Well, the weather in Payson was nothing short of P-e-r-f-e-c-t !!!  We had 31 planes and almost 70 people fly-in for a sunny and comfortably warm day.  Planes from California, Nevada, Arizona, and TEXAS (yup, Dave Morris showed up again in his wood wing from Texas)!  Payson lies just south of the Mogollon Rim which you can see in the background of our group photo.  It makes for a stunning backdrop to a beautiful fly-in destination.  The winds were calm and everyone arrived safely, always a good thing.  A whole lot of planes flew in on Friday afternoon.  Many took a ride to the Mogollon Rim and Woods Canyon Lake.  On Friday evening, everyone shared a meal at Fargos which had great steaks.  Several planes remained until Sunday and took a tour of the Tonto Natural Bridge which is quite beautiful.  All in all, a great fly-in.

On short final, you can see that this airport is located in the magnificent high country in Northern Arizona.  Gosh, nothing looks better than a Mooney departing!!!

Proudly displaying our new sign letting everyone know that we now embrace Mooneys from the entire Western United States since our membership is growing all over.  Even "Mooney" got into the spirit of the fly-in as he posed with his nose into the wind and in line with our Mooneys.

This was our main parking spot, right next to the festivities, but many of the overnighters parked in the Echo Ramp to the east or the residents ramp to the west.  The airport folks were the friendliest in the West.  We all got discounts for fuel, and a member of the airport committee handed out FREE t-shirts to all attendees.  The Majestic Inn gave us a phenomenal discount, topped with warm hospitality.  They even put a small gift into our rooms.  Just real nice people in Payson made our fly-in even more enjoyable.

   
Can you guess who was wearing this T-shirt?  Well it was Robbie Hicks... she just continues to amaze us all.  Then here's The Big Guy, Ozzie, although he doesn't look so big next to that giant sized Marshmallow.

Then everyone queued up for lunch which consisted of BBQ pulled beef, homemade beans, potato salad, ice tea, and marshmallows for dessert next to the campfire.  There was plenty of sun, plenty of shade and absolutely plenty of wonderful people to share your day with.

As usual, Carl Swepston did a fantastic job of suggesting and putting this fly-in on.  He picked a beautiful time of year with great weather, good food, discounted fuel, and a wonderful hotel.  From all of us in the VMG, we thank you.

The Vintage Mooney Group continues to grow.  It is especially rewarding to us all to see people flying, even in tough economic times to enjoy the cameraderie of other Mooney pilots, friends and family.  At this fly-in, three members offered to host fly-ins in the upcoming months, including Keven & Darci Smith, Cliff & Carol Biggs, and Jim & Gerry Price.  These fly-ins cover 3 states and 3 very unique venues and plans.

Thanks to all and see you at our Toys for Tots fly-in hosted by Mitch & Jolie next month.

Photos courtesy of members Phil Corman, Carl Swepston, and Ed Shreffler