OVERVIEW

Challenger owners and fans are cordially invited to the 3rd Annual East Coast Challenger Rendezvous at Lawrencetown, NS. Bernie and Shelley Rector of East Coast Ultralight will host this third Eastebello at their airstrip located in the beautiful and historic Annapolis Valley west of Halifax.

East Coast Ultralight has been a landmark in Lawrencetown since 1998.  The facility includes a 2000' grass strip with a hangar and a classroom.  For many years ECU has specialized in flight training, assembly and maintenance of Challenger aircraft. In 2010 East Coast Ultralight was appointed a full service Challenger dealer so now they offer the full gamut of sales and support.

In the sections below you will find full details of the agenda plus information on nearby accommodations as well as directions for flyers and drivers.

Please let Bernie and Shelley know right away of your plans to attend, whether for one day or all three, so we can make sure we have enough chairs, food and beverages. Email bernie@eastcoastultralight.com or phone 902-584-3302.

Fly or drive but make it a priority to join us at Atlantic Canada's very own Challenger Rendezvous! It's on rain or shine! See you there!

Bryan Quickmire

AGENDA

Eastebello is a great opportunity to be immersed in Challenger planes and Challenger people. The people will range from total newbies to world experts. Challengers will range from olde Classic models to the new Light Sport XL-65.

Friday evening the early arrivers will head to the local pub for food and beverages on the outdoor patio. Live music will be intermixed with plane talk.

Saturday morning will see more arrivals from near and far plus local flights by the Friday crowd. Demo flights will be available for Challenger wannabes.

Saturday for lunch it wil be hamburgers and hotdogs on the barbie. Coffee, pop and water will be available. If you are driving in please bring some chairs.

Saturday afternoon at 2pm there will be a welcome followed by presentations of interest to Challenger aficionados. Bryan Quickmire of National Ultralight, the Challenger distributor for Canada, will do a walkaround of a brand new Challenger Light Sport XL-65 based at the field. This will provide an in-depth look at the new features which have made the XL-65 a bestseller since its introduction two years ago. The afternoon will wrap up with a Q&A session.

Saturday evening's banquet will be at the End of the Line Pub in Bridgetown. After a fine meal we will return to the airstrip and gather around the fire pit to relax and tell flying stories. Think of this as hangar flying under the stars!

Sunday there will be more local sightseeing flights then departures for home.

DIRECTIONS

For those driving in it's quite simple. Lawrencetown is in the Annapolis Valley about two hours drive west of Halifax. Wherever you are just get on Highway 101 and get off at Exit 19. Turn north and drive 2 km. Look for the windsock!

For those flying in, the East Coast Ultralight airstrip is an unregistered aerodrome located at N44'55'07 W65'11'02. It is not in the Canada Flight Supplement. Elevation is 180 ft ASL. Monitor traffic and report on 123.2 MHz.

The runway is 2,000 ft of grass oriented north/south. There is a small hump near the middle. The runway slopes uphill from south to north and at the north end there is a hangar and a house then a 900 ft hill. It is recommended to land uphill on runway 36 and takeoff downhill on runway 18.

If you are navigating the old fashioned way, by reading road maps, the airstrip is on the west side of Elliot Road just south of Clarence Road. This is along Elliot Road 2sm north of Lawrencetown or 2km north of Highway 101 Exit 19. Near the south perimeter there are four large chicken barns with shiny roofs.

Bring your own tiedowns - stakes and ropes. Transportation will be available for fuel, accommodations, meals, etc.

In case you can't shoehorn your bird into 2,000 ft, the nearest public airport is Waterville / Kings County Municipal (CCW3 in the CFS) which is 30sm to the east. The runway there is 3500x75 of asphalt. Note that CFB Greenwood (CYZX) is midway between East Coast Ultralight and Kings County but it is only open to civilian traffic in case of emergencies. Alternatively Digby (CYID in the CFS) is 40sm to the southwest. The runway there is 3900x75 of asphalt.

ACCOMMODATIONS

The Falcourt Inn is a few minutes from the airstrip and has offered a discount to Eastebello attendees: http://www.falcourtinn.ns.ca/ - 902-825-3399

Here are just a few of the motels quite near the airstrip:

Carleton Motel and Cabins - http://www.carletonmotel.ca/ - 902-665-4716

Bridgetown Motor Inn - http://www.bridgetownmotorinn.ca/ - 902-665-4403

Mid Valley Motel - http://www.midvalleymotel.com/ - 902-825-3433

You can also go to http://maps.google.ca/ and enter "lawrencetown, ns" then in Search Nearby enter "accommodations" for still more choices of habitat.

Adventurous souls with campers and tents are welcome however you should be self-sufficient since there are no facilities other than portapotties.

CONTACTS

Bernie & Shelley Rector - bernie@eastcoastultralight.com - 902-584-3302