High Sierra Celebrates Another Great Event

The weather in the high desert is everything, and this year, it did not disappoint

Plane & Pilot

Tuesday, October 18, 2022 at 11:45 AM ET

Verified

Photo by Paul Ruschman

Key Takeaways:

The 11th High Sierra Fly-In in 2022 at Dead Cow Dry Lake was a highly successful event, featuring arguably the best weather in its history and a near-record number of attendees and planes.
This unique gathering brings together "fat tire plane" enthusiasts and friends for desert activities and socializing in a remote northern Nevada setting.
The event has rapidly grown into a "can't-miss" fixture in the flying year, considered second only to major fly-ins like Oshkosh due to its distinct nature and setting.
Final participant numbers are still pending but are anticipated to confirm it as one of the biggest gatherings in the event's history, reflecting its growing popularity.

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The 11^th High Sierra Fly-In is in the books for 2022, and this latest installment of the dry lake dust-up did not disappoint. With arguably the best weather in the event’s short history—yeah, it was still cold and dusty—a near-record number of planes and people converged on Dead Cow Dry Lake in northern Nevada in a gathering of fast friends with fat tire planes and tales of derring-do to bang around the desert and spend time with friends both longtime and brand new.

We’re still awaiting final word on the numbers at HSF for this year, but then again, today is event organizer and starting flag-man extraordinaire Kevin Quinn’s birthday, so he can be forgiven for taking an extra day to get them out.

In the short time it has been in existence, the fly-in has gotten to be one of the can’t-miss events of the flying year, we’d argue second only to Oshkosh and maybe Sun ‘n Fun. And because it’s so different from anything anyone had ever done before, and because the setting is so remote, there’s little chance that its legend will do anything but grow.

So, keep your eyes peeled for those numbers, which we expect based on participant reports, to be one of the biggest Dead Cow gatherings ever, and while you’re at it, check out some great photos of the event from Tony Cruz and Paul Ruschman.