EAA Chapter 430A Smooth Autumn Fly-Out to Roche Harbor, Led by Aidan Lara
By 21:00 on Sunday, Oct. 26th, the TAFs were looking good for the fly-out to Roche Harbor for Monday, Oct. 27th, so I sent out the “fly-out is on” announcement. By this time, I had 16 confirmed to attend. I called the Lime Kiln Café earlier in the day to advise them of our large group, but they said that a reservation wasn’t necessary, as the café is a cafeteria-style setup as first-come, first-served.
On Monday morning, there were clear skies and calm winds over the peninsula and broken clouds at 1800’ over Friday Harbor. Victoria was clear, and so was Orcas, so I decided that the fly-out was still on. It was a beautiful, smooth flight over to San Juan Island, and it was visible that Roche was clear of clouds. Upon arrival, there was a group of aviators waiting with a few arriving shortly after. Myself, Sondra Pedlar (my mom), and Linda Priddle (Emily’s C172M), Bud Davies (C152), Scott Alair (Lancair Legacy), Richard Howell and Sid Vandiver (Richard’s Sling 2), Rob Stephens and Ernie Hansen (Rob’s VL3), Ray and Lisa Ballantyne, and Wells and Evangeline Hutchins (Ray and Lisa’s Sportsman), Cenk Özer and friend Scott (Linda’s C150J), and Barry and Tracy Halsted (their C172M). 17 people and 8 planes in total.
After we took our group picture, we ventured down into town. The walk was a nice downhill stroll with great views of the harbor and the original Hotel De Haro. There were even a couple of people who called the hotel/resort to request a golf cart to meet us at the airport to be driven into town. After pushing a few tables together, it was great to get to socialize with everyone at lunch. It was also a treat to try the café’s homemade doughnuts and explore the original lime kilns.
If you haven’t made it up there, it is worth it, especially this time of the year during the off-season. Don’t forget to explore the mausoleum.
The flight home was smooth with clear skies and light winds. This was also one of our largest fly-out turnouts for 2025 and my first time acting as flyout coordinator. Thank you to all who attended!
Clear skies and tailwinds, Aidan Lara
From the November 2025 newsletter
Written by Aidan Lara.
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