Murph's Audio Files:
Taxi (14:53)
Departure (19:53)
Enroute (11:09)
Arrival (23:46)

Day 2: Caravan 2000

The arrivals this year were more spread out than in 1999, with a half-dozen arrivals on Saturday; a couple dozen by noon. The regional groups began arriving in mid-afternoon, with NW lead landing at 1:30 p.m. and Marty Petri's SW Caravan about 40 minutes behind.

Ramp organization was vastly superior this year, with tables set up outside on a beautiful 80-degree Madison day. Three tables met the arrivals: Mooney Caravan, ground control and Wisconsin Aviation. The last regional group to arrive was a well-formed flight of six Texans, landing with a quarter-mile gap between them. Inasmuch as the Caravan lead is a Wisconsin native, cold beer awaited arriving pilots in the hangar. By dinnertime, 93 Mooneys were parked on the ramp.

The only confusion on the ramp was from the two news crews from Madison TV stations, which had arrived to shoot pictures of the arriving groups and interview the arriving Swiss pilots. Another reporter was present from the Wisconsin State Journal, which on Monday ran a story on the assembly of the "Porsches of the air."

Jody Voss (L) and Mark Napier at Madison dinner in Wisconsin Aviation hangar.

Revision: 10/28/2010

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