Last weekend was the first Panther appearance at the famous Corvair College held annually over the Veteran’s day weekend at beautiful Barnwell, SC airport KBNL.
Dan has gone the past few years, but this was the first whole Weseman family trip up there, and the first time the Panther flew that airport. We trailered the Panther up in the Panther trailer behind the motorhome.
The Corvair College setting at this venue is really amazing and you can feel the grass roots home building community is at it’s peak throughout the weekend. There are work benches setup through the hangar and everyone is having such a great time! The camaraderie in the air going on was almost tangible! There were single guys, married couples, young people, older generations, families and some had up to three generations there. Even the kids got involved (when they weren’t raiding the cookie table). It was a true honor to what the real EAA is about.
Our family went up for the long weekend and we all had a great time! We had a few visitors come to visit the Panther.
We had Bill and Debbie Watson from NC come over and visit. They are mostly interested in the Cougar, but seemed very impressed with the Panther. I was very impressed and humbled to learn they have known each other since sixth grade and are still happily married. In a day and age where things can be so uncertain, on many fronts, it is so inspiring to meet a couple like this and see how happy they are. My sincere gratitude to you both for coming to visit! It was such a pleasure!
We also had a visit all the way from Texas! Bob and Trevor flew over in a Mooney to take a look at the Panther and talk with us. I felt a like a celebrity, having someone come all that way. I am pretty sure I had a full on blush going for a while….
EAA Homebuilt Community Manager Charlie Becker and Multimedia Director Brady Lane also joined us for the weekend. We had a chance to talk with them both about how things at the EAA are going and get some honest feedback on the future of our homebuilt community and I am happy to say that things look really positive! Charlie and Brady are both very personable guys, who are knowledgeable in what they do and are truly sincere in their love for everything that the EAA stands for. We couldn’t ask for two better guys on our team for the jobs they have. Thank you so much guys for your outstanding contributions to the EAA and homebuilt community!
We were also graced with a visit from Dale Williams and his lovely wife DeeAnna in their “Daughter of Cleanex” Corvair powered Sonex. Dan assembled Dale’s Corvair 3.0L engine a few years ago (the first 3.0L ever built) and Dale made his first trip to the Sonex Crossville TN Fly-In this year. His trip to Barnwell was his first passenger flight, and like the good man he is he talked his lovely wife DeeAnna into coming with him. Dale is a funny guy and we had a great time visiting with them both.
Dan did quite a bit of flying over the couple of days we were there. Our good friend and fellow Corvair builder Ron Lendon flew in his Zenith 601. He and Phil Maxson, a Panther builder SN001, took the 601 up and got some air to air shots of the Panther.
Every year William Wynne presents the Cherry Grove trophy. I am not going to get all the meaning behind the trophy correct here – but essentially it is an award that goes to the Corvair Community member who excelled the most at upholding the essence of what true homebuilding is all about throughout the year. We are proud to have a Panther builder be the recipient of this award.
Panther Builder SN001
And in the spirit of a little fun – a video clip of some Panther flying while we were there…
(remember – the wings fold or you can quickly detach for long hauls)
[wpvideo m2mNiWdf]
