The (perhaps) unsung hero of Flite Fest - Austin Furey

[earthsciteach]

I can't not share who, in my opinion, had the most stressful position in the planning and running of FTFF - Austin Furey. Not only did he have tremendous responsibility from the Flite Test side of things, he also had the added stress of this huge event taking place at his family home!

Austin was on the spot whenever we needed anything at registration. From fixing the lack of internet access for check-in to any number of other speed bumps, he took care of things immediately. Here's a big shout-out to you, man. Well done!

 

[Andre]

I'll second that.

He was a machine. Hanging out with the volunteer crew well past 1am Saturday night while we dealt with the storm issues.
Even offering to help laundry/dry out the Viking's stuff after his tent was ripped open.

A very approachable and responsive person.
Truly has my respect and admiration.

Andre.

 

[rrittenhouse]

Agreed. Me and two others that came with me volunteered on Friday to help others get the electricity delivered in a more reliable way to the event tent for build sessions, charging, inflatables, etc. It was very fun to work with Austin, Alex, Josh, Chris, Dan, Paul, and everyone else.

I hope that there will an official way to submit my ideas and experiences directly to the Flite Test team so that they can be considered for the next Flite Fest. But, overall, there was a ton to do and the volunteers weren't really able to be too active until the time came. I would like it if for next year we can try and form some volunteer meetings online and get more prepared for what we know might happen next year (before we all get there).

I'm 30 and this is my first flight festival so far. So when I am sharing my experiences, they are derived from not having ever been to a similar event before.

Thank you Austin (and the rest of the Flite Test Team and the volunteers)

 

[Mytchak]

Austin and his family are awesome!!! They made everyone feel at home and almost all of the attendees were very grateful and respectful to the family and their property. Hard to believe that 1000+ people didn't wreak havoc on the property. Truly a magical event on many different levels.

-David

 

[themajik1]

Not going to disagree with your statement, but I think that everyone there that had a hand in this including the volunteers made this thing a success. My hat is off to Austin and everyone else. They were and are all amazing!

 

[willsonman]

I think that this is even understated. Well done Austin.

 

[Dreamwalker]

I'd like to give a very big thank you to Austin and his family as well.:applause:

Not only did he have everything under control, but we had the use of the hanger for an "EPIC"
build during the thunder storm Saturday night.
To Austin and his family, thank you thank you, thank you!

Tom

 

[AustinFurey]

Thanks everyone for your kind words, I just saw this thread.

I would say that I am no where near MVP for the event but I may get an imaginary award for Chief Worrier.

The people that showed up at the event are truly what made it special and memorable. Setting up tents and porta johns is a piece a cake compared to such an awesome community coming together and pulling it off.

I've received numerous compliments for people who were unfamiliar with Flite Test but want to check out the event. The overwhelming majority were shocked at how gracious, kind and fun loving such a large group of people could be.

Again, thank you all - one of my favorite weekends ever.

 

[Craftydan]

Agreed. Me and two others that came with me volunteered on Friday to help others get the electricity delivered in a more reliable way to the event tent for build sessions, charging, inflatables, etc. It was very fun to work with Austin, Alex, Josh, Chris, Dan, Paul, and everyone else.

I hope that there will an official way to submit my ideas and experiences directly to the Flite Test team so that they can be considered for the next Flite Fest. But, overall, there was a ton to do and the volunteers weren't really able to be too active until the time came. I would like it if for next year we can try and form some volunteer meetings online and get more prepared for what we know might happen next year (before we all get there).

I'm 30 and this is my first flight festival so far. So when I am sharing my experiences, they are derived from not having ever been to a similar event before.

Thank you Austin (and the rest of the Flite Test Team and the volunteers)

rrittenhouse,

It was a pleasure working with you and your buddies -- I really appreciated the work running down the details and the gut checks that kept the popping breakers to a minimum.

we've got a constructive criticism thread going, and should be a good place for you to post your ideas.

ok, back OT . . .



Austin,

truly a pleasure meeting and working with you -- I always felt I could bring the big issues up and you'd do what you could to fill in the ditches . . . sometimes literally.

You and your family really know how to run a venue (if you didn't before, you sure do now ), and that was instrumental allowing FT to host one of the biggest flying festivals, if not the largest electric festival in the US . . . on your first try

Congrats sir, on a job well done :applause:

 

[makattack]

I want to echo everyone's sentiment here... so... "echo" -- but, add that I was a little unsure of what to expect being my first flying festival, having no one I knew -- even on the forums, as I hadn't been too active and fairly new to them. I was nervous about visiting and camping on someones home property, and worried about being "that guy who didn't have a clue" -- all that was dispelled as soon as I met everyone and made to feel welcome and part of the crew.

Thanks to Austin, your entire family (it seemed) and everyone who was there for a memorable and great time!