Interested in attending my first I170 convention but......

[n3437d]

I would like to attend my first 170 convention but with all this talk about "originality" I am a bit hesitant to attend for fear my "contemporary" scheme might get me booted out of the Club.

[GAHorn]

I would like to attend my first 170 convention but with all this talk about "originality" I am a bit hesitant to attend for fear my "contemporary" scheme might get me booted out of the Club.

Oh Nooooo! That's not gonna happen! Originality is only a fascination for some of the members. There are awards given at each convention for Custom airplanes and there's an award given each convention for "People's Choice" that the judges don't even vote on...only the folks who attend the convention make that choice!
Most important, NONE of those awards are meant to imply any kind of "hierarchy" or special status. It's all done purely for fun and in fact, only the airplanes whose owners request them to be judged are even considered by the judges. Just because an airplane wins the award, doesn't mean it's even the best airplane at the convention. It's recognition is only among those that were offered for judging by their owners.
Correct me if I'm wrong some of you old-timers, but ...if I'm not wrong....
This year's winner of People's Choice award is the same airplane owned by the same guy who only a few years ago was given a humorous, tongue-in-cheek award of: "Most Potential"

The purpose of the convention is to solidify and expand the friendships of this group, and it does the purpose really well! It's a blast! Come ON!

[Harold Holiman]

Come on to the convention. They even let "Overgrown 170's with a funny tail" (180's) attend as well as other non 170 planes so you certinally don't need to worry about your paint sceme. Some folks drive or fly there by commercial airline. You will enjoy the fellowship and the various activities. This will be my fifth convention and I throughly enjoyed each one. Some of the club members have made every convention since they joined. You will definitely enjoy it.

Harold H

[jcraver]

I want to attend also, but $65.00 is a little on the pricey side for those that can only make it up for a day. I just moved up from a Cessna 120. I guess this must be a much more well heeled crowd! Mabey I'll just make a low pass. I'm sure that there is a good reason why the convention does not include a full weekend, but I can't figure out what it is. Now that I have finished bitching....... I hope to be able to make it and meet all of you.
jc

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

You gotta come to the convention but beware it probably won't be your last. This coming convention will be my second and my wife and I can't wait. I'll really be jealious of you no matter how you aircraft is painted or what shape it's in because you'll have it there and mine will be back in PA.

BTY the majority of time will not be spent with your airplane but having fun discovering the local area with people who like the same airplane as you.

See you there.

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

JC I think the $65 is for the whole week. If your coming for one day, I'd make it airport day because as I said in my last post most of the time is spent seeing the local sights. All of the people I meet are very down to earth and nice people.

[n3437d]

Well, I managed to get some response. My post was meant in good spirit and a little tongue in cheek. The way I look at these things is sort of like guys opinions of women. "Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder." A previous poster has made a point that I thought about during last year's convention. Things seem to be getting a bit "spendy."
I remember pricing out the LV convention and it scared me. Not to mention the "special" lodging rates at the Station hotel. The "special" 170 rates was twice the rate I was able to get by going to Expedia.com.

I used to organize soaring events years ago and we used to enjoy ourselves with cookouts and tall tales. But I guess when you travel across country one might as well take in the local sites.

[doug8082a]

I've never attended a convention, but I hope to some day. I wouldn't worry about your contemporary paint scheme. It's rare these days to see a truly original 170 anyway. The main focus here is meeting good folks, flying, and having a good time in our 170s - regardless of their condition, paint scheme, or other modifications. If you are interested in seeing what some other 170s look like, have a look at these.....

http://susang777.home.mindspring.com/C1 ... lsort.html

[170C]

You need to come regardless of what customizing you have done to your 170. Why I have even seen a tricycle geared 170 at one or two conventions I have attended. Imagine that! They even let folks with Bonanza's, Pipers, Stinsons, and even some wierd 172 conversions (grin)attend. So please come on to Tehachapi and get to know a great bunch of airplane folks. I guarantee you will have a great time.

Regarding the expense of attending a 170 convention, I don't know what hobbies or sporting events those of you who are concerned about the registration fee do for activities, but it is difficult to go to any professional sporting event for $65 dollars and a round of golf at most nice courses will get you for at least this amount and those things are only for a one day or partial day activity. The side trips are optional. As for the convention going on over a weekend, most of us use the weekend prior to and following the conventions to fly to and return home. However for those conventions I have attended where I arrived on a Friday or Saturday prior to the beginning of the actual convention activities, I have always found things to do, see and the opportunity to meet and visit with other convention attendees as they arrive.

[lowNslow]

Why I have even seen a tricycle geared 170 at one or two conventions I have attended. Imagine that!

Come on now!! Ya got to draw the line somewhere.

[Harold Holiman]

Low N Slow,

A tricycle 170 is still a 170. We had a simular discussion about this some time back on the 180/185 board. At one time my 1953 180 was converted to a tricycle by some misguided soul, but luckly it was converted back to its original conventional gear in the early 60's. There are a lot more 150TG, 172TG, and 182TG airplanes out there than there are 170TRI or 180TRI airplanes. Actually, I didn't realize there were still any tricycle 170's or 180's still flying. I saw a 170 tricycle many years ago (looked like a flying milk stool) and have never seen a 180 tricycle. One great thing about the 170 club is that you can be a member as long as you love the 170. Ownership is not a requirement. Ownership of a 180 or 185 is a requirement for membership in the 180/185 club. We (the 180/185 club members) are currently debating to let owners who have 182 tail draggers in as they are basicly like the 180 but no decision has been made. All of the 170 people and activities are great. IMHO.

Harold H
Mbr# 893
Former 170 owner
Current 180 owner

[Dave Clark]

I'm sorry to say that as much as I'd like to I'll not be attending. I'd need to come all the way back down from Puget Sound a mere six weeks or so after leaving AZ for the Summer. Can't justify the expense. Maybe one year soon it'll be in the Northwest. I'll miss meeting all of you I talk with here on this site.

[GAHorn]

I don't know if the hotel-search website mentioned found a better rate or not. There are too many issues involved to make that call. (I.E.- Convention hotel room rates have expense considerations built in such as, additional meeting rooms for conventioneers, registration rooms, hospitality suites, auditorium-useage, seminar/presentation rooms are all furnished at no additional charge for TIC170. Certain catering and other "freebies" are furnished without additional charges. How 'bout room phone charges? etc.? The list goes on, as to whether or not "convention rates" or "discount rates" are better one from the other.)
(Addt'l note: I went back to the Las Vegas hotel, "Texas Station" four months later on my regular pay-check job as a corporate pilot. I stayed 5 days. The rate they gave me, acquired thru discount sources was Sat/Sun $39 per day, but for the Mon/Tues/Wed nites it was $89/day. The Sat/Sun rates suffered addt'l charges such as exorbitant phone-use charges and room-service charge add-ons....that the weekday rates did not, for another example: The $14per day "parking garage" fee - so beware if you have a personal or rent-car. It ended up that I did not take advantage of all the amenities included in the weekday rates, and I avoided their weekend phone fees by using my cell phone. But this gives an illustration of some "smoke-screen" discount rates vs convention rates. (And it is appropriate to have the costs associated with the conventions borne by those attending rather than the association paying any addt'l fees,...after all, members who don't attend conventions shouldn't be paying those convention expenses.

In any case, the convention fees are geared toward the weeklong attendee/spouse/family than the drop-in one-day guy (who by the way, is most welcome and will have a good time, but will not realize the real benefit of the convention.)

I hesitate to point out that the convention is not a week-long technical seminar/symposium of 170 rebuilding or history. I hesitate to say that because those who wish it were but have never attended may be dissuaded from attempting their first convention.....and therefore will be unlikely to make any convention. That would be a shame. (How do you tell someone what peanut butter tastes like, if they've never tasted peanut butter?)
It is also not a swap-meet. (Although many of us do bring cool-stuff and/or extra parts to donate to the auction-night fun or to swap. I mean for example, ...would anyone who attended last-years convention auction-night....ever forget our dear "Ole GAR"-s demonstration of how-to-don and deploy a life vest? (For those of you who didn't make it,...unbeknownst to those attending the auciton, Old Gar had agreed to "model" a genuine Switlik-manufactured Cessna emgergency life vest I had donated to the auciton, in order to help promote it's auction-sale. The plan was to play a practical joke on the successful bidder by Ole GAR appearing to "accidentally" deploy the inflation cartridge and thereby destroying any value of the item, directly in front of it's new owner! (I had an additional new vest to actually give the successful bidder after the joke was complete.) The joke worked perfectly. Ole GAR donned the vest, twisted, and strutted like a Victoria's Secret model with hairy legs and showed the fit and finish, and especially displaying the red-deployment handles to all the active bidders. The competition to win the vest with the Genuine Cessna Logo was keen. Then, just as soon as the high-bidder proudly jumped up in glee as he won the item, Ole GAR pretended to deploy the thing by jerking on the red-handles. You guessed it, ....it deployed all right. In the pre-planned practical joke he was playing out before the very eyes of the new owner, the thing discharged with a great HISS and virtually engulfed GAR is a cloud of fog, below which only his long skinny legs and above which only his surprised face appeared. He played out the practical joke on the new owner so convincingly that the whole auditorium, hangar actually, simultaneously moaned...aawwwww...then burst into laughter and applause. The new owner was horrified to think he's just spent real money on a limp, discharged life vest! (He never really looked convinced when I explained to him that he'd receive a new vest just like the discharged one, but in serviceable condiiton when he returned to his hotel room.)
But later on, I laughed even harder when I found out the reason for Ole GAR's convincing look of surprise. The cause of the unexpected cloud of fog was the liquid CO-2 cartridge which had leaked at the moment of discharge and froze his left titty!
The essence of the Int'l Cessna 170 Association is not fully captured by a member who has never attended a convention. I've always hated conventions. My job made me take passengers to them for decades, and I never liked them. You can be sure, the last place in the world I ever wanted to go attend a convention, expecially my first convention in the 170 Association,...was aw-ful Las Vegas. I've spent a flying career taking unruly passengers there and I had no desire to spend a week in the desert summer flying a 170.
But guess what? I'll never miss another convention as long as I can make it, as long as it's a TIC170A convention! It was that much fun, and well worth the expense, ...which incidentally, was less than the typical family vacation as it turned out. We spent less than we have on other, less-memorable vacations, including round-trip 170 fuel, for one of the best vacations Jamie and I've ever had....connecting faces with names previously only familiar on-line, and making/solidifying friendships that will last a lifetime with some great 170-folks!
Come on to Tehachipi!

[AR Dave]

Drop-in one-day guy, here!
Yep, I sent in $100 or 115 to the 2000 Convention and only attended the banquet (wife & I). If I remember right, we talked about how good the meal was later. We had to leave early because the kids were with the baby-sitter. But we enjoyed the conversation with our dinner companions and watching the airplane awarding. Does anyone remember sitting with a young (very young) handsome Alaskan couple? I think one of the couples was from California.
Sure would be neat to find out it was one of you. Was it you Blueldr?
Maybe I'll catch another convention and find our dinnertable party in a photo. I just thought of something - One of the pilots at our table got an award or two for his plane. Who got 170 award's at the 2000 convention?

[AR Dave]

Has the FAA ever showed up at a convention to inspect planes?
Seems like this would be the place to be if you're an 170 inspector.