flying side trip to the Grand Canyon Caverns (click the photo for all of pictures).

This trip took a lot of planning and the club would like to extend a big thank-you to Craig and Jody for putting together such a fun weekend.

Over 43 DAFers and their friends and families touched down at Santa Ynez on March 2 for very nice picnic. This was one of the best turnouts the club has had in the recent years, even without the presence of some of the regulars. It was also the first fly-in attended by some of our newer members. Except for some somewhat unpredictable crosswinds, the weather could not have been better - nice and warm. There was plenty of food for everyone, including a great selection of desserts brought by the attendees. Thanks to Jodie and Larry Chapman for organizing this event and bringing the food.

On a beautiful sunny Saturday, 30 people in 14 airplanes converged at the Landings restaurant at McClellan-Palomar Airport (KCRQ). Although this reporter flew in from another location and did not attend the preflight briefing, he imagines that it went all other such briefings - Peter presenting a well-organized and detailed description of the event while everybody talked to each other.

After overwhelming the KCRQ tower and forced to circle a bit, everyone finally landed and had an outstanding lunch on the Landing's outdoor patio.  The staff at the restaurant were great in accommodating our large, mostly well-behaved group.

It was great to see some of our newest members join us - we hope they make it a habit. It was also very nice to see Jerry and Mary Stephens flying their own airplane.  Its been a while, Jerry. Congratulations!

Thanks to Peter and Liz Broen for organizing another fun event.

Over 30 DAFers converged on the Flight Path Museum on Saturday afternoon, January 19th. We had the museum to ourselves, and were free to wander through the extensive exhibits presenting the history of LAX. We had the opportunity to tour a vintage DC3, see the evolution of pilot and flight attendant uniforms over the last 70 years, and watch some fun videos (including a nicely edited video of Space Shuttle Endeavor's recent landing at LAX).

The organizers of the event, Wayne and Maria Grau, brought in and served wine and beer, as well as a great selection of appetizers. Thanks to the very hospitable museum staff and to Wayne and Maria for making this fun event happen. Click on photo above to see all of the pictures.