Ok, the NM group is starting to get some legs. Announcement for 10/1 flyin coming up. It will be at Negrito. Negrito is a beautiful spot. Adjacent to the Gila Wilderness at 8,100 feet, what is really wonderful about the place is it is a perfect spot to practice your backcountry skills. While the strip is at 8,100 feet elevation, the N-S runway is 7,000 feet long and the E-W crosswind is 4,000 feet long. Strip is in excellent shape and approaches in all directions are unobstructed and open.

Hope some of you can join us. Information is below:

New Mexico Recreational Aviation Committee

FALL FLY-IN October 1-3, 2010

GENERAL DESCRIPTION - I wanted to get the word out that we would be having a fall backcountry flyin to the Negrito
(ONM7) airstrip near Glenwood, New Mexico. 10/1/2010 thru 10/3/2010 (alternate weather date will be 10/8/2010
thru 10/10/2010). For those of you who would like to visit the backcountry, but don’t like sleeping in a tent, we have
made arrangements for you in Glenwood (NM55) (only about 15 minute flight from Negrito). The Glenwood Motel
(575-539-2581) is a really beautiful spot with very clean comfortable rooms. Make your reservations early though as
they fill up pretty quickly at that time of year.

We will be arriving at Negrito Friday afternoon. We will have a group breakfast Saturday morning and group dinner,
Saturday night. For the other meals, you will be on your own. Some individuals have expressed that they would like to
visit the other forest service strips that are close (Me-Own, Beaver Head, Jewitt Mesa) and Saturday morning would be a
good time for that. NMPA takes no responsibility for any visits to nearby strips (see warning below). Saturday afternoon
we will have some Frisbee football games and other activities. Bring your instrument of choice for Saturday night (and
your hangar stories) as we will have a group meal and campfire. We will have a vehicle available at the event and will
probably make some trips to local attractions like Snow Lake, so bring your fishing rod. For those of you going to
Glenwood and the motel there, we will make transportation available for a trip to the catwalk and to a local museum.
We want to make this a family friendly event, so feel free to bring your kids! Everyone attending should plan on
behaving accordingly!!

PRICE – Charges will be $35.00 per person to cover meal costs if you are a NMPA member and $60.00 if you are not a
member (the $25.00 difference will be to cover your NMPA membership). . Children and spouses are automatically
included as NMPA members. REQUIREMENTS – You will be required to sign a waiver form (attached to this
announcement). You also understand that as pilot in command, you are responsible for all piloting decisions and you
are solely responsible for determining that you have adequate pilot skills and your aircraft is adequate for situation (see
warnings below). That acknowledgement will be included on the waiver form. We will need your registration form,
fees and signed waiver one week in advance of the event ( Friday, 9/24/2010). Note all those forms are attached to this
message and you can either mail it to the address listed or email them back (email would be preferred). However, if you
are planning to go please give us notice as soon as possible so we can properly plan the event. Even if you don’t get the
forms in early, notice that you will be attending would be helpful. NOTE, NMPA RESERVES THE RIGHT TO LIMIT THE
NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS AND SO EARLY REGISTRATION IS ENCOURAGED!

WARNINGS - Negrito Airstrip is at 8,100 feet in the middle of the Gila National Forest. It is a dirt strip and density
altitude, weather, airstrip conditions (i.e. in wet weather conditions can deteriorate quickly) and wildlife (no I’m not
referring to Jeff and Duane) are all hazards of the backcountry. These are unlighted airstrips which can be difficult to
locate. GPS navigational assistance is highly recommended. Night landings are not recommended and would be
exteremely hazardous. Raido contact for flight following is marginal, so if you use flight following make sure you close it
while still in contact. There is no fuel at any of these strips, so plan accordingly. Similarly, the Whitewater Mesa strip is
a narrow dirt strip about 2,300 feet long and approximately 5,500 feet in elevation. Again, no one should attempt going
in there without proper instruction and competence. If you do not have adequate piloting skills or your airplane is not
adequately equipped and powered to handle these adverse conditions YOU SHOULD NOT ATTEND!! NMPA takes no
responsibility for individual piloting decisions!! If you have any doubts, event coordinators have names of flight
instructors who can help you get ready for this event and help you evaluate whether you should attend at all. Also, as
you are planning this trip, please remember you will be at 8,100 feet and winter conditions are possible. Dress and plan
accordingly. NMPA is providing ground support for this event, but all flying decisions are up to the sole discretion of the
pilot. We reserve to cancel the event if weather is inclement. We will make that announcement on the Yahoo Groups
website, but please confirm before leaving on its status. For all those attending, we will issue a much more detailed
flight information package.

ASSISTANCE WE COULD USE – If anyone is interested in driving a vehicle to the Negrito strip (there is a good forest
service road to the strip), we would appreciate the help. I will be having my son drive our pickup there, but we could
use another vehicle to take in equipment. Also, I would appreciate a volunteer that wants to stay at the Whitewater
Hotel who would be willing to fly in early Friday morning to the Whitewater Mesa Strip. We would have someone
standing by to fly you to Silver City to pick up a van to drive back to Glenwood. We will use the van to shuttle people
back and forth between the airport, motel and attractions.

We could also use the following equipment:
1. Large awnings and canopies to cook under and setup equipment for the group that will keep the cooking out
of the elements.
2. Large charcoal or propane grill to cook for large amounts of people (i.e 15 to 30).
3. Large griddles for cooking pancakes.
4. Any food donations would be great. Will be having pancakes and sausage for breakfast and burgers and
dogs for dinner.
5. There may be some folks who would like to go to the Whitewater strip but don’t feel comfortable landing at
Negrito. We would like to have volunteers available who would fly folks in between the two strips (about 15
minute or 20 minute flight). I can make my plane available for that, but we could use others as well.
6. Volunteers to lead a few of the activities.
7. Volleyball setup.
8. Frisbees.

FLIGHT BRIEFING – For all those who sign up, we will provide a more detailed briefing of the strips and information
related to them. However, as noted above, pilots are solely responsible for the flight into these strips and for proper
and adequate planning. We make no representations as to the adequacy of the materials we provide, that will have to
be decided upon by individual pilots.
Questions – Questions about this event can be sent to event coordinators
Larry F. - [email protected] (emails preferred) 505-239-2835
Duane T. – [email protected] Jeff G. – [email protected]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

REGISTRATION FORM Return this portion, along with signed liability waiver and your check for payable to NMPA by
September 24, 2010 to: Larry Filener; 3659 Mooney Court SE; Los Lunas, NM 87031

NAME(S): ____________________________________________________________________________________
ADDRESS: ____________________________________________________________________________________
PHONE: ___________________________________
AIRCRAFT TYPE: _____________________________________ N - ___________________
EMERGENCY CONTACT AND PHONE: _______________________________________________________________
Number of NMPA Members* _________ x $35 each = $ ________________
Number of Non NMPA Members _________ x $60 each = $ _______________
TOTAL ENCLOSED: $ _______________

*NMPA membership is for an individual, family, or business ($25). Application available at http://www.nmpilots.org
New Mexico Pilots Association
Covenant Not to Sue, Liability Release, and Assumption of Risk Agreement
Participant’s Name:
Pilot Certificate #:

I, _________________________________, hereby affirm that I am aware that flying and activities associated
with flying have inherent and unforeseeable risks which may result in serious injury or death. I understand that
NMPA is a nonprofit organization, consisting of volunteers, supporting public service and educational events. I
further understand and agree that neither the New Mexico Pilot’s Association (NMPA), participating members
and flight instructors, nor any of their respective officers, agents, contractors, or assigns, (hereafter referred to
as “Released Parties”) may be held liable or responsible in any way for any death or injury to my person, or for
any loss for damage to my property, or other damages to me, my family, estate, heirs or assigns that may
occur as a result of my participation in flying aircraft, flying in aircraft, flight instruction, aircraft operations, ramp
operations, back country airstrip operations, or any associated activities involved with any NMPA sponsored
event (hereafter referred to as “Flight Activities”), or as a result of the negligence of any party, including the
Released Parties, whether passive or active. I further agree not to sue on any such cause or claim.
In consideration of being allowed to participate in NMPA sponsored Flight Activities now and in the future, I
hereby personally assume all risks of Flight Activities, whether foreseen or unforeseen, that may befall me
while I am participating in these activities. I further release, exempt, indemnify, and hold harmless the
Released Parties from any and all liability, including, but not limited to, any claim or lawsuit by me, my family,
estate, heirs, or assigns, arising out of my participation in Flight Activities including both claims arising during
any course of training or skills evaluation. It is my intention that this agreement be interpreted and enforced to
the maximum extent allowed by New Mexico law.

I also understand that Flight Activities are physically demanding and that I must seek the ongoing care of a
licensed and authorized Aviation Medical Examiner and that I will not hold Released Parties responsible for
events resulting from my physical condition, limitations, or incapacitation.

I further state that I am of lawful age and legally competent to sign this liability release or that I have acquired
the written consent of my parent or guardian.

I understand the terms herein are contractual and not merely recital and that I have signed this document of my own
free act and with the knowledge that I hereby waive my legal rights. I further agree if any provision of this
Agreement is found to be unenforceable or invalid, that provision may be severed from this agreement;
however the remainder of this agreement shall then be construed as though the unenforceable provision had
never been contained therein.

I, ________________________________________BY THIS INSTRUMENT AGREE TO INDEMNIFY, EXEMPT AND RELEASE THE
NEW MEXICO PILOT’S ASSOCIATION, PARTICIPATING FLIGHT INSTRUCTORS, EVENT SPONSORS, AND ALL RELATED
ENTITIES AS DEFINED ABOVE FROM ANY AND ALL LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY WHATSOEVER FOR PERSONAL INJURY,
PROPERTY DAMAGE OR WRONGFUL DEATH HOWEVER CAUSED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE NEGLIGENCE OF
THE RELEASED PARTIES, WHETHER PASSIVE OR ACTIVE.
I HAVE FULLY INFORMED MYSELF OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS LIABILITY RELEASE AND ASSUMPTION OF RISK
AGREEMENT BY READING IT BEFORE I SIGNED IT ON BEHALF OF MYSELF AND MY HEIRS.
Participant’s Signature Date
Parent or Guardian’s Signature (If Applicable) Date
Witness Name and Signature Date

For those who aren't familiar with Negrito (0NM7), it's a great back country airstrip located in the heart of the Gila National Forest, very close to the Gila Wilderness Area of western New Mexico. It's a USFS owned and maintained airstrip, with two runways, 7,500 x 60 ft and 4,000 x 60 ft, turf-gravel surface, located in the middle of a broad valley so there's no mountains or canyon walls to contend with on approaches or take-offs. The airstrip is surrounded by ponderosa forest, sitting at 8,130 feet elevation.

Negrito is in Catron County, and is surrounded by a couple dozen public and private airstrips within about a 50-60 nm radius. There's nearby lakes and rivers for fishing, lots of elk, deer and bear for wildlife-watchers and hunters alike.

Anybody on BCP who'd like to experience backcountry flying in the Gila, this is a great opportunity to do so and hang out with other local and visiting pilots. On Saturday morning the 2nd there'll be group fly-outs to some of the other airstrips, including Me-Own, Jewett Mesa, and Beaverhead. Or you can catch a ride (at least a couple of vehicles will be at Negrito) to check out The Catwalk - a really cool slot canyon with literally a catwalk for a trail - or visit the old mining ghost town of Mogollon.

Those who like to camp, there's an incredible amount of room for campers to spread out at Negrito - we could probably accommodate the equivalent of "Wingstock" there - or you can sign up to fly into the private Whitewater Mesa Ranch airstrip (NM55, with two hard packed dirt runways at 2,300 x 30 ft and 1,600 x 30 ft; liability waiver required) and catch a ride into town (Glenwood) where you can reserve a motel room and get a restaurant meal.

You can go to my photo gallery to see pics of Negrito and Whitewater Mesa Ranch.

Finally, if you like you can combine this fly-in with a visit to the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. Hope to see some of the BCP contingent in the Gila next month!

My wife and I plan on attending. We will fly over from Timberon (52NM) on Friday in our C-180 and tent camp. I can't wait to see the Gila area.

Bill Brown

planeman2010 wrote:My wife and I plan on attending. We will fly over from Timberon (52NM) on Friday in our C-180 and tent camp. I can't wait to see the Gila area.

Bill Brown

Bill - that's great ... you're coming a long ways from St. Augustine!

NMPA is going to publish a Safety Briefing on Negrito (0NM7) and Whitewater Mesa Ranch (NM55) next week ... we're working through the review comments and will post it shortly on the NMPA website (http://www.nmpilots.org) and the NMPA-RAC Yahoo group ... I'll post links to both locations when it's up.

Even though the approaches to both airstrips are relatively benign, the biggest safety concern is the high elevations, particularly at Negrito @ 8,130 feet. We had a report the other day of a Cherokee 140/150 hp flown by a highly-experienced backcountry pilot (one aboard, and half fuel) that barely made it off R17 at Negrito, which is a 7,500-ft x 60-ft runway with a 1% downslope. This was in late August in mid-morning, with DA >9,000 ft.

We also had one of our members flying in the area near Negrito last month who was looking for Beaverhead (13NM) but did not have a GPS, and instead landed at a nearby private airstrip that was only about 2,000 ft long (compared to 3,840 ft with a 3% downslope on R12 at 13NM at an elevation of 7,326 ft MSL). The result was that when this pilot attempted a takeoff on the short runway with high DA, he didn't make it over the fence at the end; he totaled his aircraft (a Cherokee 160), but was lucky enough to walk away with only minor cuts and bruises.

Fortunately, we've planned the Negrito Fly-in in early October, when typical weather patterns suggest it'll be cooler - but that's not guaranteed, either. Pilots of low-powered aircraft in particular need to be cognizant of their piloting skills, the loading and capabilities of their aircraft, and DA. A GPS is a necessity, and we recommend that all pilots not familiar with the local area link up with NMPA through Larry Filener (he posts on BCP as 88H) or me to pair up with a pilot familiar with the area, and/or seek instruction from one of our local CFIs.

Bill - I realize you fly a C-180, so you don't have one of those lower-powered aircraft .... but we do have quite a few on this board and in NMPA who have aircraft with less than 200 hp ... the typical C-170, C172, PA-28-140/160/180. I fly a PA-28-180, and I fly out of high DA airports all the time ( sometimes as much as 10,000+ ft DA), but I take care to keep the gross weight down and pay attention to all the other variables, such as wind, field condition, runway slope, etc. In these high elevation backcountry airstrips, I also wish I had a PA-28-235! In any event, I have a pretty good handle on what my Cherokee 180 can do, and can't do, and even so I approach these airstrips with a great deal of respect.

I still remember my shock, when transitioning from my pilot training in the coastal low country of Florida to just a moderately-high airport like Albuquerque's Double Eagle II (KAEG), which is at only 5,830 ft, at the degraded performance of a 180-hp Skyhawk at high DA.

Duane Truitt

[quote="planeman2010"]My wife and I plan on attending. We will fly over from Timberon (52NM) on Friday in our C-180 and tent camp. I can't wait to see the Gila area.

Bill Brown

Reserve or Me Own would be cool.

182 STOL driver wrote:

planeman2010 wrote:My wife and I plan on attending. We will fly over from Timberon (52NM) on Friday in our C-180 and tent camp. I can't wait to see the Gila area.

Bill Brown

Reserve or Me Own would be cool.

Bill (182STOL) - we're using Negrito and Whitewater Mesa Ranch as our bases of operations, but we do expect to do group fly-outs on Saturday morning to some of the other nearby Gila area backcountry airstrips, including Me-Own (1NM0), Beaverhead (13NM), Jewett Mesa (13Q).

We selected Negrito as a base because it's so huge (lots of room for campers), is served by a good road (we'll have at least a couple of ground vehicles available to provide transportation for fishing and sight-seeing excursions in the local area), and it's got the longest, best condition runways of the Gila backcountry airstrips. Whitewater Mesa Ranch, a private ranch strip, was offered up by its owners (Vernon & Valera Hollomon) because it's convenient to Glenwood for non-campers (it's got a couple of motels and couple of restaurants). The Hollomon's hospitality is greatly appreciated.

We will also have some professional musical entertainment (accoustical guilar & singing, of course ... this won't be "Wingstock"!) and we're doing a group breakfast and a group potluck dinner on Saturday.

We initially checked into Reserve (T16) as a base for the Fall Fly-in, but the local community there didn't seem very keen to host a bunch of visiting aircraft ... whereas the Glenwood folks really encouraged us to come in and check out their little patch of Paradise.

Bill - please do join us in the Gila ... unless the weather completley craps out (we have an alternate bad weather date set for the following weekend, October 8-10), we expect we'll have a great time.

Duane

Hi Duane,

Thanks for your reply, and the good information. I'm currently based in Timberon, NM (52NM) @ 6,954 MSL, although our permanent home is still in St. Augustine, FL. My wife and I own property in Timberon and we're trying to get a little cabin finished here before the cold weather sets in! The Timberon airstrip is in the Sacramento Mountains, in a bowl, so you have to climb to at least 8,000 MSL to get out of here. It's really a beautiful little airstrip. Everyone please come visit sometime.

Our C-180 has GPS and we fly it very conservatively. I've taken the back seat out, so it's flown as a 2-seater. I have some experience flying in the mountains and landing at backcountry airstrips in UT and CO, and I took several hours of dual with Lavar Wells at Redtail Aviation in Moab. He was very helpful regarding mountain flying.

Since we are early risers, we will likely leave Timberon relatively early and arrive at Negrito before lunch on Friday, Oct. 1st. From Timberon, it should only be 1.5-2.0 hours flight time. Is that okay?

I look forward to seeing everyone there,

Bill Brown

Bill (Brown - we've got a coupla bills in this thread!),

You'd have a much shorter trip - more like a half hour flight time - if it weren't for all those restricted areas!

I've never been to Timburon but I've heard from others it's a pretty nice fly-in destination.

Couple of things:

1) If you're not already a member of NMPA, you will be when you pay your fees for this fly-in (non-member event fee includes first year NMPA dues - $25) ... so welcome to NMPA!

2) Given that now we'll at least one NMPA member who's a resident at Timburon, you might want to think about Timburon as a site for a future NMPA fly-in event, if the owners/managers/residents would like to host such an event ... we're going to do our planning for next year's events in mid-November.

See you next month!

Duane

For those of you who will be joining us in Negrito on 10/1, we will have an instructor there who would be willing to do some mountain instructing.

Great guy and really experienced in the NM high country.

Hope to see some of you there.

We will post pictures for those of you who can't make it.

Regards, Larry

Are you guys set up to take payments via Paypal or do I actually have to utilize the postal service AND write a check?

Maybe while I'm on my journey to the past, I'll find a pay phone and drop a quarter in it and call someone, then with the change, I'll go to the filling station and have the nice man service my car and then I'll stop by the moving picture show and catch the latest talkie...

PilotMikeTx wrote:Are you guys set up to take payments via Paypal or do I actually have to utilize the postal service AND write a check?

Maybe while I'm on my journey to the past, I'll find a pay phone and drop a quarter in it and call someone, then with the change, I'll go to the filling station and have the nice man service my car and then I'll stop by the moving picture show and catch the latest talkie...

Mike,

As of today, we're still on the "pay by check & snail mail" system. NMPA has retained Rob Duncan (who designed and maintains the Utah backcountry, and the Idaho/Montana/Colorado pilot association websites), however, to do a complete redesign of our association website. The new website will include, among many other new features, Paypal for the payment of dues, event fees, and the purchase of NMPA merchandize. We're reviewing the first draft of the new website design as I write this, and hopefully we'll have it ready to go "live" by sometime near the end of September ... which, unfortunately, is a little bit late for this event.

So if you can drag out your checkbook and buy a postage stamp and envelope for just this one time, then we'll be much more technologically capable for our events from here on out!

Duane

For those of you who are thinking about attending the Negrito flyin, here is the safety briefing on Negrito. For maps and other data, pm me and I will send you the entire document (sorry, can't figure out how to get stuff on here)! Hope to see some of you there!


Safety Briefing:

Negrito (0NM7) & Whitewater Mesa Ranch (NM55)
NMRAC Fall Fly‐in, October 1‐3, 2010

The New Mexico Pilots Association (NMPA)’s Recreational Aviation Committee is sponsoring a Fall
Fly-in at two backcountry airstrips in Catron County, New Mexico – Negrito (0NM7) and Whitewater Mesa Ranch (NM55) - on October 1-3, 2010. Information about the Fall Fly-in, including registration forms and fees, activities, ground transportation, camping and lodging facilities, etc. is available on the NMPA website at http://www.nmpilots.org, or via email from 88h, RAC Chair. The purpose of this Safety Briefing is to provide information to pilots as they may use for their pre-flight planning. Pilots are solely responsible for the flight into these strips and for proper and adequate planning. We make no representations as to the adequacy of the materials we provide, that will have to be decided upon by individual pilots.

In addition to the two airstrips used as bases of operations for the Fall Fly-in, there are numerous other
airstrips in the Catron County vicinity that participating Fall Fly-in pilots may wish to visit. Pilots are
encouraged to properly plan any such airstrip visits, especially those to unimproved backcountry airstrips, both publicly and privately owned. Please observe the following general precautions:

1.Pilots must take into account their own piloting skills and local area knowledge as well as the
capabilities of their aircraft.

2.Most of the airstrips in Catron County are situated at high elevations, from 5,000+ to 8,100+ feet MSL. Density altitude is definitely a factor and each individual pilot should be well versed on their aircraft’s capabilities at these altitudes.

3. Significant high terrain surrounds many of these airstrips, and runway conditions (including lengths,
widths, slopes, and surface conditions) can vary considerably from airstrip to airstrip and from day to
day.

4. The first of October is a transitional time and poor weather conditions can be encountered, which
makes high elevations even more dangerous. Care should be taken to get proper weather briefings
and be informed about conditions that might be encountered.

5. Wildlife, including large game (elk, deer, and bear) are known to frequent many of the Gila National
Forest airstrips in Catron County.

6. Pilots are encouraged to avail themselves of all available local pilot knowledge. This may entail seeking qualified backcountry flying instruction prior to first access. Pilots are also encourage to utilize the “buddy system” of pairing locally-experienced pilots with pilots have less or no local experience, letting the more experienced pilots land first and report to area pilots the current field conditions before others land.

7. No aircraft fuel or services are available at either 0NM7 or NM55; the nearest aircraft fuel is located at Whisky Creek (94E), 49 mi. SE of Glenwood-Catron (E94 – don’t confuse with 94E), or Grant Count
Airport, Silver City (KSVC), approx. 57 mi SE of E94. Plan accordingly.

8. Several Military Operations Areas (MOA) are located in the vicinity of and approaches to 0NM7 and
NM55 – pilots should consult the Albuquerque Sectional Map, review published NOTAMs, and/or
contact Flight Service for altitudes, operating hours, and status of all MOA.

9. A GPS navigation system is strongly recommended for all pilots, especially those unfamiliar with the
local area. In the heavily forested mountains of the Gila it can be very easy to mistake one airstrip for
another – with potentially serious consequences.

10. In the backcountry not in vicinity of airports (T16, 0NM7, NM55, or E94), use 122.75 for air-air and airground communications.

11. USFS aircraft use 120.70 for air-air communications. Monitor this frequency and stay clear of any
airspace or airstrips in use by USFS.

12. Both Negrito and Whitewater Mesa Ranch are unimproved, unpaved airports without taxiways or
ramps. Taxiing is recommended only on the runway due to the risk of prop strikes on uneven ground. .
Potholes, soft spots, logs, rocks and other hazards to taxiing aircraft can be found anywhere on and off
the runway. A towbar is recommended for positioning aircraft off the runway. NMPA/RAC will not
provide marshalers, or any taxi or parking directions to arriving pilots – pilots-in-command are solely
liable for the operations of their aircraft, both in the air and on the ground at all times.
Arriving pilots, upon completing their landing rollout, are requested to:
a. announce their taxi intentions on the CTAF (122.9), then
b. taxi to the intended exit point from the runway
c. stop the aircraft
c. shut down the engine and turn off the mags
e. exit the aircraft to inspect the ground path to the anticipated parking area
f. position the aircraft off the runway
g. announce on CTAF that your aircraft has cleared the runway

Arriving aircraft in the pattern must be on the lookout for aircraft stopped on the runway that are
preparing to move off-runway – be prepared to adjust your landing pattern and/or go around to avoid
collisions with aircraft stopped on the runway. Pilots participating in group arrivals must allow sufficient
spacing of arriving aircraft to permit earlier arrivals to clear the runways.

13. Participants in the fly-in (pilots and non-pilots) are specifically requested not to provide any marshaling directions to arriving pilots for purposes of taxiing or positioning of aircraft.

14. There are no tie-downs available at Negrito and just a few tie-downs are available at Whitewater Mesa Ranch – pilots are encouraged to bring their own aircraft tie-downs. Pilots-in-command are solely
responsible for tying down and securing their own aircraft.

15. The Negrito strip is at 8,100 feet and in early October, the weather conditions can become very
inclement. Proper attire (layered clothing) and camping gear should be arranged. Additionally, weather
conditions can change quickly and participants should have adequate provisions and equipment should
unexpected delays result from winter conditions.

An update on the flyin at Negrito.

So far we have 28 signed up (we are starting to refer to it as Negrito-Stock). A few of us flew out there this weekend and the runway was in great shape.

We will be camping adjacent to the North-South runway at about midfield.

For those considering coming, make sure to shut down before pushing your plane off into the grass. There are lots of rocks!!!

Hope to see some of you there. If you have questions, don't hesitate to contact me.

Regards, Larry

Anybody looking for a great backcountry fly-in to take advantage of gorgeous early fall flying weather at a beautiful mountain airstrip, it's still not too late to sign up for the NMPA Fall Fly-in.

Larry's latest count of paid registrations a few days ago was 33, and we're told there's still some more who plan to come.

We've got folks flying in from all over the Southwest, including California, Arizona, Colorado, and Texas, in addition to New Mexicans.

This should be a great event with lots to do.

We've lined up musical entertainment (a well-liked local singer/guitar player) on Saturday evening; fly-outs to nearby backcountry airstrips in the Gila N.F.; fun and games in the backcountry (frisbee golf, horse-shoes, and possibly volleyball), and organized group meals (breakfast and dinner on Saturday) paid for as part of your event fees ($35 per person). We're organizing a fishing trip too (a couple of attendees are driving to Negrito), as well as tours of nearby attractions (the ghost town of Mogollon, and The Catwalk). The District Ranger is also coming by to visit with us Saturday evening and discuss future work parties and potential cooperative airstrip and campsite improvements.

We'll have enhanced sanitation (i.e. porta-potties) for our comfort and to keep the impacts to a minimum. The two trucks being driven to Negrito will carry extra drinking water, so you don't need to load up heavy on the H2O.

Negrito (0NM7) is a terrific mountain airstrip, with two runways at 7,500 x 60 and 4,000 x 60 feet, resp., in great condition - a pretty smooth turf/gravel surface and stump/rock free (on the runways, at least). Despite the nearby mountains, the airstrip has easy approaches that are friendly to a standard landing pattern. It's high, though, at 8,130 ft MSL, so don't bring any excess weight with you.

If you would like to come, just email either me or Larry ("88H") and we'll get you the sign-up forms, liability waiver, and safety briefing.

Come join us for a great time in the high country!

I'd like to thank Larry and all his friends for their work in developing a backcountry pilot group for New Mexico(and which, you don't need to be from NM to belong to this great, active group), and setting up their first New Mexico Backcountry pilots fIyin. It was a great flyin. What a great bunch of folks. Good weather for the most part, good food and drink, some real nice local scenery. Great campfire, with some real good music.
Good job
Nice to put somemore faces on some of the names from here
Gary

shortfielder wrote:I'd like to thank Larry and all his friends for their work in developing a backcountry pilot group for New Mexico(and which, you don't need to be from NM to belong to this great, active group), and setting up their first New Mexico Backcountry pilots fIyin. It was a great flyin. What a great bunch of folks. Good weather for the most part, good food and drink, some real nice local scenery. Great campfire, with some real good music.
Good job
Nice to put somemore faces on some of the names from here
Gary

Gary,

You're right on, the Fall Fly-in was a terrific first event for the New Mexico rec aviation folks ... I really enjoyed meeting you, and all the other folks that came out. I believe Teresa and I made a bunch of new friends this weekend. We will definitely remember your margaritas, and I believe you made the lowest fly-by pass of anyone on the way out!

Great music too! And it was fun flying out to the other airstrips with newcomers and showing off the Gila Wilderness.

I'll post some pics in my album in the next day or so.

We had a couple of suggestions for improvements, such as making up name tags the next time.

It's great there were no incidents, banged up airplanes, people getting lost, etc.!

Finally, hats off to Larry (88H) for organizing this event. We're going to get several more of these backcountry events set up in New Mexico next year.

As you wrote, there were quite a few at the event from out of state (incl. CO, AZ, and TX), and a lot of our New Mexico folks like to fly out to places and events in the other Rocky Mtn states. One of the concepts we're thinking about is working with our neighbors to set up some regional events involving NMPA and other backcountry flying groups in Utah, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, etc. Perhaps we could do rotating events annually in each state, with the local or state group acting as host for fly-ins in their state.

See you soon!

Duane

I can't really add much to what has already been said. Beautiful scenery, great folks, a campfire with authentic campfire music. Definitely worth the 1300nm round trip from Dallas.

I'll post more pictures when I get them off the cameras.

I've got a few pics from the Negrito fly-in posted in my gallery ... couldn't get them all uploaded tonight (server issue?), but will try again later to get the rest uploaded, and post a few in this topic.

Duane

It was lots of fun, and we had a great time. Looking forward to more in the future.

Bill Brown

Some pics from this past weekend at Negrito ... a great time was had by all!























P.S. - This time the magic worked