Anyone Else Going: Gathering of Mustangs`

[MJG]

Anyone else planning on going to Columbus here at the end of the month. I plan to be there rain or shine. Should be outstanding.

Gathering of Mustangs 2007

 

[Huggyu2]

I'm just very disappointed at the timing of this. They could have had a larger military presence (if they wanted it) had they not scheduled it for the last days of the Fiscal Year.
They also are doing it the same weekend as the big Commemorative Air Force Airshow in Midland.
Sure, it's their prerogative to do this, but why?

Columbus, OH seems an unusual place to do it, but if that's where the organizers live, more power to them, I suppose.

 

[Mud Eagle]

As a die-hard Mustang fan, it pains me that I'll still be in Afghanistan during this once (or twice!) in a lifetime event.

Huggy, a lot of thought went into picking Columbus as the location. The organizers are actually out of Kissimmee (Stallion51), and when the last Gathering was held in '99 they realized that Kissimmee wasn't an appropriate venue for the flying they wanted to do.

Initially they wanted to hold it at Reno - Stead, but the RARA folks were total a$$holes about the whole thing...so they took their ball and went somewhere else.

Columbus happens to be a big runway with lots of ramp space, close to a metro area with plenty of hotels, and has relatively open airspace which will allow the 51-aircraft formations and all the other flying acts to perform.

The biggest question that I had was the timing...the weekend after Reno probably isn't the best time.

 

[svcta]

It's kind of a downer that they don't people who fly in there on the same field as the show. Is this the case even if you bring a warbird in?

I don't want to fly in and then drive a half an hour just to get to the show, having to rent a car, etc.

 

[VNugget]

Too much hassle with school, students, cost, etc. Too bad it wasn't in the summer, or closer to home, like they were planning to originally.

 

[Huggyu2]

Mud Eagle,
Thanks for the insight.
I've never dealt with RARA personally, but everyone I know that has says the same thing you do: very difficult to work with.

 

[svcta]

It's kind of a downer that they don't people who fly in there on the same field as the show. Is this the case even if you bring a warbird in?

I don't want to fly in and then drive a half an hour just to get to the show, having to rent a car, etc.

That was authentic frontier jiberish. I think more a site problem, though....yeah, that's it.

What I was saying is that it looks as if only the performers can fly in to Rickenbacker, and that the rest of us have to fly to a satellite airport and drive in. Is this the case even if you'd be in a warbird? Does anyone have any info?