Winter 2024 - 2025

Chris traveled continuously from the beginning of November through Christmas.  He was test engineer for the Aerosonde 4.8 Future Tactical Uncrewed Aircraft System (FTUAS) for two test events in Blackstone, Virginia in November and December.  Chris and Tami spent Thanksgiving in Cancun, Mexico in between those two test series.  The second test series ended on 13 December, and then Chris visited Bell Helicopter in Dallas, Texas for a week in December to learn about the Valor V280 tilt-rotor, which is the US Army's Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA).  We all then spent the Christmas holiday with Tami's family in Charleston, West Virginia.  Chris visited Hocking Hills State Park, Ohio on January 2, 2025.  We celebrated our anniversary in Jamaica from 16 to 26 January 2025, driving all over the island but spending most of the vacation sitting on the beach drinking rum.

Blackstone Army Airfield, Virginia : 11 - 23 November 2024 : Aerosonde 4.8 FTUAS

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Cancun, Mexico : 27 November - 2 December 2024

Chris spent two weeks in Blackstone, Virginia for the first of two flight test series.  He came home on Saturday, 23 November, spent a few days at home and at work, and then Chris and Tami flew to Cancun, Mexico for the long Thanksgiving weekend.  They flew south on Wednesday, 27 November and spent five nights at an all-inclusive resort on the beach.  They rented a car for the holiday, and drove themselves to visit Chichen-Itza on Thursday, 28 November.  They spent the rest of the holiday at the resort.  Chris headed back for the second test series at Blackstone after vacationing in Cancun.

Blackstone Army Airfield, Virginia : 2 - 13 December 2024 : Aerosonde 4.8 FTUAS

The second part of acceptance flight testing started in Blackstone, Virginia on Tuesday, 3 December, with Monday set aside to travel after the Thanksgiving holiday.  Tami and Chris flew from Cancun to Miami on Monday.  Tami flew to Baltimore, and Chris flew to Richmond and then drove to Blackstone to join the testing starting on Tuesday.  That second part of flight testing went for the next two weeks at Blackstone.  The culmination of those two flight test events was the formal acceptance of the system by the US Army.  The flight testing shared the airspace with other aircraft, such as the UH-60 Blackhawks and CH-47 Chinooks shown below.

Greenbrier, West Virginia : 6 - 7 December 2024 : Tom's Birthday

Tom's 75th birthday was in the middle of the second flight test series.  After flying was finished on Friday afternoon, Chris drove towards West Virginia to meet Tami and then continued on to the Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs.  Saturday was Tom's birthday, and the whole family came for the party.  Tami and Chris took a tour of the Greenbrier Bunker on Saturday afternoon, and everyone went to the Greenbrier Christmas Tree lighting and to a family dinner birthday party.  Chris had to drive back to Blackstone after dinner to help run the acceptance flight testing starting early on Sunday.  That flight testing continued through the week, finishing on Friday.  Chris dropped off his rental car at Richmond Airport and took the train home to Baltimore on Friday evening.

Dallas, Texas : 16 - 20 December 2024 : Bell Valor V280 Tilt-Rotor Future Long Range Assault Aircraft

Chris flew to Dallas on Monday for the next week to begin working on the avionics systems design for the Bell V280 Valor tilt-rotor aircraft.

Charleston, West Virginia : Christmas - New Years

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Hocking Hills State Park, Ohio : 2 January 2025

Meta glasses video of fire tower climb.

Ash Cave

Ash Cave

Old Man's Cave

Cedar Falls

RCMB Winter Flying : 11 & 12 January 2025

Aerial 4K GoPro 10 & GoPro 5 Session FPV Video 11 January 2025

Aerial 4K GoPro 10 & GoPro 5 Session FPV Video 12 January 2025

Jamaica : 16 - 26 January 2025

Edit and upload 4K YouTube videos :

GoPro Drive 16 Jan : Kingston to Strawberry Hill

GoPro Drive 17 Jan : Strawberry Hill to Holywell Park to Buff Bay Part 1, Part 2

GoPro Swimming 19 Jan : Dunn's River Falls

GoPro Drive 21 Jan : Fern Gully

GoPro Swimming 23 Jan : Ocean cave in Negril

DJI Mavik Aerial 23 Jan : Ocean cave in Negril

Phone (2K) 23 Jan : Dinner Beach fire show in Negril

15 Jan, Wed : Drive home to DC, dinner in DC

16 Jan, Thu : Fly DC to Miami to Kingston, drive Kingston to Strawberry Hill : https://maps.app.goo.gl/3Scw5jowgDQnBJZM6

17 Jan, Fri : Drive Strawberry Hill to Holywell Park to Buff Bay to Couples San Souci, Ocho Rios : https://maps.app.goo.gl/R5JgqgfoXvhvmwpXA

18 Jan, Sat : Couples San Souci Ocho Rios

19 Jan, Sun : Couples San Souci Ocho Rios, Dunn's River Falls

20 Jan, Mon : Couples San Souci Ocho Rios

21 Jan, Tue : Drive Couples San Souci, Ocho Rios to Fern Gully to Couples Negril : https://maps.app.goo.gl/NfKCGHHTwY7vXbCC7

22 Jan, Wed : Couples Negril

23 Jan, Thu : Couples Negril, catamaran sunset cruise : https://www.alltrails.com/explore/recording/activity-january-23-2025-5fc7c9b-2?p=-1&sh=f4ixkt

24 Jan, Fri : Couples Negril, beginners course to sail Hobie Cat

25 Jan, Sat : Couples Negril, Tami sick, Chris walks 7-mile beach at sunset

26 Jan, Sun : Drive Couples Negril to Montego Bay Airport, fly Montego Bay to Miami to DC, drive DC to home : https://maps.app.goo.gl/7oEabtnjka65ar616

Strawberry Hill

 
Holywell Park

Couples San Souci, Ocho Rios

                 
Dunn's River Falls

                                                                   
Couples Negril and 7-Mile Beach, Negril

Chris started a six month assignment at Bell Helicopter in Ft Worth, Texas at the beginning on February.  He drove to Texas, stopping at his sister's house in Tennessee for two nights to visit   A few days after he arrived in Ft Worth, Tami flew down and spent ten days.  We found a great apartment near the Texas Rangers and Dallas Cowboys stadiums, bought furniture, and made it a very nice temporary home for six months.  We moved in on 14 February, unloading all the personal belongings that Chris had carried to Texas, including multiple RC aircraft.  It is almost a resort, having a gym, pool, hot tub, and two bars, including a swim up bar in the pool.  Texas Rangers' baseball games are only a five minute walk away.  Chris will work on the Bell Valor V280, fly RC and full size, and explore Texas.

Chris hiked for 4.5 miles at Cedar Ridge Preserve on Sunday, 23 February 2025.

Chris hiked for 5 miles at Possum Kingdom Lake on Friday, 28 February 2025.

DJI 4K Aerial Video, Possum Kingdom Lake, 28 February 2025

     
Cedar Ridge

Possum Kingdom Lake

Morris Sheppard Dam, Possum Kingdom Lake

DJI Mavik Aerial HDR Panorama, Possum Kingdom Lake

Chris brought a bunch of remote control aircraft with him to Texas, expecting to find an RC club near Bell Helicopter where he could fly.  Chris joined the Greater Southwest Aero Modelers (GSWAM) RC Club on 1 March 2025, and began flying with the club at the RC field in Ft Worth.  The club officer who signed Chris up for membership was Rick Shook.  Rick and Chris had flown together for several years at Wright-Patterson AFB in Ohio, and had once celebrated an excellent mid-air collision while dog-fighting in 1992.  They had not seen or been in contact since 1993, when Chris moved to Nevada for his Air Force assignment to Nellis AFB.   Everyone says it, but meeting again at random after 32 years just proves that it is a small world.  While at the field on 1 March, the AMA District-8 Vice Present, Lawrence Harville, took photos of many pilots, including Chris, for an article that will go into the May 2025 Model Aviation magazine.  He noted "Chris came all the way to Texas to fly RC and get in Model Aviation magazine."

GSWAM RC Flying Field, GoPro Session 5 4K, 1 March 2025

Hubsan Zino Pro+ 4K Aerial Video, GSWAM, 1 March 2025

GSWAM RC Flying Field, GoPro Hero 4K Aerial, 2 March 2025

GSWAM RC Flying Field, GoPro Hero 4K Aerial, 7 March 2025

Chris visited Turner Falls Park and Lake Murray State Park in Oklahoma on Sunday, 9 March 2025.

Chris hiked 2.4 miles at Turner Falls Park, Oklahoma on Sunday, 9 March 2025:   Turner Falls Loop @ AllTrails,  Turner Falls Creek @ AllTrails

Chris hiked 3.7 miles at Lake Murray State Park, Oklahoma on the Buzzard's Roost Trail on Sunday, 9 March 2025.

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GoPro Hero 4K Aerial Video at Turner Falls, 9 March 2025