We’ve booked a table at the Ross Hotel at 6pm for dinner on Friday night (16/2). We’ll confirm numbers with them the day before. Let us know if you’re coming in the FoFF Whatsapp chat page: https://chat.whatsapp.com/BPJWDmQwS9NAVCHp4pK5g3

For those that can’t make the pub, DON’T PANIC! We’ll back in time to mix sundowner Caipirinhas and toons for sunset.

Don’t forget to register for free: https://form.jotform.com/232938467834874

Less than a month to go and we’re getting excited. The cachace has arrived and is waiting patiently. Steve is brewing up a beauty, and Bill has a keg of brew ready. And our lovely hosts, Chris and Claire Headlam are looking forward to partying with us. They reckon Richard and family will join us too.

So we’re all set. We just need a fire pot or two, so if you have an empty 44-gallon drum you can slice in half and bring along, you’ll have earnt yourself some free Caipirinhas.

On the subject of drinks, we’re going to do a bit of fund raising for the THPA and future FoFFs: a $5 donation will get you a bottomless plastic beer cup for a night; a $2 donation will get you a delicious and dangerous Caipirinha. Proceeds split 50/50 THPA/future-FoFF.

Don’t forget to register here (it’s free): https://www.jotform.com/form/232938467834874

For those of you that are super-keen, there’s a registration form, live now. You can access it here.

Also, our profi brewmeister-member Bill McHenry will be bringing along a keg of his Session Ale. It’s verrrrry nice. Thanks Bill. We would encourage you to bring along your favoured pewter tankard (or variation on the theme) if you’re averse to supping from plastic cups.

We are closely monitoring fluctuations in the long-term futures of Cachaça, but are confident that a ready supply at sustainable prices and yields will be available to allow a full-exploration of the benefits, or otherwise (mostly otherwise) of Caipirinhas on aviation prowess.

In the next few weeks we’ll get an info sheet out to you.

Stay tuned…

Hi folks. Time for an update on the Festival of Flying Fabric, from your organisers, Iain and Steve (aka Clarke Kent Events).

We have decided to ditch the backup weekend to align with where we are viewing the festival. Regardless of the weather, unless there’s a raging flood or a bushfire, we’re going to get together. The weekend will be a social gathering with flying thrown in if it’s doable. In the past with XCamp, we have always had an eye on the flying, and if the forecast did not support that, we postponed.

So, for the FFF there’s the subtle switch – it’s a social flying weekend.

We have also decided to ditch the entry fee. There’s a couple of reasons. First with the change of context we won’t be pushing for retrieve drivers; friends and family that want to come along may be able to assist and if any retrieve driving happens, we can pass the hat around to seek a bit extra cash to supplement the residual funds from past events to cover fuel. Second, it’s pretty unlikely that Iain will be fit to fly, so he will be running pilots back to cars.

There will be an online registration form for pilots that will be available soon. And pilots will be required on the day to sign a paper copy of the current SAFA waiver for Tasmania to participate. If it looks like there will be a lot of pilots attending, we will explore the option of hiring a minibus for the weekend to help get pilots to and from flying sites, and possibly heading to a town for a counterattack on Saturday night. We will poll registrants if numbers are firm and if it’s desired then we will reinstate the entry fee.

At this stage we will have a BBQ onsite for Friday and Saturday night. There is the possibility that Caipirinhas will be mixed for consumption Saturday night. Don’t know what a caipirinha is? Don’t go! Find out! There is also the possibility that Kent Brewing may have a keg of a special ale onsite for consumption.

We will be there Friday, but we get that not everyone can commit for two nights/three days, so the main socialising is set for Saturday night. Not that Friday night will be dull… unless you choose to make it so.

Regardless, it’s going to be fun. Come prepared to laugh.

Who was it said never say never again? Not us. Back from our hiatus, we’re pushing out a new edition of what was XCamp, a true Festival of Flying Fabric. And we’re returning to the birthing pond that is Gaffs Hill.

Our lovely property owners have kindly agreed to host the FFF, based around the shearing shed and its facilities – shower, loo and galley. Let’s turn the surrounds into a tent metropolis and the air into a mosquito swarm of colourful flying fabric.

We have two weekends in the frame. The primary weekend is February 16-18 and the backup is a fortnight later, March 1-3.

Bookmark the website and keep an eye out for more details.

Unfortunately, we have just received word that the leaseholder had their lease wound up by text message on Friday, effective March 1st.

We will take a pause, have a look around and organise something at an alternate venue in a few months’ time.

Thanks for your interest and stay tuned…

We have confirmed with the owners that we have 13 definite bookings and 11 maybes, as of 9am today (6/2).

We can also confirm that the owner will not allow tents or caravans – you’re using her facilities and it’s their rule. So, fair enough.

And, we are opening up Friday night (17/3) for early birds and social animals as the venue is available. Steve, the Milkman and I will definitely be there so head to the FFF page and complete the new poll to register your definite or maybe attendance for Friday night. We’ll work out on Saturday morning where we’re gonna head to from there after our bleary eyes see a forecast.

While we were up in Corryong for the Go For Goal, we found that some Mainlanders were disappointed to hear that Fly-In Tasmania (formerly XCamp) would not run this year. Steve Kent got to thinking that we could organise a get-together at one of the Midlands towns or somewhere similar and avail ourselves of country pub hospitality for an evening, bookended by a couple of days of flying somewhere. We both looked at it and went – Yeah.

The big problem was the venue. The pubs were a bit restricted in the numbers they could accommodate. Steve pointed out Fonthill, a location I had considered as a backup. I’ve been past there a few times and it looks like a good setup. A phone call this arvo gave us the answers we wanted, and the Festival was Go!

The idea is that we all congregate there at the end of flying wherever on Saturday, have a BBQ with beers and bullshit, crash, and then head to a site the next day where there’s a reasonable chance of getting a flight.

That’s pretty much it. So we have a well setup venue, and all we need is firm commitments to attend to make it a goer. Just hit the poll and let us know. We reckon we need 10 firm yesses to proceed.

Stay tuned for more news – we’ll confirm whether it’s on by Feb 6th. We may also open it up to Friday 17th as well, but I’ll make that phone call enquiry tomorrow or Monday and post the news.

Steve is thinking of brewing a couple of barrels. I’m aiming to have implements of destruction to make Caipirinhas. We just need you lot and your positive attitudes.

Hi all. Unfortunately, the weather for this weekend is looking completely unsuitable. Also, Gil cannot make it to the backup weekend (March 4-6). We have two things that we need to run the show – good weather to fly safely in, and a minimum standard of hygiene with a working shower and toilet. Without one of either of those, it’s no go. So, sadly, this year Fly-In Tasmania is cancelled. We really appreciate your interest in participating. We will start putting details about F-IT 2023 in the middle of the year. Love, Iain & Gil.

We are looking closely at the forecasts. Currently, both Windy and SkySight show westerlies west of the Tiers and NW-N east of the Tiers. This gives us only Woodspring and Gaffs to play with, with the strong possibility of Gaffs being blown out.

We will make a decision tomorrow about whether we go ahead or postpone to March 4-6.

Stay tuned…