Copperstate 2000
By Shane Rosanova
Trip Overview - The six of us dodged weather to get out of Salt Lake on the Friday of Copperstate 2000 with a planned overnight stop at the Grand Canyon, AZ. I made a quick fuel stop in Kanab, UT in the C-182 then we flew the last 30 minutes or so to the canyon. We spent the night, checked out the view and took off from the canyon for the last leg to Copperstate 2000 at Williams Gateway Airport on the east side of the Phoenix, AZ valley. We checked out the planes, the forums, the Fly-Mart etc on Saturday and headed back on Sunday. We made a fuel stop at Page, AZ which is about halfway and was a bit lower than the canyon. We picked page due to our mid-day arrival so we could take advantage of it's lower density altitude. The trip took about 10 hours in the C-182 and 7-8 hours in Paul's Glasair. It was great fun, very interesting, warm and sunny and there was some great scenery along the way. You guys ought to plan on going this fall if you can.
1. There are several corridors available for VFR aircraft to cross the Grand Canyon from north to south. This view is looking east from 11,500' in the Dragon corridor just before sunset on our way to Copperstate 2000. There is an expanded chart for the Grand Canyon area that shows all routes, corridors and frequencies.
2. Mike Guarino, Shad Anderson and Leslee Spainhower gather their gear next to Paul Spainhower's Glasair after arriving at the Grand Canyon Airport for their overnight stop on the way to Copperstate 2000 in Phoenix, AZ.
3. The Copperstate 2000 flight crews and their host, Ava Rosanova (Shane's mother), at the Bright Angel Lodge in Grand Canyon National Park. Seated left to right, Shane's Mother, Shane Rosanova, Shad Anderson, Mike McMahon, Leslee and Paul Spainhower and Mike "Da Man" Guarino.
4. Leslee, Shad and Paul pack their gear out of the lodge at Grand Canyon National Park in preparation for the last leg down to Copperstate 2000 in Phoenix, AZ. Paul and Shane wanted to be airborne at dawn but everyone else wanted to eat breakfast. Imagine that!!
5. Leslee fights off the morning chill at the Grand Canyon airport at Paul preflights their Glasair for the last leg to Copperstate 2000. Morning temps in October were around 40 deg F.
6. Shane loads gear in and
preflights the C-182 in preparation for departure from Grand Canyon
Airport for the last leg to Copperstate 2000.
7. Looks like Leslee has found her warm weather shorts and a new friend, the Williams Gateway Airport mascot, at Copperstate 2000.
8. Mike found Frank and Sue Davis walking the ramp at Copperstate 2000. We ran into Frank and Sue at both Arlington 2000 and Copperstate. They stopped by on their way down to visit their son in Tucson, AZ.