My Valdez 09 pics.

[Torch]

Here are a few of my Valdez pics. I would have had more but I had to work. It was very cool working there. It literally rained Super Cubs. That ain't a bad thang.

This first pic is a panoramic of the runway during the competition.

I caught this pic of where the Claus clan was camped out. They have some really nice air machines. I really wanted to meet Paul but I worked quite a few hours and every time I had a chance to move around I seemed to miss him. I did meet his son. His son was a very polite young man. It is great to see good young men flying airplanes. I also met one of the pilots that work for Paul. He was also a really nice person. Confirms my experiences in life that I have yet to meet a Super Cub pilot that I didn't like.

When I saw this plane on the ramp the first day I knew the TORCH had to meet the HULK.

On one of my breaks I walked outside and yellowmaule was there to greet me. His airplane is very nice. I swear you can carry a refridgerator in that thing. Yellowmaule said he indeed had recently hauled one out for a friend.

This is a pic of the STOL competition. If anyone knows this guy speak up.

Same for this competitor. Who is this?

This is the Hulk's partner. I couldn't resist taking a pic of an airplane with the naked lady silouette on the tail.

Hope you all like the pics.

 

[jprax]

Planes

The black cub belongs to Cole Ellis whose brother is Kirk Ellis with the Hulk, a four place supercub. The black and white cub belongs to Oly Bates. They are from the Slana/Nabesna area. They are all great supporters of the fly in and have been to it since the start. Cole and Kirk along with Paul Claus gave a very good talk about bush flying on Friday afternoon.
Joe

 

[cpthazard]

great pics Torch...you are a professional it seems...leave them wanting more, .... so when you put together your 'online' galleries you will post the link, won't you???? us dirt sucking desert dwellers can't get enough Alaska pictures, at least this one can't

db

 

[Torch]

I am not a professional. I just like taking pictures. I don't have a specific place I post pics. Steve is working on fixing my photo album on this forum otherwise they would be here. I have some of them posted at this site:



http://www.tundrasolutions.com/forums/members/torch/albums/torch-301/

I want to make sure I say hello to Ed and his wife (Supercub.org members) who are from Manhattan, Kansas. They stopped by my workplace there in Valdez to meet me. They are first class people. Everyone I met there was first class people. Its fun being around all those airplanes and pilots in such a beautiful place. Ed was trying to fly a plane down the southeast coast of Alaska on his way back. I gave him a pilot weather briefing for the trip and the weather was supposed to be great. Ed, I hope you decided to go that way and if you did post up some pics of that.

 

[Torch]

Re: Planes

The black cub belongs to Cole Ellis whose brother is Kirk Ellis with the Hulk, a four place supercub. The black and white cub belongs to Oly Bates. They are from the Slana/Nabesna area. They are all great supporters of the fly in and have been to it since the start. Cole and Kirk along with Paul Claus gave a very good talk about bush flying on Friday afternoon.
Joe

Joe,

I met both Cole and Kirk. I wanted to go to the Bush Flying presentation put on by Paul Claus and the Ellis brothers but I was upstairs working traffic during that time. It was my turn in the barrel. There were some serious amounts of airplanes in the pattern all day that day. Now I gotta go back and spell Paul's last name correctly.

 

[Torch]

I posted my better Valdez pics here

http://www.supercub.org/photopost/showgallery.php?cat=969

 

[behindpropellers]

Torch-

Thanks for posting pics! I hope to make it up there some day!


Ever think about working the tower during Oshkosh?

Tim

 

[Torch]

Torch-

Thanks for posting pics! I hope to make it up there some day!


Ever think about working the tower during Oshkosh?

Tim

Tim,

I work at the Kotzebue Flight Service Station. They won't let me work a tower, and I don't want to take a huge cut in pay. I need my money to purchase airplane gas. :lol: :lol: We do it with Airport Advisories. The FAA learned from past years that they need people that are experienced with working lots of traffic. Kotzebue is a busy airport. Our management brought two of us from Kotzebue and a lady up from Ketchikan. Ketchikan is also one of the busiest airports up here. We received quite a few compliments from the pilots flying in and out of there that weekend and also from the staff that put on the Air Show. It was fun and I hope to be back next year.

 

[chetharris]

Torch,

The thanks are much deserved. You folks did an excellent job. Maybe next year you can have one day off to play.

Thanks Again

 

[Paul Claus]

Torch,

Thanks for all your work last weekend, I did not realize until I saw your post that it was you up in the tower! I certainly would have looked you up! Hope to meet you one of these days!

Thanks for the pics.

Paul

 

[akflyer]

Enjoyed working with you in the tower!

We had a blast working the STOL & FLOUR BOMBING show portion in the tower. Many thanks, we look forward to coming back next year!!

Lynn in
Eagle River

 

[Bob Breeden]

That 5th picture is Jerry Gaston's Cub. He was in Montana, and very gracious to let me use it fly around for a week in the mountains and then Valdez! Thanks, Jerry.

Bob Breeden

AlaskaAirpark.com

 

[Torch]

That 5th picture is Jerry Gaston's Cub. He was in Montana, and very gracious to let me use it fly around for a week in the mountains and then Valdez! Thanks, Jerry.

Bob Breeden

AlaskaAirpark.com

Dayum! I should have recognized that Super Cub. I think it is this one???? This is a pic of Jerry and my Cubs on the Richardson Clearwater in front of Jess Bachner and his son's cabins. I took the pic a couple of years ago when Jerry brought it up to Fairbanks.

 

[kase]

Gaston said anybody who needs a cub next year to compete at Valdez can use his.

 

[Torch]

Gaston said anybody who needs a cub next year to compete at Valdez can use his.

I'm all for that. Its always fun putting spur marks on someone else's Cub. :lol: :lol:

 

[behindpropellers]

Gaston said anybody who needs a cub next year to compete at Valdez can use his.

Tell Gaston Cliff will be up to use it next year

 

[Bob Breeden]

Yeah, that's the one Torch.

Had you realized, you could have climbed down from up in the Tower, said hello (I'd like to meet you) and taken it around and landed over the chalk line - each airplane was allowed to fly twice (two pilots) in its class.

Bob Breeden

www.AlaskaAirpark.com

 

[Torch]

Bob,

That would have been too much fun. I don't think the FAA would have been happy for one of their employees to be getting paid to fly Gaston's Cub in an event. Just a guess. It was fun watching you folks. I will probably fly the Torch down next year. I may compete just to say I did. There is some real talent down there.