SOAPA 2009 Branson

[hharney]

Report from SOAPA Branson

All SOAPA arrivals were successful yesterday. Some actually arrived Tuesday. Branson is a great little city and the welcome to all Skymaster pilots has been very warm. The FBO went out of their way to accommodate the planes on the ramp. Mark and his crew stayed late for some arrivals to be sure that all SOAPA members were in safely and tied down. Craig and I had a great flight in 2JF from Michigan. We were IMC throughout about 1/2 the flight and the plane got a good bath. We had head winds most of the way but at times they were kinder to us than others coming from different parts of the country. Florida pilots had a grueling head wind traversing through Alabama, Mississippi, and Arkansas.

After such laborious work the water hole Ernie Biggs was a welcome sight. The group had a good time meeting one another and sharing stories of the days flight while listening to dueling pianos and familiar songs in the bar. Some of the folks had a dinner while listening and others found their way to a restaurant for a meal later after the annual SOAPA social.

Well it's time to start the meetings and get ready for a fantastic boat ride tonight. More to come later, reporting from Branson I'm Herb Harney, talk to you soon.