Hi Guys,

  Well, after three attempts in as many months, on April 28th  we finally

made it to Rosamond (L00). Ten people in six planes (Chris & Bill in a

172RG, Andy in a 172, Gary G & Gary K in an Arrow, Jeff & Allison in a 172,

Dennis in an RV3, and Bret and me in a 172) made the flight.

  FSS's 0600 forecast was for clouds enroute, strong headwinds, turbulence,

and 18 knot winds, gusting to 25, at our destination. But we decided to go

because it looked so good at Montgomery and forecasts at 0800 contradicted

the 0600 forecast. The WX actually turned out to be severe clear, a slight

headwind, there was hardly a bump in the road and the winds were calm at

L00. And the WX remained the same for our return flight.

  At Rosamond there were only a couple planes there. We landed, taxied and

all six of our planes parked within 50 feet of the Golden Cantina

Restaurant. The restaurant had an EXCELLENT Mexican buffet. It was a

beautiful day for a fun Fly-In with good food and hangar flying with

aviating friends. Bret took a few pics of us by the planes and Chris will

have them on our website in a couple days.

  For some reason or other, some guys started coming up with call signs for

one another. Dennis Cullum, who is from England, was tagged with the name

"Banger" for the British sausage. Bret Strain, our vegetarian pilot who

likes veggy sprouts, was tagged with "Sprout Man". And Jeff Picardi who

works for the California Highway Patrol was tagged with "Chips". Don't ask

what brought it on, but it's all in fun. Who'll remember these call signs

next time?

  During our hangar flying over breakfast, we decided the next Fly-In will

be to Santa Ynez (IZA). It'll be on Sunday, May 26th. That's Memorial Day

Weekend. The coastal route is 188 miles and inland is 213. Each route has

it's pros and cons. Check the website in a few days for a visual on these

routes. IZA is about 15 NW of Santa Barbara. From IZA airport, it's a 4-5

mile cab ride to the Scandinavian town of Solvang where you can buy (or pig

out on) boxes of those Swedish chocolates they're so well known for. Then we

might think about breakfast.

  So mark your calendar and have a plane ready for Sunday, May 26th for our

Fly-In to Santa Ynez (IZA) .

  Best of clear skies and tailwinds,

Tony Tex