Preparation (June 1- June 6)
In the next few days, John and I will be packing our tiny bags, making last minute adjustments, and getting in a few more practice flights. All our anticipation is leading up to Thursday's take off (weather permitting). You can keep up with our adventures on this page. We will be posting pictures and stories from our journey to Texas!
Testing out the new lights on the ultra light, two nights before departure day. Photo Credit- Andrew Jackson
http://savand-photography.smugmug.com
http://savand-photography.smugmug.com
Departure Day, June 6
The screen shot below, from Foreflight, is our intended flight plan for the day. We departed Williamsburg airport (KJGG) about 7:30 a.m. The flight was going well, so we skipped the first few stops knowing that bad weather was headed our way. We landed at Burlington, NC (KBUY). We called a two mile final for runway 24; moments later, a Plaitus called a 7 mile final for runway 24 as well. Out of an abundance of caution, we decided to let the Plaitus land first and we became number two. After landing, we were welcomed to SkySouth (Skysouthaviation.com) by Josh Henderson, the lineman, who helped to secure the plane before driving the fuel truck to the trike. As we added fuel, the anticipated rainstorm arrived. Kenzie ran into the FBO office where she was welcomed by Heidi and Katherine. SkySouth employees had never seen a trike before and were curious about where we came from and where we were headed. They were amazed that we would be flying such a unique aircraft all the way to Texas.
Heidi, Katharine, and Josh went out of their way to make us feel welcome, pointed out the computers, and said that there was a pilot lounge with a sleep room available if we needed it. In addition, SkySouth offered us use of the crew car if we want to go to town.
After checking the weather and considering the impact of the VIP TFR (temporary flight restriction) around Charlotte, NC, we decided to wait out the weather. It may transpire that we will spend the night here.
Heidi, Katharine, and Josh went out of their way to make us feel welcome, pointed out the computers, and said that there was a pilot lounge with a sleep room available if we needed it. In addition, SkySouth offered us use of the crew car if we want to go to town.
After checking the weather and considering the impact of the VIP TFR (temporary flight restriction) around Charlotte, NC, we decided to wait out the weather. It may transpire that we will spend the night here.
Kenzie, Heidi, Katharine, and John in front of the brand new SkySouth offices. Thanks Josh for taking a great photo!
Burlington, N.C.While waiting for the sky to clear up, we are stuck in Burlington, N.C. for a few more hours. Katherine recommended a Thai restaurant in town and allowed us to use the airport courtesy car- a BMW. John asked the waitress to bring out something that would make their restaurant memorable. The food was great and we made some new friends at the restaurant! Back at SkySouth airport, we are free to use the luxury facilities- big screen t.v., shower, and snooze room! Not a bad place to wait out a rain shower.
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Day Two, June 7 Burlington to Spartanburg
Quick update! We have the opportunity to head out of Burlington in the next few minutes! The front has moved northeast of us and we should be able to make it to an airport about 120 miles west of us in Spartanburg, South Carolina, before the next front comes in over night. The airport we are headed to is called 'Downtown Spartanburg'; and will have a hanger for us to store the trike- very important because it looks like thunderstorms are going to pass over us during the night. They also will allow us to spend the night in their pilot lounge. If there is internet connection, we will update again. If not, we will be leaving N.C. early tomorrow morning and headed to Tuscaloosa.
We are in Spartanburg, SC, at the downtown airport. John has never been in such a nice airport for transient pilots. We have a penthouse suite on the 2nd floor with a sleep room, blankets, pillows, a shower room, Wi-Fi, flat screen TV, and more. If we keep landing at airports with this kind of hospitality, we might spend a week in each town.
We departed Burlington, NC, around 4:30 pm. We had to dodge some heavy downpours as we flew. Towards the end of the flight to Spartanburg, we saw a lot of lightning, so we landed at an airport about 30 miles short of Spartanburg. After looking around for a hanger, and trying to find if we could spend the night, we came up empty handed. John called KSPA (Downtown Spartanburg airport), got the line man who puts gas in the planes, the lineman said that they were open till 7:30 pm. It was 6:55 when John called. We hustled out to the plane, jumped in, and got going.
We landed @ 7:25. The lineman was standing beside a huge hanger with the door open. John drove the trike directly inside and shut her
down. After the lineman got us inside the building and took us up to our quarters, he called it a night and went home to drink a strong Merlot.
We ordered a veggie pizza and salads from the Mellow Mushroom to be delivered to the airport front door. Although there are ample supplies here in the airport, there was not a fork to be found and we were stuck eating our salads as finger food.
John heard from his trike flying friend, Craig Valentine, who is flying this way from California. He flew 540 miles Thursday and another 540
miles today. He is on the Texas / New Mexico border. For all I know, he will meet us in Tuscaloosa!
We departed Burlington, NC, around 4:30 pm. We had to dodge some heavy downpours as we flew. Towards the end of the flight to Spartanburg, we saw a lot of lightning, so we landed at an airport about 30 miles short of Spartanburg. After looking around for a hanger, and trying to find if we could spend the night, we came up empty handed. John called KSPA (Downtown Spartanburg airport), got the line man who puts gas in the planes, the lineman said that they were open till 7:30 pm. It was 6:55 when John called. We hustled out to the plane, jumped in, and got going.
We landed @ 7:25. The lineman was standing beside a huge hanger with the door open. John drove the trike directly inside and shut her
down. After the lineman got us inside the building and took us up to our quarters, he called it a night and went home to drink a strong Merlot.
We ordered a veggie pizza and salads from the Mellow Mushroom to be delivered to the airport front door. Although there are ample supplies here in the airport, there was not a fork to be found and we were stuck eating our salads as finger food.
John heard from his trike flying friend, Craig Valentine, who is flying this way from California. He flew 540 miles Thursday and another 540
miles today. He is on the Texas / New Mexico border. For all I know, he will meet us in Tuscaloosa!
North Carolina countryside
Tomorrows trip
We plan to leave tomorrow morning for Tuscaloosa, Alabama to meet John's sister, Beth, brother-in-law, Gary, and niece, Kellie. Below is our flight plan; the weather should be all cleared up by then!
Day Three, June 8 Tuscaloosa, AL
On day three we woke up in Spartanburg and had a little time before the temperature rose and the cloud cover lifted. We got out of the airport about 9:30 and headed west. The flight to Tuscaloosa takes about five hours in the ultra light, so we made three stops for gas and to streatch our legs along the way. Five hours is a lot of flying in one day, but we kept things iteresting! Below are pictures from our flight. We saw more trees than you could count, lakes, quarries, and people. We flew over an active baseball game and watched one batter get walked and another hit a double. When we passed over a lake, John would fly the trike right over top of them! We love to get down a few feet over the water! It was fun to see the water skiers and wake boarders! We were also lucky enough to fly right over Talladega Race Track! There were two cars speeding around the track, who we beilive were people getting the Nascar expereience. As we got closer to Tuscaloosa, we were able to see the Alabama State Univirsity campus and stadium. The campus is beautiful!
When we landed, we were met by quite the welcoming committee! John's sister, Beth, mother, Hubie, brother-in-law, Gary, niece, Kellie, and their dog, Mollie! Beth and Kellie gave me a quick tour of the small town of Northport and the university campus, a beautiful place! We headed to our hosts' amazing house on Lake Tuscaloosa! The lake is 22 miles long and 250 feet deep; it was built in the 1970s and serves as the city's water supply. After a delicious dinner and some happy conversation, we were offered a boat ride around the lake. Who could refuse! The house is high up over the lake; it takes over 100 stairs to make it all the way down! But it is completely worth the walk; the lake is breathtaking! Below are some pictures from our ride! After our boat ride we took a dip in the lake and floated around on noodles, looking out for the turtle man who lives around the dock!
When we landed, we were met by quite the welcoming committee! John's sister, Beth, mother, Hubie, brother-in-law, Gary, niece, Kellie, and their dog, Mollie! Beth and Kellie gave me a quick tour of the small town of Northport and the university campus, a beautiful place! We headed to our hosts' amazing house on Lake Tuscaloosa! The lake is 22 miles long and 250 feet deep; it was built in the 1970s and serves as the city's water supply. After a delicious dinner and some happy conversation, we were offered a boat ride around the lake. Who could refuse! The house is high up over the lake; it takes over 100 stairs to make it all the way down! But it is completely worth the walk; the lake is breathtaking! Below are some pictures from our ride! After our boat ride we took a dip in the lake and floated around on noodles, looking out for the turtle man who lives around the dock!
The picture sequence below shows the trike coming in for a landing
Roll Tide Roll
Every time Alabama scores a Touch-Down, the elephant is programmed to trumpet: 'Roll-Tide'; loud enough to be heard at the stadium!
An amazing boat ride on Lake Tuscaloosa!
Enjoying Tuscaloosa with family & Friends. Sunday, June 9th; a day of relaxation.
What exactly is this Blog and trip all about??
By John Williams:
While I have the time, a little explanation might be in order. As most trike pilots know, Craig Valentine ranks in the top 5% of long distance trike pilots. Craig purchased his QuickR in Atlanta. He flew commercial to Atlanta, completed the deal to buy his trike, and the next day, he took off for home in California. Craig had previously flown to each of the public use airports in California (248) in his trike. When Craig purchased the QuickR, he thought that a trip around the USA, touching down in each of the 48 contiguous states would be an interesting idea. To his knowledge, no one had accomplished that feat in a Trike.
While Craig was on his 48 state trip, as he made his way up the East Coast, Craig took time to lay over in Williamsburg, Virginia, to allow bad weather to pass through. That is where I first encountered Craig, in person. Craig and I seemed to hit it off, and because I had the time, I agreed to join Craig on his way up the East Coast towards NYC. The plan was to meet another fellow trike pilot, Barry Maggio, at Sandy Hook, at the northern tip of NJ, at the entrance to New York Harbor. Craig and I flew across the Chesapeake Bay, landed in Maryland and Deleware before making a fuel stop 1/2 way up the Jersey Shore. We finally arrived in Sandy Hook and met up with Barry who had just flown in down the Hudson River Corridor. I had to return to Williamsburg for business needs, so Craig & Barry carried on from there.
6 months later, Craig joined my wife, Maxine, and me while visiting friends in Bandon, Oregon. Craig and I started to brainstorm ideas about how the two of us could join forces for a lengthly Trike trip. We both felt the excitement of trying to come up with a good way to spend a couple months flying together. What truly drove the conversation was our need to discuss different philosophies regarding the purpose of the trip. Were we simply trying to put in lots of miles or were we going to take it easy, have no adgenda, and smell the roses along the way. Craig loves to fly hard; a 500+ mile day for Craig is just getting started. John, on the other hand, is content to stop at the out of the way country airports, meet and greet whom ever he finds along the way, and take people for trike rides.
The decision was made to meet in Brownsville, Texas, on June 24th. We were individually responsible to depart from our home states (Craig - California, John - Virginia) on what ever day we determined would allow for us to arrive in Brownsville no later than the selected date. After making a rendezvous, the general idea would be for us to fly to New Orleans, eat some great food, see the city, and then fly the Mississippi River from South to North. We both thought that it would be fun to stop in small towns along the Mississippi, find a great BBQ joint, listen to some Blues music, and explore the heartland of America.
Craig and I are both fortunate to have friends and family all across the USA; we have invitations to spend a couple days in many diverse locations.
Craig is well versed in 1-up long distance X-country Trike touring. He carries exactly what he needs (and a credit card). In addition to the usual stuff, Craig has worked out a system so that he can carry 8 gallons of extra fuel, and can transfer the fuel from a portable tank to the main fuel tank in mid air. Craig makes it a habit to attempt to hanger his trike every night; a good habit to follow considering unexpected wind & storms that can arise. John, on the other hand, enjoys taking passengers flying. That creates an entire different set of logistical problems when it comes to storage space for stuff on a long distance trip. I am blessed with a wonderful wife, Maxine, who has flown with me in the trike many times; however, Maxine would not feel comfortable on a major X-country adventure. Maxine has always encouraged me to feel free to find an individual who would be willing to accompany me for weeks at a time, wearing the same clothing day after day, and willing to sleep on an airport floor. Unlike Craig, I tend to fly as frugal as possible. I am more than willing to pay for a hanger, but I am not willing to spend money on a hotel if I can sleep in an airport snooze room. Plus, the money saved on hotel costs will allow me to find a great place to eat.
So, that is where Kenzie comes into the picture. Kenzie is the daughter of a good friend of mine. I took Kenzie Trike flying about a year ago. She seemed to love it. When I knew that Maxine would not be joining me for this summer's Great Trike Adventure, Maxine gave me the go ahead to surprise Kenzie with a unique invitation as her birthday gift: 'Would Kenzie like to join me as I fly the Trike to Texas?'
As you can see from this Blog, Kenzie accepted her B-day gift, and is traveling with me now.
Craig departed California last week, Thursday, June 6th. Craig flew over 500 miles the first day, and another 500+ miles the 2nd day. Craig wound up on the New Mexico/Texas border after two days of flying. Meanwhile, Kenzie and I plod along, fighting East Coast summer weather (lots of thunderstorms, rain cells, Hurricane Andrea, frontal systems, etc.) Plus, we are VERY HAPPY to spend time with family and friends as we make our way to our rendezvous with Craig, somewhere in Texas.
I think that Craig is well ahead of schedule, and for all I know, he might fly clear across Texas to meet up with Kinzie and me somewhere in Arkansas.
The immediate goal is for us to spend 3 or 4 days with friends in New Braunfels, Texas. Our friends in NB have a home with a bunk-house out back. We hope to float in inner-tubes down the Guadaloupe River, dance at the 'oldest dance hall in Texas', eat some BBQ, drink some Texas brews, and take friends flying out of the local airport. After that, Kenzie flies to New Hampshire where she will spend the remainder of her summer as a special education camp counselor. Meanwhile, Craig and I will make a final decision about our grand plan, and then put it into action. Neither of us have any idea where we will go, how far we will fly each day, or where we will spend the night. That might wind up to be a great plan. I am looking forward to the Adventure.
While I have the time, a little explanation might be in order. As most trike pilots know, Craig Valentine ranks in the top 5% of long distance trike pilots. Craig purchased his QuickR in Atlanta. He flew commercial to Atlanta, completed the deal to buy his trike, and the next day, he took off for home in California. Craig had previously flown to each of the public use airports in California (248) in his trike. When Craig purchased the QuickR, he thought that a trip around the USA, touching down in each of the 48 contiguous states would be an interesting idea. To his knowledge, no one had accomplished that feat in a Trike.
While Craig was on his 48 state trip, as he made his way up the East Coast, Craig took time to lay over in Williamsburg, Virginia, to allow bad weather to pass through. That is where I first encountered Craig, in person. Craig and I seemed to hit it off, and because I had the time, I agreed to join Craig on his way up the East Coast towards NYC. The plan was to meet another fellow trike pilot, Barry Maggio, at Sandy Hook, at the northern tip of NJ, at the entrance to New York Harbor. Craig and I flew across the Chesapeake Bay, landed in Maryland and Deleware before making a fuel stop 1/2 way up the Jersey Shore. We finally arrived in Sandy Hook and met up with Barry who had just flown in down the Hudson River Corridor. I had to return to Williamsburg for business needs, so Craig & Barry carried on from there.
6 months later, Craig joined my wife, Maxine, and me while visiting friends in Bandon, Oregon. Craig and I started to brainstorm ideas about how the two of us could join forces for a lengthly Trike trip. We both felt the excitement of trying to come up with a good way to spend a couple months flying together. What truly drove the conversation was our need to discuss different philosophies regarding the purpose of the trip. Were we simply trying to put in lots of miles or were we going to take it easy, have no adgenda, and smell the roses along the way. Craig loves to fly hard; a 500+ mile day for Craig is just getting started. John, on the other hand, is content to stop at the out of the way country airports, meet and greet whom ever he finds along the way, and take people for trike rides.
The decision was made to meet in Brownsville, Texas, on June 24th. We were individually responsible to depart from our home states (Craig - California, John - Virginia) on what ever day we determined would allow for us to arrive in Brownsville no later than the selected date. After making a rendezvous, the general idea would be for us to fly to New Orleans, eat some great food, see the city, and then fly the Mississippi River from South to North. We both thought that it would be fun to stop in small towns along the Mississippi, find a great BBQ joint, listen to some Blues music, and explore the heartland of America.
Craig and I are both fortunate to have friends and family all across the USA; we have invitations to spend a couple days in many diverse locations.
Craig is well versed in 1-up long distance X-country Trike touring. He carries exactly what he needs (and a credit card). In addition to the usual stuff, Craig has worked out a system so that he can carry 8 gallons of extra fuel, and can transfer the fuel from a portable tank to the main fuel tank in mid air. Craig makes it a habit to attempt to hanger his trike every night; a good habit to follow considering unexpected wind & storms that can arise. John, on the other hand, enjoys taking passengers flying. That creates an entire different set of logistical problems when it comes to storage space for stuff on a long distance trip. I am blessed with a wonderful wife, Maxine, who has flown with me in the trike many times; however, Maxine would not feel comfortable on a major X-country adventure. Maxine has always encouraged me to feel free to find an individual who would be willing to accompany me for weeks at a time, wearing the same clothing day after day, and willing to sleep on an airport floor. Unlike Craig, I tend to fly as frugal as possible. I am more than willing to pay for a hanger, but I am not willing to spend money on a hotel if I can sleep in an airport snooze room. Plus, the money saved on hotel costs will allow me to find a great place to eat.
So, that is where Kenzie comes into the picture. Kenzie is the daughter of a good friend of mine. I took Kenzie Trike flying about a year ago. She seemed to love it. When I knew that Maxine would not be joining me for this summer's Great Trike Adventure, Maxine gave me the go ahead to surprise Kenzie with a unique invitation as her birthday gift: 'Would Kenzie like to join me as I fly the Trike to Texas?'
As you can see from this Blog, Kenzie accepted her B-day gift, and is traveling with me now.
Craig departed California last week, Thursday, June 6th. Craig flew over 500 miles the first day, and another 500+ miles the 2nd day. Craig wound up on the New Mexico/Texas border after two days of flying. Meanwhile, Kenzie and I plod along, fighting East Coast summer weather (lots of thunderstorms, rain cells, Hurricane Andrea, frontal systems, etc.) Plus, we are VERY HAPPY to spend time with family and friends as we make our way to our rendezvous with Craig, somewhere in Texas.
I think that Craig is well ahead of schedule, and for all I know, he might fly clear across Texas to meet up with Kinzie and me somewhere in Arkansas.
The immediate goal is for us to spend 3 or 4 days with friends in New Braunfels, Texas. Our friends in NB have a home with a bunk-house out back. We hope to float in inner-tubes down the Guadaloupe River, dance at the 'oldest dance hall in Texas', eat some BBQ, drink some Texas brews, and take friends flying out of the local airport. After that, Kenzie flies to New Hampshire where she will spend the remainder of her summer as a special education camp counselor. Meanwhile, Craig and I will make a final decision about our grand plan, and then put it into action. Neither of us have any idea where we will go, how far we will fly each day, or where we will spend the night. That might wind up to be a great plan. I am looking forward to the Adventure.
June 9 Tuscaloosa, AL
This morning was John took up many first time flyers! A total of 12 family members, friends, and airport staff! We set a new record for first time trike flyers at KTCL! Some departed with a little aprehension, but everyone landed with a huge smile on his or her face!
Spending the morning at the airport has its perks...
Best Italian in Tuscaloosa- Depalamas
Dr. Gary at work. Dr. Gary Ramdeen is a highly respected Kidney transplant Surgeon. However, while in China, Dr. Ramdeen studied acupuncture and traditional forms of Chinese medicine.
Gary was kind enough to give Kenzie acupuncture! One in the forehead and one in each hand relaxes away stress. The needle in the forehead was a bit too much! Two needles in each leg to help with knee pain. Kenzie felt great all night thanks to Dr. Gary!
The next day, Kenzie said that her knees stopped hurting.
June tenth- A tour of Tuscaloosa
We took a day off from flying to enjoy the hospitality that Beth, Gary and Kellie were so graciously providing. You can't beat a stay in plush quarters at their lake-front home.
Beth and Kellie planned a day of touring the sites of Tuscaloosa, home of Alabama football (and a university). BUT, the first item on the agenda was a visit to the local gym for Yoga, cross-fit, and some rowing. Sunday, the two girls, Kenzie and Kellie took time to walk the 151 steps from the lake, up the hill, to the house FIVE times. Here it was, Monday morning, and Kenzie was at it again. Needless to say, Kenzie kicked ass!
We drove home to pick up Kellie to officially start the day's tour. First stop was a local institution: Rama-Jama. This little restaurant sits next to the 'Bama football stadium. I cannot imagine what it would be like to be there on game day. It would be impossible to get in unless you know somebody who knows somebody (like Mr. Saben).
We pulled into the parking lot and decided that there were multiple photo-ops available. While taking the first photo, out of the building came the owner, a Nick Saben look-alike, who happened to be the restaurant owner. We were directed up a flight of stairs on the side of the building, past a sign that said: NO ADMITTANCE, NO EXCEPTIONS, up onto the gravel roof. At the corner of the roof was a Crimson Red capital letter "A". With our cameras in hand, and standing at just the right angle, the restaurant owner captured a wonderful shot of the group with the 'Bama football stadium in the background.
After we came off the roof, we were escorted into Rama-Jama to the counter where we placed our order for breakfast. Yummy, yummy, yummy is all we can say. Omlets, grits, biscuits, coffee, and hash-browns, Rama-Jama style. Don't miss it if you ever visit Tuscaloosa. Before we left, we made friends with some of the Rama-Jama staff. See the photos!
After breakfast, we took a driving tour of the campus. Beth and Kellie have taken many classes on campus, so they knew the locations of all the buildings, however new construction abounds. We pulled into the President's house and were slightly disappointed that Ms.Judy L. Bonner was not at home. As you look out from the front porch of the President's house, the 'Bama Bell Tower is directly down the drive and across the street.
Just a few short blocks from the campus is a city park that has the remains of the Capital building from when Tuscaloosa was the Capital of Alabama. We took time to walk in the park and read the bronze plaques that told the story of the site. The timing of our visit to the park was impeccable as you shall soon read.
Next on our city tour was the new Federal Court House, our tax $$$$ at work. Tuscaloosa is proud to have the Court House in the city, and it shows. As with every Federal building, there is a requirement that at least 1/2 of 1% of the building's budget be devoted to public art. When the Federal Judges sat down with the building committee, a concerted effort was made to utilize the resources of the University of Alabama while coordinating the artwork. The Court House has become a Tuscaloosa tourist destination for visitors and locals alike; primarily for the huge paintings that tell the story of the area. After passing through security, we walked to the 2nd floor. We started to browse the paintings as Beth told us how each painting fit into local history. As we walked down the hall, I saw a sign for the Judge's chambers that pointed down a small hallway. The girls didn't know that I slipped away to see if the Judge was in his office.
Shortly after I rang the bell, one of the law clerk's greeted me to inquire as to my business. I said that I was a visiting attorney from Virginia and wanted to see the Judge's chambers if allowed. The clerk accepted my card and asked that I take a seat in the foyer. Within a few minutes, he returned to invite me into the hallway. Standing there to greet me, dressed in jeans and a nice plaid shirt, was Federal Judge Scott Coogler. I could not have been more impressed that a Federal Judge would take the time away from his work to greet me in person. Not only did he take me to his office, he introduced me to the many clerks and lawyers who keep the office running. After a short chat in his chambers, he gave me a guided tour, behind the scenes, to the court room and other chambers that are used on a daily basis. After a visit to the bankruptcy court room, the Judge said that he wanted to lead me on a special tour. As we stepped through the next door, we arrived in the main hall where the paintings are displayed. Beth, Kellie and Kenzie were standing there, looking for me. I made introductions all around, and then, we were the beneficiaries of one of the most wonderful experiences in my life. Judge Coogler took an hour to explain each painting, one by one, telling us the history of how the Court House Art committee and the artist worked with the University of Alabama art & history departments to create a story about Alabama. What was truly fascinating was that Judge Coogler knew many of the people who had posed in each of the paintings (including himself, his wife, his daughter and a couple of his horses). The last painting in the series depicts children playing in Capital Park where we had just visited a few hours before. BTW, the paintings were approximately 8 feet wide by 16 feet tall.
Once we exited the Court House, Beth gave us a tour of the area of Tuscaloosa that had been severely damaged from a monster F-5 tornado that ravaged the city on April 27, 2011. Re-building is taking place, however, it is easy to see where the destruction took place. I am sure that many citizens lives are still not back to any sense of normalcy. Until you see tornado or hurricane destruction in person, the TV images cannot begin to convey the feeling of hopelessness in the face of Mother Nature.
We then returned to the lake house for a swim and an afternoon nap. Dr. Gary came home, joined us down at the lake, and regaled us with his activities at the hospital. A couple hours later, it was off to another of Tuscaloosa's finest restaurants, Chucks. Once again, close connections among friends lead to another memorable dinner with amazing Sushi as part of the deal. There are so many great restaurants in Tuscaloosa that a week's stay would not be long enough to sample a quarter of the offerings.
Beth and Kellie planned a day of touring the sites of Tuscaloosa, home of Alabama football (and a university). BUT, the first item on the agenda was a visit to the local gym for Yoga, cross-fit, and some rowing. Sunday, the two girls, Kenzie and Kellie took time to walk the 151 steps from the lake, up the hill, to the house FIVE times. Here it was, Monday morning, and Kenzie was at it again. Needless to say, Kenzie kicked ass!
We drove home to pick up Kellie to officially start the day's tour. First stop was a local institution: Rama-Jama. This little restaurant sits next to the 'Bama football stadium. I cannot imagine what it would be like to be there on game day. It would be impossible to get in unless you know somebody who knows somebody (like Mr. Saben).
We pulled into the parking lot and decided that there were multiple photo-ops available. While taking the first photo, out of the building came the owner, a Nick Saben look-alike, who happened to be the restaurant owner. We were directed up a flight of stairs on the side of the building, past a sign that said: NO ADMITTANCE, NO EXCEPTIONS, up onto the gravel roof. At the corner of the roof was a Crimson Red capital letter "A". With our cameras in hand, and standing at just the right angle, the restaurant owner captured a wonderful shot of the group with the 'Bama football stadium in the background.
After we came off the roof, we were escorted into Rama-Jama to the counter where we placed our order for breakfast. Yummy, yummy, yummy is all we can say. Omlets, grits, biscuits, coffee, and hash-browns, Rama-Jama style. Don't miss it if you ever visit Tuscaloosa. Before we left, we made friends with some of the Rama-Jama staff. See the photos!
After breakfast, we took a driving tour of the campus. Beth and Kellie have taken many classes on campus, so they knew the locations of all the buildings, however new construction abounds. We pulled into the President's house and were slightly disappointed that Ms.Judy L. Bonner was not at home. As you look out from the front porch of the President's house, the 'Bama Bell Tower is directly down the drive and across the street.
Just a few short blocks from the campus is a city park that has the remains of the Capital building from when Tuscaloosa was the Capital of Alabama. We took time to walk in the park and read the bronze plaques that told the story of the site. The timing of our visit to the park was impeccable as you shall soon read.
Next on our city tour was the new Federal Court House, our tax $$$$ at work. Tuscaloosa is proud to have the Court House in the city, and it shows. As with every Federal building, there is a requirement that at least 1/2 of 1% of the building's budget be devoted to public art. When the Federal Judges sat down with the building committee, a concerted effort was made to utilize the resources of the University of Alabama while coordinating the artwork. The Court House has become a Tuscaloosa tourist destination for visitors and locals alike; primarily for the huge paintings that tell the story of the area. After passing through security, we walked to the 2nd floor. We started to browse the paintings as Beth told us how each painting fit into local history. As we walked down the hall, I saw a sign for the Judge's chambers that pointed down a small hallway. The girls didn't know that I slipped away to see if the Judge was in his office.
Shortly after I rang the bell, one of the law clerk's greeted me to inquire as to my business. I said that I was a visiting attorney from Virginia and wanted to see the Judge's chambers if allowed. The clerk accepted my card and asked that I take a seat in the foyer. Within a few minutes, he returned to invite me into the hallway. Standing there to greet me, dressed in jeans and a nice plaid shirt, was Federal Judge Scott Coogler. I could not have been more impressed that a Federal Judge would take the time away from his work to greet me in person. Not only did he take me to his office, he introduced me to the many clerks and lawyers who keep the office running. After a short chat in his chambers, he gave me a guided tour, behind the scenes, to the court room and other chambers that are used on a daily basis. After a visit to the bankruptcy court room, the Judge said that he wanted to lead me on a special tour. As we stepped through the next door, we arrived in the main hall where the paintings are displayed. Beth, Kellie and Kenzie were standing there, looking for me. I made introductions all around, and then, we were the beneficiaries of one of the most wonderful experiences in my life. Judge Coogler took an hour to explain each painting, one by one, telling us the history of how the Court House Art committee and the artist worked with the University of Alabama art & history departments to create a story about Alabama. What was truly fascinating was that Judge Coogler knew many of the people who had posed in each of the paintings (including himself, his wife, his daughter and a couple of his horses). The last painting in the series depicts children playing in Capital Park where we had just visited a few hours before. BTW, the paintings were approximately 8 feet wide by 16 feet tall.
Once we exited the Court House, Beth gave us a tour of the area of Tuscaloosa that had been severely damaged from a monster F-5 tornado that ravaged the city on April 27, 2011. Re-building is taking place, however, it is easy to see where the destruction took place. I am sure that many citizens lives are still not back to any sense of normalcy. Until you see tornado or hurricane destruction in person, the TV images cannot begin to convey the feeling of hopelessness in the face of Mother Nature.
We then returned to the lake house for a swim and an afternoon nap. Dr. Gary came home, joined us down at the lake, and regaled us with his activities at the hospital. A couple hours later, it was off to another of Tuscaloosa's finest restaurants, Chucks. Once again, close connections among friends lead to another memorable dinner with amazing Sushi as part of the deal. There are so many great restaurants in Tuscaloosa that a week's stay would not be long enough to sample a quarter of the offerings.
University of Alabama
Federal Court House
June 11, Tuscaloosa, Alabama to Alexandria, Louisiana; one stop in Mississippi
With the weather looking good, the plan is to keep heading towards Texas. Going back to Sunday when taking friends & family flying, one important person was left out, my sister, Beth. That oversight had to be corrected; so the plan was to give Beth a short flight around Tuscaloosa, return to the airport, pick up Kenzie, and head for Mississippi. Thankfully, the women in the group are way smarter than the men, and a different plan was hatched. Beth suggested that she fly the first leg to Meridian, Mississippi, and that Kenzie, Kellie and Hubertien drive down by car. That would allow Beth to experience a nice 80 mile X-country trike flight. The idea was splendid.
Beth & I loaded up @ Bama-Air after a thorough pre-flight and topping off the fuel tank. We hated to depart Bama-Air, but all good things must come to an end. (We cannot say enough about how wonderful the staff was @ Bama-Air. Thanks to everyone! I promise to come back one day to take the remainder of the staff for a Trike flight.) We paid our bill, cranked up and called the tower. We must have had the same controller in the tower that worked the 12 passenger flights on Sunday. I think he was kind of sad to see us depart. We were given an intersection take off and were on our way to Meridian.
About 12 miles North of the public use airport @ Meridian (KMEI), there is a Naval Air Station (KNMM) where LOTS of Navy jet pilots are taking their training. We were legal to overfly the NAS @ 3,000', and were able to observe a couple flights of 4 planes fly to the airport, in formation, and then, one by one, peel off to set up a landing. WAY COOL! Anchors Away - GO Navy.
Beth & I touched down @ Meridian and were once again welcomed by a lineman and 3 pilots who had never seen a trike up close and personal. I pulled over to the self serve fuel pump, got Beth out of the plane, and had to answer 100 questions before I could begin the task of topping off with fuel.
The girls driving down by car pulled in about 15 minutes later. While we were waiting, numerous Navy and Airforce jets & trainers made use of the hospitality of the Meridian FBO. Wow, we lucked into another fabulous stop. Hot Dogs, Ice Cream cones, drinks, pop-corn, and a very welcoming staff. I wanted to spend the night in their plush pilot snooze room; but, Texas was calling.
We got the luggage (ha, ha) stored, Kenzie traded places with Beth, and once again, it was a pleasure to work with the tower to obtain our clearance upon departure. Kenzie and I were not sure how far we would fly during the afternoon bumps. I asked Ms. K if she wanted to go high and find smooth air or stay low, keep warm, and endure the bumps. Kenzie said: let's stay low so that we can watch the scenery.
Mostly what we saw were thousands of acres of pine trees. Occasionally, we saw a chicken farm, a few oil wells, flying buzzards, egrets, and hawks, a few cell towers, many swamps, and more pine trees. The section of Mississippi that we flew over didn't have many towns (or airports). Probably because we were flying over areas designated as MOA(s).
We flew directly from Meridian to Natchez, Mississippi, (KHEZ) a distance of 137 nm. We stopped to take a break, learn some local history, and check out the pilot lounge @ KHEX. After topping off with fuel, I went into the planning room, took advantage of the computers, checked our route and planned for a couple more hours of flying. The people @ Natchez FBO were top notch. We enjoyed listening to a short narrative of the history of the town during the 'war of Northern aggression'. We found out that the Mississippi River was three miles away, in the direction we were flying, and that Louisiana was just across the river. I called ahead to Jasper, LA, to check on possible pilot snooze accommodations, received a warm positive reply, and told the airport manager that we were headed her way.
Once back up in the air, we made it a point to circle the town of Natchez so that K could take a couple photos of the Riverboats tied to the shore. After a couple 360 turns, we climbed out, over the 'the Big Muddy' and crossed into Louisiana airspace, better known as 'Cajun Country'. The operative word in this part of the country is: "GO Tigers"; and, you had better be wearing your purple & yellow.
Directly on our route towards Jasper is a class D airport: Alexandria (KAEX). I had had enough flying for the day, and I didn't think that we would get to Jasper in a timely fashion before their staff went home, so I made the executive decision to see what we could find in Alexandria.
Good decision!
Beth & I loaded up @ Bama-Air after a thorough pre-flight and topping off the fuel tank. We hated to depart Bama-Air, but all good things must come to an end. (We cannot say enough about how wonderful the staff was @ Bama-Air. Thanks to everyone! I promise to come back one day to take the remainder of the staff for a Trike flight.) We paid our bill, cranked up and called the tower. We must have had the same controller in the tower that worked the 12 passenger flights on Sunday. I think he was kind of sad to see us depart. We were given an intersection take off and were on our way to Meridian.
About 12 miles North of the public use airport @ Meridian (KMEI), there is a Naval Air Station (KNMM) where LOTS of Navy jet pilots are taking their training. We were legal to overfly the NAS @ 3,000', and were able to observe a couple flights of 4 planes fly to the airport, in formation, and then, one by one, peel off to set up a landing. WAY COOL! Anchors Away - GO Navy.
Beth & I touched down @ Meridian and were once again welcomed by a lineman and 3 pilots who had never seen a trike up close and personal. I pulled over to the self serve fuel pump, got Beth out of the plane, and had to answer 100 questions before I could begin the task of topping off with fuel.
The girls driving down by car pulled in about 15 minutes later. While we were waiting, numerous Navy and Airforce jets & trainers made use of the hospitality of the Meridian FBO. Wow, we lucked into another fabulous stop. Hot Dogs, Ice Cream cones, drinks, pop-corn, and a very welcoming staff. I wanted to spend the night in their plush pilot snooze room; but, Texas was calling.
We got the luggage (ha, ha) stored, Kenzie traded places with Beth, and once again, it was a pleasure to work with the tower to obtain our clearance upon departure. Kenzie and I were not sure how far we would fly during the afternoon bumps. I asked Ms. K if she wanted to go high and find smooth air or stay low, keep warm, and endure the bumps. Kenzie said: let's stay low so that we can watch the scenery.
Mostly what we saw were thousands of acres of pine trees. Occasionally, we saw a chicken farm, a few oil wells, flying buzzards, egrets, and hawks, a few cell towers, many swamps, and more pine trees. The section of Mississippi that we flew over didn't have many towns (or airports). Probably because we were flying over areas designated as MOA(s).
We flew directly from Meridian to Natchez, Mississippi, (KHEZ) a distance of 137 nm. We stopped to take a break, learn some local history, and check out the pilot lounge @ KHEX. After topping off with fuel, I went into the planning room, took advantage of the computers, checked our route and planned for a couple more hours of flying. The people @ Natchez FBO were top notch. We enjoyed listening to a short narrative of the history of the town during the 'war of Northern aggression'. We found out that the Mississippi River was three miles away, in the direction we were flying, and that Louisiana was just across the river. I called ahead to Jasper, LA, to check on possible pilot snooze accommodations, received a warm positive reply, and told the airport manager that we were headed her way.
Once back up in the air, we made it a point to circle the town of Natchez so that K could take a couple photos of the Riverboats tied to the shore. After a couple 360 turns, we climbed out, over the 'the Big Muddy' and crossed into Louisiana airspace, better known as 'Cajun Country'. The operative word in this part of the country is: "GO Tigers"; and, you had better be wearing your purple & yellow.
Directly on our route towards Jasper is a class D airport: Alexandria (KAEX). I had had enough flying for the day, and I didn't think that we would get to Jasper in a timely fashion before their staff went home, so I made the executive decision to see what we could find in Alexandria.
Good decision!
June 11, overnight - Alexandria, LA - "Million-Air" FBO
Fellow Trike pilots: there is only one way to arrive at the "Million-Air" FBO franchise - arrive with a smile on your face and greet the linemen with the following question. 'WHO WANTS TO GO FOR A TRIKE RIDE?"
Not only did we have one line man out to place chocks @ the wheels, we had the FBO manager and a 2nd lineman getting ready to roll out a red carpet. To the left were three private jets. To the right were 4 Air Force and Navy jets and just a wee bit over to the side was an Army Helicopter. We were still sitting in the trike with three new friends shaking their heads in amazement. We couldn't tell if they were incredulous that we arrived in a Trike or if they were smiling because we had just offered a Trike ride. I think the answer is a little of both.
Jamie looked Winnie, and said: "I'm going first, you can go next."
Kenzie jumped out, Jamie climbed in the passenger seat, and I called the tower for a trip around the pattern. Once again, I think the tower folks were pleased to see a unique aircraft come into their operations area. One observation is that if a Trike pilot sounds professional on the radio and makes all the right calls, the Tower personnel are really pleased to help you out. I needed to be on top of my game because KAEX is a joint use field with GA aircraft, commercial aircraft, lots of charter jet operations, helicopters, and the Air National Guard all mixed in together.
It didn't take long to taxi to an intersection that would allow for safe operations. (I made sure to check with ground control before crossing an active runway.) I took Jamie for one trip around the circuit. The Tower had us extend our downwind so that a little Gulf-stream jet could complete his 3 mile final. We were abeam the numbers as the jet touched down. We were given our landing clearance and a caution for possible wake turbulence, but enough time had passed for a smooth touch-down. Meanwhile, down the field, I could see a C5-A on taxi. I pulled off the runway so that ground control could make the call about our path back to the FBO. As it turned out, we were requested to taxi the length of the runway so that the HUGE C5-A could get to their runway. It all worked out well, just as we exited the runway environment and switched to ground, the clearance was given to the Air Force C5-A for their takeoff; what a spectacular sight to see, sitting in a Trike, not far from the active runway!!
Once I returned Jamie to the FBO, Winnie was ready to go. Jamie and Winnie traded places, we fired up the engine once more, called ground, got our clearance for another trip around the pattern, got our taxi instructions, and off we went. At the intersection take off point, when I switched to the tower, I received an immediate "cleared for take off and my choice on the option". We lined up on the center-line of the 150' wide runway, gave it the gas, and lifted off. All I could hear through the headset was: Whoo-hoo, Whoo-hoo !! Winnie seemed to be thrilled.
Winnie and I returned to the FBO. Meanwhile, Kenzie had answered a ton of questions from the other linemen. There is absolutely nothing that can make a trike pilot more welcome at an FBO than to offer some Trike flying experience. Not only was the red carpet rolled out, we were offered hanger space, use of the courtesy car, and complete use of the FBO as a hangout for the evening. "Million-Air" FBO(s) are known as a top notch FBO operation. It seems that every staff member will not be happy unless they know that their customer is happy. We were given directions to a great restaurant, and we were given two coupons for a $10.00 discount on our meals.
After a wonderful dinner, overlooking the lake (filled with turtles), we returned to Million-Air to inspect our 'snooze rooms', take showers, and use the computers. While this paragraph is being composed, the smell of fresh cooked pop-corn is wafting down the hall.
Not only did we have one line man out to place chocks @ the wheels, we had the FBO manager and a 2nd lineman getting ready to roll out a red carpet. To the left were three private jets. To the right were 4 Air Force and Navy jets and just a wee bit over to the side was an Army Helicopter. We were still sitting in the trike with three new friends shaking their heads in amazement. We couldn't tell if they were incredulous that we arrived in a Trike or if they were smiling because we had just offered a Trike ride. I think the answer is a little of both.
Jamie looked Winnie, and said: "I'm going first, you can go next."
Kenzie jumped out, Jamie climbed in the passenger seat, and I called the tower for a trip around the pattern. Once again, I think the tower folks were pleased to see a unique aircraft come into their operations area. One observation is that if a Trike pilot sounds professional on the radio and makes all the right calls, the Tower personnel are really pleased to help you out. I needed to be on top of my game because KAEX is a joint use field with GA aircraft, commercial aircraft, lots of charter jet operations, helicopters, and the Air National Guard all mixed in together.
It didn't take long to taxi to an intersection that would allow for safe operations. (I made sure to check with ground control before crossing an active runway.) I took Jamie for one trip around the circuit. The Tower had us extend our downwind so that a little Gulf-stream jet could complete his 3 mile final. We were abeam the numbers as the jet touched down. We were given our landing clearance and a caution for possible wake turbulence, but enough time had passed for a smooth touch-down. Meanwhile, down the field, I could see a C5-A on taxi. I pulled off the runway so that ground control could make the call about our path back to the FBO. As it turned out, we were requested to taxi the length of the runway so that the HUGE C5-A could get to their runway. It all worked out well, just as we exited the runway environment and switched to ground, the clearance was given to the Air Force C5-A for their takeoff; what a spectacular sight to see, sitting in a Trike, not far from the active runway!!
Once I returned Jamie to the FBO, Winnie was ready to go. Jamie and Winnie traded places, we fired up the engine once more, called ground, got our clearance for another trip around the pattern, got our taxi instructions, and off we went. At the intersection take off point, when I switched to the tower, I received an immediate "cleared for take off and my choice on the option". We lined up on the center-line of the 150' wide runway, gave it the gas, and lifted off. All I could hear through the headset was: Whoo-hoo, Whoo-hoo !! Winnie seemed to be thrilled.
Winnie and I returned to the FBO. Meanwhile, Kenzie had answered a ton of questions from the other linemen. There is absolutely nothing that can make a trike pilot more welcome at an FBO than to offer some Trike flying experience. Not only was the red carpet rolled out, we were offered hanger space, use of the courtesy car, and complete use of the FBO as a hangout for the evening. "Million-Air" FBO(s) are known as a top notch FBO operation. It seems that every staff member will not be happy unless they know that their customer is happy. We were given directions to a great restaurant, and we were given two coupons for a $10.00 discount on our meals.
After a wonderful dinner, overlooking the lake (filled with turtles), we returned to Million-Air to inspect our 'snooze rooms', take showers, and use the computers. While this paragraph is being composed, the smell of fresh cooked pop-corn is wafting down the hall.
Dinner @ Tucks restaurant, Alexandria, LA, on Lake Kincaid
Wednesday, June 12
5:15 AM
Up before dawn, time to roll the trike out of the hanger for the first task of the day: rides for the curious.
Two staff members @ Millionair FBO really, really wanted to go up yesterday, but we had already shut down for the day. I promised that if they would show up @ 6 am, weather permitting, a trip around the pattern was a done deal. Later, at dinner, we were offered 'fried pickles' by the folks sitting at the table next to us. That certainly started a conversation, mostly aimed at whether the turtles would eat 'fried pickles' (they would). One thing lead to another and eventually, another potential passenger volunteered to show up at 6:30 for a flight. Looks like Kenzie and I will not get underway towards Texas until later in the morning.
More to come.
Up before dawn, time to roll the trike out of the hanger for the first task of the day: rides for the curious.
Two staff members @ Millionair FBO really, really wanted to go up yesterday, but we had already shut down for the day. I promised that if they would show up @ 6 am, weather permitting, a trip around the pattern was a done deal. Later, at dinner, we were offered 'fried pickles' by the folks sitting at the table next to us. That certainly started a conversation, mostly aimed at whether the turtles would eat 'fried pickles' (they would). One thing lead to another and eventually, another potential passenger volunteered to show up at 6:30 for a flight. Looks like Kenzie and I will not get underway towards Texas until later in the morning.
More to come.
Catching up with the events of Wednesday, June 12, (a day after the fact)
Back to Wednesday, June 12; departing from Alexandria, LA.
Sometimes life doesn't work out exactly according to plan. I waited for the two passengers who promised that they would arrive at 6 am for a trike flight, but neither one showed up. Thankfully, Kenzie was awake, packed, and ready for flight @ 6:30. I had just made a request for the fuel truck, so I sent Kenzie back into the FBO so that she could eat her breakfast. 15 minutes later, we were ready for taxi instructions from the tower. Once again, I must compliment Million Air, Alexandria, LA, for their wonderful hospttality.
The tower was prompt with a clearance for take off, and we were on our way towards Texas.
I asked Kenzie if she wanted to fly high where the air would be smooth (but cold) or stay low and deal with the bumps. She elected to stay where it was warmer and where she could see more of the countryside. Lousiana is FLAT, at least where we were flying. We had a broken ceiling with thin clouds at 2,400', and in the early going of the morning, the air was fairly calm. We were headed to Jasper, Texas for our first fuel stop of the day.
Sometimes life doesn't work out exactly according to plan. I waited for the two passengers who promised that they would arrive at 6 am for a trike flight, but neither one showed up. Thankfully, Kenzie was awake, packed, and ready for flight @ 6:30. I had just made a request for the fuel truck, so I sent Kenzie back into the FBO so that she could eat her breakfast. 15 minutes later, we were ready for taxi instructions from the tower. Once again, I must compliment Million Air, Alexandria, LA, for their wonderful hospttality.
The tower was prompt with a clearance for take off, and we were on our way towards Texas.
I asked Kenzie if she wanted to fly high where the air would be smooth (but cold) or stay low and deal with the bumps. She elected to stay where it was warmer and where she could see more of the countryside. Lousiana is FLAT, at least where we were flying. We had a broken ceiling with thin clouds at 2,400', and in the early going of the morning, the air was fairly calm. We were headed to Jasper, Texas for our first fuel stop of the day.
Mid Morning Fuel stop: Jasper, Texas. The 'line-dogs' come out to greet visiting pilots.
The folks @ Jasper airport FOB were very helpful. One dog came out to help with the refueling and a second dog was waiting in the FBO office, ready to show us his tricks. We took enough time to learn a little history about Jasper and how things were going at the FBO. I really think that we were hanging around so that we could help to deplete the Chocolate-Chip cookie supply. We got plenty of help in that department from the two dogs who were eager to perform time & time again.
Brenham, Texas: 11R Lunch Stop, fuel stop
Shortly thereafter, we loaded up for a departure towards our lunch stop @ Brenham, Texas, identifier: 11R. Brenham is well known throughout Texas as a $250 hamburger stop. The FBO @ 11R operates a classic 'diner' style restaurant with the servers wearing 'hoop' skirts and peddle pushers. There is an antique 'juke-box' with a control station at every table. The food is great and fairly priced. They have a nice pilot gift shop available and a pilot lounge with an old fashioned computer (that does have internet capabilities). After lunch, we planned to take a short break, stretch our legs, walk around a bit, and get back in the air
after an hour's interlude. Until I managed to bring up the latest radar images on aviationweather.gov
It didn't look good, but it didn't look all that bad. Texas is well known for late afternoon 'pop-up' thunderstorms. There was one cell, clearly formed, just south of our intended track towards our final destination and a second well developed cell well south of our track, but coming our way.
I put the radar into motion, studied the track of the cells, and consulted with Kenzie. It appeared that over the 45 minutes that we tracked
the two cells, the first cell, further towards our destination was dissipating and that the cell closer to where we had stopped for lunch was stalled out. Kenzie and I decided that if we could make a hasty departure, we would be able to easily fly by the closest cell, and that by the time we got to where the 2nd cell was dissipating, we would be in the clear. Meanwhile, an Army helicopter flew into the field and sort of blocked the exit from the tie-down area. By the time we cleared the chocks, untied the ropes, loaded up, cranked up, programmed the GPS for the fuel we took on and for our destination, the Army guys had moved out of the way.
We blasted off in the middle of the heat of the day, in rowdy conditions , headed towards our final destination, KBAZ, some 100 miles to the
SouthWest.
The flight was bouncy, as expected, in the late afternoon Texas heat. Kenzie seemed content to accept the bumps so long as she kept warm. I kept looking for the expected rain cells, praying that we could get through fast enough before Mother Nature caught up with us.
The first cell, about 50 miles south of our lunch stop was coming our way, but we were flying @ 90 mph towards our destination. I felt that we could out manouver the approaching rain cell, except for the 32 mph headwind. Our ground speed was only 58 mph. However, we were making progress, and our final destination was less than two hours away.
I gained more confidence that we could easily clear the first cell, but just as you start to feel good, reality was facing us about 80 miles into the distance. It was clear that we would easily skirt the 2nd rain cell that we had seen on the weather radar while sitting in the FBO some 40 minutes prior; but looming in the distance, was a spectacular cumulonimbus cloud that was well formed and seemed to grow and grow and grow, higher and higher. The question in my mind was: 'when is this thing going to explode?' The cell was slightly south of our track and did not seem to be moving.
However, it appeared that the cell was sitting about 10 miles south of our intended destination. It was impossible to tell if the cell would mature and dump tons of rain and be accompanied with strong gusty winds before we arrived at our destination, or would we be able to sneak by just in the nick of time. For 70 miles, I kept watching the cell get bigger and bigger. As the miles slipped by, there was one thing on my
mind: what was my exit strategy?
I was well aware of the number of possible airports along our intended track as well as airports that lied in a direction that gave us an out. I constantly felt that at any moment, I would need to make an immediate decision that being on the ground was the prudent manouver, and that staying in the air was a bad case of 'get-there-itis-. However, as we kept our speed well into the 90 mph range, the time and distance to our final destination was quickly ticking down.
Then, off in the distance, it was clear that the rain was falling, but still, well to the side of our track. 15 minutes to our destination, 13 minutes to our destination, 11 minutes to our destination, add gas, pull the bar in, increase the speed to 100 mph, 10 minutes to go, and rain-drops started to hit the windshield. New Braunfels airport was in sight, but HEAVY rain was less that 1/2 mile away. I was very surprised that we were not experiencing gusty winds. The storm cell seemed to be headed our way. I looked at the GPS, saw that there were 3 private air fields depicted that were within a mile away. The closest field was 1/4 mile in front of us, about 300 yards off our flight path. I was already at pattern altitude with the ASOS for KBAZ blasting in the radio when I pulled the trigger.
I let off the fuel, pulled the bar in, added in a turn to the left to line up with the narrow runway, and made an immediate landing. Just as we rolled to a stop, in front of a very large hanger, the rain started falling in earnest.
We landed at San Marcos Sky Diving center. Kenzie and I quickly exited the REVO, we ran to the hanger, looking and calling out for anyone who was at home. We managed to find a couple open doors, but San Marcos Sky Diving center is a large operation, and on a Wednesday afternoon, with building thunderstorms, not much was happening.
I told Kenzie to call the telephone number for the Sky Diving operation and tell anyone who answered that we were in front of the hanger. Meanwhile, I found an open walk in door to the hanger, stepped inside the dark cavern, and felt around for a light switch. What I found, before finding the lights was the operations center for the hydraulic hanger door mechanism. As my eyes started to adjust to the ambient light, I saw that there were two HUGE airplanes in the hanger; but that there was plenty of open space for the trike, if I could manage to get the hanger door open. Thankfully, the electric box lock was left hanging open, and with the power switch thrown, when I hit the "open" button, the hanger door started to respond.
Meanwhile, Kenzie had a person on the phone and was explaining what was going on. As she was talking, and as the hanger door was opening, two people were walking our way from another door in the far back corner of the hanger. By the time they got to us, I was wheeling the trike under the door into the vacant spot beside one of the 'jump' planes.
The staff and owner of San Marcos Sky Dive were fantastic. They welcomed us with open arms and did not hesitate to agree that landing at a private field to escape a thunderstorm was a prudent decision. They had no problem that we resorted to 'self-help' and after we manouvered the trike to a secure safe parking spot, they invited us to their break room to re-cooperate from the excitement. Before long, we had met most of the staff that were on hand on a slow day @ San Marcos Sky Dive. We were assured that come Thursday and Friday, the place would be jammed with people who were eager to jump out of a perfectly good airplane and put their faith in the hands of a rigger and God.
Kenzie and I called our respective family members and friends to let them know that we were safe, but 10 miles from our final stop. Our hosts in New Braunsfels were expecting us to arrive at KBAZ @ 4 pm. Thankfully, we were safe on the ground @ 3:30, so we were able to make calls long before our friends would have started to get worried. Not long thereafter, my good friend, Bill McKinnon, better known as "Tex" arrived in his pick-up to take us to his ranch where his bride, Debbie was waiting.
The plan was to leave the trike in the Sky Dive hanger for the night and come to get it Thursday morning. Meanwhile, after a few phone calls, we found that Craig Valentine was in an FBO at the San Marcos International Airport, about 13 miles northwest of New Braunfels, waiting to find out where Kenzie and I to call. Craig had a rental vehicle at his disposal and his P&M QuicR was in the hanger at the San Marcos airport.
30 minutes later, we were all sitting in Tex & Debbie's elegantly restored 100 year old home, sipping on frozen Margaritas and regaling each other with the events of the day. Calls were placed to loved ones back home as the adrenaline started to subside.
Finally, the idea that was hatched 9 months prior, while in Bandon, Oregon, had finally come to fruition. Thanks to good equipment (REVO and P&M trikes), thanks to the weather Gods, thanks to caring family members, thanks to good timing and lots of planning, the first chapter of the Great Summer Trike Adventure was coming to an end and the 2nd chapter was ready to begin.
It didn't look good, but it didn't look all that bad. Texas is well known for late afternoon 'pop-up' thunderstorms. There was one cell, clearly formed, just south of our intended track towards our final destination and a second well developed cell well south of our track, but coming our way.
I put the radar into motion, studied the track of the cells, and consulted with Kenzie. It appeared that over the 45 minutes that we tracked
the two cells, the first cell, further towards our destination was dissipating and that the cell closer to where we had stopped for lunch was stalled out. Kenzie and I decided that if we could make a hasty departure, we would be able to easily fly by the closest cell, and that by the time we got to where the 2nd cell was dissipating, we would be in the clear. Meanwhile, an Army helicopter flew into the field and sort of blocked the exit from the tie-down area. By the time we cleared the chocks, untied the ropes, loaded up, cranked up, programmed the GPS for the fuel we took on and for our destination, the Army guys had moved out of the way.
We blasted off in the middle of the heat of the day, in rowdy conditions , headed towards our final destination, KBAZ, some 100 miles to the
SouthWest.
The flight was bouncy, as expected, in the late afternoon Texas heat. Kenzie seemed content to accept the bumps so long as she kept warm. I kept looking for the expected rain cells, praying that we could get through fast enough before Mother Nature caught up with us.
The first cell, about 50 miles south of our lunch stop was coming our way, but we were flying @ 90 mph towards our destination. I felt that we could out manouver the approaching rain cell, except for the 32 mph headwind. Our ground speed was only 58 mph. However, we were making progress, and our final destination was less than two hours away.
I gained more confidence that we could easily clear the first cell, but just as you start to feel good, reality was facing us about 80 miles into the distance. It was clear that we would easily skirt the 2nd rain cell that we had seen on the weather radar while sitting in the FBO some 40 minutes prior; but looming in the distance, was a spectacular cumulonimbus cloud that was well formed and seemed to grow and grow and grow, higher and higher. The question in my mind was: 'when is this thing going to explode?' The cell was slightly south of our track and did not seem to be moving.
However, it appeared that the cell was sitting about 10 miles south of our intended destination. It was impossible to tell if the cell would mature and dump tons of rain and be accompanied with strong gusty winds before we arrived at our destination, or would we be able to sneak by just in the nick of time. For 70 miles, I kept watching the cell get bigger and bigger. As the miles slipped by, there was one thing on my
mind: what was my exit strategy?
I was well aware of the number of possible airports along our intended track as well as airports that lied in a direction that gave us an out. I constantly felt that at any moment, I would need to make an immediate decision that being on the ground was the prudent manouver, and that staying in the air was a bad case of 'get-there-itis-. However, as we kept our speed well into the 90 mph range, the time and distance to our final destination was quickly ticking down.
Then, off in the distance, it was clear that the rain was falling, but still, well to the side of our track. 15 minutes to our destination, 13 minutes to our destination, 11 minutes to our destination, add gas, pull the bar in, increase the speed to 100 mph, 10 minutes to go, and rain-drops started to hit the windshield. New Braunfels airport was in sight, but HEAVY rain was less that 1/2 mile away. I was very surprised that we were not experiencing gusty winds. The storm cell seemed to be headed our way. I looked at the GPS, saw that there were 3 private air fields depicted that were within a mile away. The closest field was 1/4 mile in front of us, about 300 yards off our flight path. I was already at pattern altitude with the ASOS for KBAZ blasting in the radio when I pulled the trigger.
I let off the fuel, pulled the bar in, added in a turn to the left to line up with the narrow runway, and made an immediate landing. Just as we rolled to a stop, in front of a very large hanger, the rain started falling in earnest.
We landed at San Marcos Sky Diving center. Kenzie and I quickly exited the REVO, we ran to the hanger, looking and calling out for anyone who was at home. We managed to find a couple open doors, but San Marcos Sky Diving center is a large operation, and on a Wednesday afternoon, with building thunderstorms, not much was happening.
I told Kenzie to call the telephone number for the Sky Diving operation and tell anyone who answered that we were in front of the hanger. Meanwhile, I found an open walk in door to the hanger, stepped inside the dark cavern, and felt around for a light switch. What I found, before finding the lights was the operations center for the hydraulic hanger door mechanism. As my eyes started to adjust to the ambient light, I saw that there were two HUGE airplanes in the hanger; but that there was plenty of open space for the trike, if I could manage to get the hanger door open. Thankfully, the electric box lock was left hanging open, and with the power switch thrown, when I hit the "open" button, the hanger door started to respond.
Meanwhile, Kenzie had a person on the phone and was explaining what was going on. As she was talking, and as the hanger door was opening, two people were walking our way from another door in the far back corner of the hanger. By the time they got to us, I was wheeling the trike under the door into the vacant spot beside one of the 'jump' planes.
The staff and owner of San Marcos Sky Dive were fantastic. They welcomed us with open arms and did not hesitate to agree that landing at a private field to escape a thunderstorm was a prudent decision. They had no problem that we resorted to 'self-help' and after we manouvered the trike to a secure safe parking spot, they invited us to their break room to re-cooperate from the excitement. Before long, we had met most of the staff that were on hand on a slow day @ San Marcos Sky Dive. We were assured that come Thursday and Friday, the place would be jammed with people who were eager to jump out of a perfectly good airplane and put their faith in the hands of a rigger and God.
Kenzie and I called our respective family members and friends to let them know that we were safe, but 10 miles from our final stop. Our hosts in New Braunsfels were expecting us to arrive at KBAZ @ 4 pm. Thankfully, we were safe on the ground @ 3:30, so we were able to make calls long before our friends would have started to get worried. Not long thereafter, my good friend, Bill McKinnon, better known as "Tex" arrived in his pick-up to take us to his ranch where his bride, Debbie was waiting.
The plan was to leave the trike in the Sky Dive hanger for the night and come to get it Thursday morning. Meanwhile, after a few phone calls, we found that Craig Valentine was in an FBO at the San Marcos International Airport, about 13 miles northwest of New Braunfels, waiting to find out where Kenzie and I to call. Craig had a rental vehicle at his disposal and his P&M QuicR was in the hanger at the San Marcos airport.
30 minutes later, we were all sitting in Tex & Debbie's elegantly restored 100 year old home, sipping on frozen Margaritas and regaling each other with the events of the day. Calls were placed to loved ones back home as the adrenaline started to subside.
Finally, the idea that was hatched 9 months prior, while in Bandon, Oregon, had finally come to fruition. Thanks to good equipment (REVO and P&M trikes), thanks to the weather Gods, thanks to caring family members, thanks to good timing and lots of planning, the first chapter of the Great Summer Trike Adventure was coming to an end and the 2nd chapter was ready to begin.
Photos of San Marcos Sky Dive staff, family & friends
Thursday, June 13, Re-location day: San Marcos Sky Dive to San Marcos airport
Craig's trike was in the hanger @ San Marcos Airport, John's trike was at the Sky Dive center, 28 miles, by road, from our host's ranch in New Braunfels. We thought that the best plan would be for John to fly his trike to San Marcos airport and share the hanger with Craig. Tex McKinnon's friend, Mike, went along for the ride.
When we arrived at San Marcos airport, part of the staff @ Skyport came out to greet us. We promised trike rides to take place later in the week.
When we arrived at San Marcos airport, part of the staff @ Skyport came out to greet us. We promised trike rides to take place later in the week.
Friday, June 14: oil change for both trikes. Take FBO staff flying.
Craig and I got up early, went to O'Rileys auto parts store to purchase the required semi-synthetic oil and headed up the road to San Marcos Airport. Chris Peters, the head lineman got us hooked up with their maintenance guys so that we could accomplish an oil & oil filter change on both trikes. Afterwards, Craig acted as the booking agent and photographer for SkyPort FBO staff members who wanted a trike flight. We sure appreciate all the support that SkyPort has provided and were happy to see more smiles on faces after a double trip around the pattern. Unfortunately, we didn't get to take all the staff flying; someone needed to attend to the other customers at this Top Notch flying facility.
I am so happy that we are temporarily based here; SkyPort is home of the Red-Bird simulator flying school test facility. The home office is up in Austin, Texas. Craig and I plan to head over to see the simulators in action here in San Marcos.
I am so happy that we are temporarily based here; SkyPort is home of the Red-Bird simulator flying school test facility. The home office is up in Austin, Texas. Craig and I plan to head over to see the simulators in action here in San Marcos.
Saturday & Sunday: tourist time! New Braunfels and Gruene, Texas
The first item on the agenda for Saturday morning was a very special treat for me. Tex was invited to speak before the Men's breakfast group at his brother, Ted's, Church. I have been fortunate enough to hear Tex speak once before, so I was eager to hear him once again. Mind you, Tex and I practice law in Williamsburg, Virginia, and I have heard Tex speak many times in the court room. But what many people do not know is that Tex is an accomplished Thespian and once won an award at the best actor in Texas. Tex has participated in numerous plays while in high school, college, and beyond. Getting up early was well worth the effort; Tex nailed his talk and had many admiring hands slapping him on the back after he finished. Even his brother, Ted, seemed to get a kick out of the talk, even though some of the jabs were descriptive of a loving sibling rivalry. I hope that I'll be around to hear Tex the next time that he is invited to give a talk.
A visit to 'Bucky's'
No words can describe 'Bucky's'; a personal visit is a must. We were told that Bucky's is a 7-11 on Steroids, 90 gas pumps, 25 yards of BBQ sauces, toys, hunting gear, candy, food, drinks, beach-wear, boats, electronic gear, lotto tickets, etc. The place is the size of Wal-Mart.
New Braunfels "Triple-Play"
When Kenzie and I were in Tuscaloosa and while in Alexandria, Louisiana, we spoke with dozens of service members, Air Force, Navy, Army, Reservists, and the National Guard. Time after time, we heard all about the "New Braunfels Triple Play". Upon arrival at Tex & Debbie's house, the 'triple-play' was on our minds. Basically, the three items to be crossed off are: an inner-tube float trip on one of the rivers passing through town, dancing the Texas 2-step in Gruene Hall, and eating at the Grist Mill.
Tex and Debbie, being the gracious hosts, have lots of patience with their many out of town visitors. They have the routine down to a science. Tex & Deb know the right company for tubing down the river and just how long it will take. In addition, they have the right equipment for their guests. We will have more to say about our afternoon float trip when the photos are developed. Stay tuned.
Tex and Debbie, being the gracious hosts, have lots of patience with their many out of town visitors. They have the routine down to a science. Tex & Deb know the right company for tubing down the river and just how long it will take. In addition, they have the right equipment for their guests. We will have more to say about our afternoon float trip when the photos are developed. Stay tuned.
Leg 2 and 3 of the New Braunfels 'Triple-play'
Gruene is the name of a small town in Texas that has been around for centuries. The Guadeloupe River had just enough of a drop for a Grist Mill that was founded to process the grain crops of the local farmers and ranchers. Over the years, as the need for the mill declined, so did the town. However, the dance hall continued to provide locals the opportunity to take an evening out for socializing and listening to many of the finest touring musicians of the day. Gruene Hall continues to operate bringing in locals and tourists alike.
I didn't catch the entire story, and nor did I read all the newspaper articles about the 're-birth' of the area; however, an entrepreneur had the foresight to purchase the dance hall, establish the old hardware store, open some gift shops, cater to local artists, and start a fabulous restaurant - The Grist Mill.
I didn't catch the entire story, and nor did I read all the newspaper articles about the 're-birth' of the area; however, an entrepreneur had the foresight to purchase the dance hall, establish the old hardware store, open some gift shops, cater to local artists, and start a fabulous restaurant - The Grist Mill.
Saturday night, we drove over to Gruene, about 4 miles west of Tex & Debbie's ranch. Dinner at the Grist Mill was outstanding. The onion rings were the best I've ever had. Our order is the 'small' size; there is a 'Texas' size platter of onion rings available.
Kenzie and Deb enjoyed a Margarita (as did John & Craig). For those in the know, there is a remarkable resemblance between Kenzie's mom, Jo-Jo and Debbie.
After dinner, we walked over to the dance hall. The first band of the night were going through a sound check, and shortly thereafter, the music got underway. And in Texas, when there is live music, the dancing will soon follow. We all enjoyed the first band and it was clear that many of the guests approved by getting up to dance.
When the 2nd band of the evening started into their set, Tex & Deb hit the dance floor. Not long thereafter, Craig got Kenzie out on the floor for a couple of songs. After a break, Craig traded partners and he took Debbie out for another spin around the growing crowd of dancers. It was interesting to watch people of all ages dancing to the music. I think that the youngest was probably 4 years old and it went up from there. There were many dance styles on display, and it was easy to pick out those who knew what they were doing (Tex, Deb, Craig and Kenzie). Craig seemed to be a natural instructor and leader on the floor. He guided Kenzie to the side for a very quick explanation of a few moves and they returned to the center once more. WOW, it was fantastic to watch the two twirl, swirl and two-step their way through the crowd.
We eventually called it a night and drove back to the ranch for a good night's sleep.
Kenzie and Deb enjoyed a Margarita (as did John & Craig). For those in the know, there is a remarkable resemblance between Kenzie's mom, Jo-Jo and Debbie.
After dinner, we walked over to the dance hall. The first band of the night were going through a sound check, and shortly thereafter, the music got underway. And in Texas, when there is live music, the dancing will soon follow. We all enjoyed the first band and it was clear that many of the guests approved by getting up to dance.
When the 2nd band of the evening started into their set, Tex & Deb hit the dance floor. Not long thereafter, Craig got Kenzie out on the floor for a couple of songs. After a break, Craig traded partners and he took Debbie out for another spin around the growing crowd of dancers. It was interesting to watch people of all ages dancing to the music. I think that the youngest was probably 4 years old and it went up from there. There were many dance styles on display, and it was easy to pick out those who knew what they were doing (Tex, Deb, Craig and Kenzie). Craig seemed to be a natural instructor and leader on the floor. He guided Kenzie to the side for a very quick explanation of a few moves and they returned to the center once more. WOW, it was fantastic to watch the two twirl, swirl and two-step their way through the crowd.
We eventually called it a night and drove back to the ranch for a good night's sleep.
Sunday, Father's Day
New Braunfels is chock full of interesting shops, antique stores, an old hardware store, Henne Hardware (from 1857), a suburb German bakery, a great butcher shop with many German sausages & smoked meats, a farmer's market, a German Beer Fest center, and all the modern conveniences of life. The town is just off I-35, about 35 miles north-east of San Antonio and 50 miles south-west of Austin. About 12 miles up the road lies the town of San Marcos, home of Texas State University (~35,000) students.
June 16 became a day of tears for me. Today is the day that Kenzie selected two months ago to exit from the trike adventure and move on with her summer plans. Kenzie has a summer job in New Hampshire, teaching and mentoring special needs children of various ages. The exclusive camp does not start until late June, and while flying around Texas in a Trike might be fun for weeks and weeks, Kenzie needed to pay a visit to her mom & sister. With great regret, Craig and I drove Kenzie up to Austin to catch her out-bound commercial flight. We drove up early enough to take in some of the local flavor. We took a brief walk down by the river and up through the 6th street district. The Capital building was within a few blocks, so we went over to see the sculptures and tour the building. Before we knew it, it was time to say our 'good-byes'. Kenzie was on her way to the next chapter of her summer activities. Craig and I were soon on the road, headed back to the San Marcos airport where our trikes are hangered.
The afternoon plan was for Tex and his brother, Ted, to meet us at KHYI for a trike ride tour of Texas State University. We met at the SkyPort FBO offices, home of RedBird flight school and RedBird Simulators. The Simulators are being sold across the country and across the world. This location is the incubator for the new wave of pilot training. We had the pleasure of meeting the Chief Flight Instructor a couple days ago and were very impressed with the technology.
Tex and Ted made their arrival, we double checked the weather (a good look outside was sufficient), pulled the REVO out, and took the brother's up for their ride.
The afternoon plan was for Tex and his brother, Ted, to meet us at KHYI for a trike ride tour of Texas State University. We met at the SkyPort FBO offices, home of RedBird flight school and RedBird Simulators. The Simulators are being sold across the country and across the world. This location is the incubator for the new wave of pilot training. We had the pleasure of meeting the Chief Flight Instructor a couple days ago and were very impressed with the technology.
Tex and Ted made their arrival, we double checked the weather (a good look outside was sufficient), pulled the REVO out, and took the brother's up for their ride.
Tomorrow begins phase 2 of the Great Summer Trike Adventure. So far as we know, we are planning to head towards the Corpus Christi and then start working our way to Houston where Craig has business to attend to. After that, the grand plan is to work our way to Tuscaloosa, Atlanta, and Glasgow, Kentucky. We put out a notice on Trikepilot.com that if other trike pilots are interested in flying with us for a day or two, to please let us know.
More to come.
More to come.
Most anyone can fly a trike ... ... ... .. . BUT:
This is what "having NO FEAR means in Texas -
Monday, June 17: Departed San Marcos airport headed towards Galveston, Texas (KGLS)
I found it very strange that Kenzie was no longer flying with me. Craig and I said farewell to our wonderful hosts, Tex & Debbie, headed to the planes that were hangered in the San Marcos Airport, loaded up our gear, paid our bills, and talked with the tower to get our exit clearance. Flying conditions were expected to be a little bumpy with the scattered cloud layer hovering at about 3,500'. The clouds were fairly high, so Craig elected to fly circles around me while I plodded along towards Galveston. There is no question that the P&M QuicR is a lot faster than the REVO. Perhaps I need a different wing.
We skirted a couple of localized showers as we flew below the outer shelf of the Houston airspace. The tower guys at KGLS were wonderful. We even got a compliment on our landings. We taxied to the FBO, knowing that we had hanger space available. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to sleep in the FBO office. (Different strokes for different operators). Tonight will be the first night that I've had to pay for a hotel room. Looks like we will move on tomorrow morning. On the other hand, we must emphasize that we do appreciate this FBO and will recommend dropping in to other pilots. We were given use of a crew car. Craig had some business to attend to in the Houston area, so the car is extremely appreciated, and we will return the vehicle with a full tank of gas.
A couple of the FBO employees want to go for a trike ride. We shall see who shows up @ 6:30 tomorrow morning.
We skirted a couple of localized showers as we flew below the outer shelf of the Houston airspace. The tower guys at KGLS were wonderful. We even got a compliment on our landings. We taxied to the FBO, knowing that we had hanger space available. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to sleep in the FBO office. (Different strokes for different operators). Tonight will be the first night that I've had to pay for a hotel room. Looks like we will move on tomorrow morning. On the other hand, we must emphasize that we do appreciate this FBO and will recommend dropping in to other pilots. We were given use of a crew car. Craig had some business to attend to in the Houston area, so the car is extremely appreciated, and we will return the vehicle with a full tank of gas.
A couple of the FBO employees want to go for a trike ride. We shall see who shows up @ 6:30 tomorrow morning.
Tuesday, June 18; Galveston, Texas
We enjoyed a nice dinner at a Cajun / Seafood local hot spot. I shared a platter of 'mud-bugs' with Craig. After dinner, it was off to Motel 6 for what turned out to be a really good night's sleep.
The FBO suggested that if we could return the vehicle by 6:30, it would be greatly appreciated, so we did. This time, we had 4 people waiting for a trike ride. By the time we finished, a couple more people showed up; photos below.
The FBO suggested that if we could return the vehicle by 6:30, it would be greatly appreciated, so we did. This time, we had 4 people waiting for a trike ride. By the time we finished, a couple more people showed up; photos below.
The tower guys @ KGLS were wonderful. I guess that they don't see too many trikes visit their airport. We paid them a visit yesterday evening to let them know that we would be taking passengers up this morning. Once we gave them an initial call, @ 6:30, with our first passenger, they were ready for us. Meanwhile, we had plenty of helicopter traffic moving in & out of the field. There are three major helicopter transport companies on the field, moving personnel out to the oil fields; made me think of a story that Kenzie's father, Tom, has told many times.
Anyway, we started taking passengers up for trike flights. Craig was the camera man and booking agent. I did all the flying. Just like in Tuscaloosa, the Tower guys seemed to enjoy the show. I think that I quickly demonstrated that trike pilots are proficient with radio calls and when piloting the plane. After the third passenger, I asked the tower if they wanted a tower fly by, up close? The reply was: bring it on. I heard a lot of nice comments over the radio.
Finally, after a couple hours, we were ready to get underway. Our plan was to fly down the beaches, towards Corpus Christi, about 150 miles away. The tower requested that we give them another fly-by on our way out of town. We had a slight headwind, but the day's flying was quite enjoyable. We could see off-shore oil rigs in the Gulf, and plenty of beach houses and estuary as we flew southwest. From time to time, we flew over tugs with multiple barges that were plying the inter-coastal-waterway.
We landed short of Corpus Christi, at Mustang Beach Airport, due to a TFR (Temporary Flight Restriction) zone to the east @ south of town. We later found out that Predator drones were being test flown in that area. We knew that hanger space was probably unavailable, and that was the case. A local pilot came over to ask question about the trikes, and then started to sell Craig some real-estate. We suggested that if he had pulled out his twin engine plane from his hanger and give us use of the place, we might have purchased an ocean-front lot. I guess he didn't realize what was really important on our agenda. We discussed which of the near-by airports would suit our fancy. Craig started calling to inquire about hanger space and we kept striking out. We were aware that fuel at the beach airport was $1 higher per gallon, so a quick 8 mile hop across the bay to McCampbell airport was in order. The FBO manager said that he could fit one trike into the hanger, but not both trikes. We studied our options on www.skyvector.com, and decided to fly up to Victoria Regional Airport, about 59 miles to the North. We had a nice tail wind coming off the beach, so it would not take long to get to KVCT. Oops, we spoke too soon.
We took off, got up to a comfortable altitude, connected on the VHF radio, and soon thereafter, Craig gave me a call: "I just had a puff of smoke come out from under the cockpit".
That was just enough to have me punching the "NEAREST" button on my GPS. We had a nice size airport about 6 miles to the right of our course. We changed directions, announced our intentions on the radio, and made a bee-line for the runway. Minutes later, we were safely on the ground. Craig inspected the problem and deduced that a capacitor had failed. He wheeled his trike into a maintenance hanger where he encountered our first Texan who was less than pleasant. In fact, the local A&P seemed almost rude. I later found out that the guy was a great mechanic, but didn't deal well with people. Oh well, so much for the state motto of Texas: The Friendly State.
Thankfully, when Craig called "Lockwood" the premier East Coast Rotax center, he spoke with a guy who really knew his stuff. As this is being composed, the part is being over-nighted to our current location. We are told that we should expect a 10 am delivery. The capacitor is an easy part to swap out. If all goes well, we should be on our way up towards Houston tomorrow afternoon.
Meanwhile, the airport 'office' is a county facility that closes @ 5:30 pm. We spoke with the very friendly airport manager about where we could find dinner and if we could spend the night in the airport. The reply was: 'across the hall is a pilot lounge; but, officially, no one can spend the night.' We had a nice discussion about the possibility of a sheriff dropping by @ 11 pm. I said: no problem, we landed, had an emergency, and used the code to get into the pilot sleep room. The airport manager gave me a wink and a nod and said: you are on your own.
So, we have a couple couches, two lazy-boy recliners, a TV, internet service, an ice machine, a shower, and dinner is on the way from Domino Pizza. Actually, my kind of a night. I hate paying for hangers and hotel rooms.
Anyway, we started taking passengers up for trike flights. Craig was the camera man and booking agent. I did all the flying. Just like in Tuscaloosa, the Tower guys seemed to enjoy the show. I think that I quickly demonstrated that trike pilots are proficient with radio calls and when piloting the plane. After the third passenger, I asked the tower if they wanted a tower fly by, up close? The reply was: bring it on. I heard a lot of nice comments over the radio.
Finally, after a couple hours, we were ready to get underway. Our plan was to fly down the beaches, towards Corpus Christi, about 150 miles away. The tower requested that we give them another fly-by on our way out of town. We had a slight headwind, but the day's flying was quite enjoyable. We could see off-shore oil rigs in the Gulf, and plenty of beach houses and estuary as we flew southwest. From time to time, we flew over tugs with multiple barges that were plying the inter-coastal-waterway.
We landed short of Corpus Christi, at Mustang Beach Airport, due to a TFR (Temporary Flight Restriction) zone to the east @ south of town. We later found out that Predator drones were being test flown in that area. We knew that hanger space was probably unavailable, and that was the case. A local pilot came over to ask question about the trikes, and then started to sell Craig some real-estate. We suggested that if he had pulled out his twin engine plane from his hanger and give us use of the place, we might have purchased an ocean-front lot. I guess he didn't realize what was really important on our agenda. We discussed which of the near-by airports would suit our fancy. Craig started calling to inquire about hanger space and we kept striking out. We were aware that fuel at the beach airport was $1 higher per gallon, so a quick 8 mile hop across the bay to McCampbell airport was in order. The FBO manager said that he could fit one trike into the hanger, but not both trikes. We studied our options on www.skyvector.com, and decided to fly up to Victoria Regional Airport, about 59 miles to the North. We had a nice tail wind coming off the beach, so it would not take long to get to KVCT. Oops, we spoke too soon.
We took off, got up to a comfortable altitude, connected on the VHF radio, and soon thereafter, Craig gave me a call: "I just had a puff of smoke come out from under the cockpit".
That was just enough to have me punching the "NEAREST" button on my GPS. We had a nice size airport about 6 miles to the right of our course. We changed directions, announced our intentions on the radio, and made a bee-line for the runway. Minutes later, we were safely on the ground. Craig inspected the problem and deduced that a capacitor had failed. He wheeled his trike into a maintenance hanger where he encountered our first Texan who was less than pleasant. In fact, the local A&P seemed almost rude. I later found out that the guy was a great mechanic, but didn't deal well with people. Oh well, so much for the state motto of Texas: The Friendly State.
Thankfully, when Craig called "Lockwood" the premier East Coast Rotax center, he spoke with a guy who really knew his stuff. As this is being composed, the part is being over-nighted to our current location. We are told that we should expect a 10 am delivery. The capacitor is an easy part to swap out. If all goes well, we should be on our way up towards Houston tomorrow afternoon.
Meanwhile, the airport 'office' is a county facility that closes @ 5:30 pm. We spoke with the very friendly airport manager about where we could find dinner and if we could spend the night in the airport. The reply was: 'across the hall is a pilot lounge; but, officially, no one can spend the night.' We had a nice discussion about the possibility of a sheriff dropping by @ 11 pm. I said: no problem, we landed, had an emergency, and used the code to get into the pilot sleep room. The airport manager gave me a wink and a nod and said: you are on your own.
So, we have a couple couches, two lazy-boy recliners, a TV, internet service, an ice machine, a shower, and dinner is on the way from Domino Pizza. Actually, my kind of a night. I hate paying for hangers and hotel rooms.
Wednesday, June 19. Sitting @ KRKP airport, Texas, waiting for Fed-ex delivery
Marine Aviation outlying fieldWe are watching lots of Marine Aviators practice landings at KRKP. The part we are waiting for to repair Craig's trike is on the Fed-ex truck that departed from Corpus Christi an hour ago. Who knows if this is the first or last stop of the day?
Update! The part just arrived, it's 1:45 pm. Slightly past the time we agreed that we needed to depart (1:30 pm) to safely arrive at our next stop. Plus, Craig needs time to fully test the repair, once completed. |
Patience is a key word when waiting for a Fed-ex delivery
Yippee! Fed-ex delivered the part moments ago. Unfortunately, we are past the time of day when we would feel comfortable about taking off and reaching our destination prior to the airport FBO @ KHPY closing for the day. Prudence is the better part of caution when flying light weight airplanes; and flying in the late afternoon bumps from thermals that have been building all day long would be more of a chore than pleasure.
The local airport where we are staying has a truck that can be used by visiting pilots, so in a little while, we may drive into the local community to see if we can find something other than Domino's Pizza for a late afternoon lunch/dinner.
I enjoyed taking a day off from flying, taking a nap, reading flying magazines, talking with one of the guys from the near by Marine Base, and updating this blog.
Did I previously mention why we are flying to KHPY? We want to attend the Crosby, Texas, county fair & rodeo, and take in the 9 pm performance of Colt-Ford and band. For those of you who do not know, Maxine's son plays lead guitar and sings with Colt-Ford. Some of the songs we expect to hear: "Dirt Road Anthem", "Chicken & Biscuits", "Skirts & Boots", and many more.
More later.
The local airport where we are staying has a truck that can be used by visiting pilots, so in a little while, we may drive into the local community to see if we can find something other than Domino's Pizza for a late afternoon lunch/dinner.
I enjoyed taking a day off from flying, taking a nap, reading flying magazines, talking with one of the guys from the near by Marine Base, and updating this blog.
Did I previously mention why we are flying to KHPY? We want to attend the Crosby, Texas, county fair & rodeo, and take in the 9 pm performance of Colt-Ford and band. For those of you who do not know, Maxine's son plays lead guitar and sings with Colt-Ford. Some of the songs we expect to hear: "Dirt Road Anthem", "Chicken & Biscuits", "Skirts & Boots", and many more.
More later.
Thursday, June 20, flight from Corpus Christi area (KRPK), to NW of Houston, (KHPY)
Sometimes, good luck just happens to find you when you least expect it.
Craig and I woke early, packed our stuff, and were ready for the KRKP employee to open the hanger so that we could get our trikes out and loaded for the morning's flight. The plan was to head to Texas Gulf Coast Regional airport for fuel. Craig was still getting his stuff together,
so he suggested that John take off and we meet at the airport, some 120 miles to the northeast.
I kept calling Craig on the radio from time to time, but got no response. I was tempted to return to make sure that he was not having problems; but the tail wind was enough encouragement to keep me going. If I landed and Craig didn't show up for a while, I could
use the cell phone to find out where he was.
As it turned out, Craig did get underway, passed me in the air, and landed about 15 minutes prior to my arrival. Craig had already gassed up and was talking with the KLBX lineman. Once again, trikes seemed to be a novelty for this area.
After I purchased my fuel, we were invited into the temporary FBO office to meet the staff and drink some water. This airport is growing. New runway extension, new hangers and a new terminal that is scheduled to open in two months. We found out that when they do open, the airport commission provided for a pilot sleep room, so this will be another stop for us at a future date.
Our plan was to depart for KHPY, Baytown Airport, located a wee bit to the north-east side of Houston. We skirted the Houston airspace, flew over huge cargo handling facilities just off Galveston Bay, and landed, shortly thereafter at Baytown. We previously called to make sure that we could find hanger space for the night.
The line guys were impressed to see two trikes arrive. Before long, many of the airport staff surrounded the planes, asking all the usual questions. Once we found out where we were going to park the planes, we were shown a hanger apartment, and were told that we were welcome to spend the night. We booked the airport courtesy car for the evening and then asked if anyone wanted a trike flight.
Once again, Craig was the booking agent and photographer. I took three of the KHPY staff flying. It was a blast!!
Meanwhile, the lineman told me that he had some unfortunate news: the owner of the airport said that we could not sleep in the hanger apartment. Oops! Now what?
Nancy, the front desk manager said that she would try to find us an inexpensive hotel while I continued to give trike rides. Craig was answering questions about the trikes and making friends with whom ever came by to talk.
By the time I finished up the last ride, Craig had bonded with Todd Hanson, a local pilot. Todd was showing Craig his newly purchased RV-6. What a sweet airplane!! Todd, in his previous life, was a baseball player, but when that career ended, he became a self made entrepreneur, dealing in real-estate and other businesses. Todd grew up in California, but moved to the Houston area 25 years ago, and never looked back. Todd used to teach trike flying, finally learned how to fly helicopters, and is now a fixed wing pilot.
I kept watching how Craig bonded with Todd as they talked about California, real-estate development, and flying. Before long, Todd invited the two of us to spend the night at his 'bunk-house'. In fact, the Crosby fair & rodeo was on the way to Todd's ranch.
The plan was for Todd to take us to the bunk-house, drop us off, run some errands, and later pick us up on his way back to town so that we could secure use of the airport vehicle. While enroute to the bunk-house, we found out how much we all had in common.
When we turned into the main gate for Todd's ranch, we knew that we were being treated like Royalty. Todd has a lighted full size base-ball diamond set up for his 3 boys right next to a swimming pond that had a high dive platform and a zip-line. The bunk-house is part of Todd's airplane hanger complex with one grass runway out near the road and a 2nd grass runway under construction. The bunk-house is to die for@! Thanks alot, Todd!!
We were shown around, given use of the 4-wheelers to run to the local store, and were told that the best steak house in the area was 400 yards up the road.
Needless to say, this is how I wanted this trip to unfold. In my imagination, this is what barn-storming around the country used to be. Fly in to an airport, talk with the locals, and get invited home for dinner. In fact, we have another trike pilot in North Louisiana, who found out about our trip, and he has asked us to spend time at his place tomorrow night.
That good luck I was talking about at the start of today's blog entry has truly found us.
After Todd left to run his errands, I walked out to the pond to take a swim and shoot down the zip line. What a blast! The water temperature was perfect, the zip line was fun, and a couple of dives off the platform was just what I needed. Craig took a little nap so that he would be ready for tonight's Colt-Ford concert.
Craig and I woke early, packed our stuff, and were ready for the KRKP employee to open the hanger so that we could get our trikes out and loaded for the morning's flight. The plan was to head to Texas Gulf Coast Regional airport for fuel. Craig was still getting his stuff together,
so he suggested that John take off and we meet at the airport, some 120 miles to the northeast.
I kept calling Craig on the radio from time to time, but got no response. I was tempted to return to make sure that he was not having problems; but the tail wind was enough encouragement to keep me going. If I landed and Craig didn't show up for a while, I could
use the cell phone to find out where he was.
As it turned out, Craig did get underway, passed me in the air, and landed about 15 minutes prior to my arrival. Craig had already gassed up and was talking with the KLBX lineman. Once again, trikes seemed to be a novelty for this area.
After I purchased my fuel, we were invited into the temporary FBO office to meet the staff and drink some water. This airport is growing. New runway extension, new hangers and a new terminal that is scheduled to open in two months. We found out that when they do open, the airport commission provided for a pilot sleep room, so this will be another stop for us at a future date.
Our plan was to depart for KHPY, Baytown Airport, located a wee bit to the north-east side of Houston. We skirted the Houston airspace, flew over huge cargo handling facilities just off Galveston Bay, and landed, shortly thereafter at Baytown. We previously called to make sure that we could find hanger space for the night.
The line guys were impressed to see two trikes arrive. Before long, many of the airport staff surrounded the planes, asking all the usual questions. Once we found out where we were going to park the planes, we were shown a hanger apartment, and were told that we were welcome to spend the night. We booked the airport courtesy car for the evening and then asked if anyone wanted a trike flight.
Once again, Craig was the booking agent and photographer. I took three of the KHPY staff flying. It was a blast!!
Meanwhile, the lineman told me that he had some unfortunate news: the owner of the airport said that we could not sleep in the hanger apartment. Oops! Now what?
Nancy, the front desk manager said that she would try to find us an inexpensive hotel while I continued to give trike rides. Craig was answering questions about the trikes and making friends with whom ever came by to talk.
By the time I finished up the last ride, Craig had bonded with Todd Hanson, a local pilot. Todd was showing Craig his newly purchased RV-6. What a sweet airplane!! Todd, in his previous life, was a baseball player, but when that career ended, he became a self made entrepreneur, dealing in real-estate and other businesses. Todd grew up in California, but moved to the Houston area 25 years ago, and never looked back. Todd used to teach trike flying, finally learned how to fly helicopters, and is now a fixed wing pilot.
I kept watching how Craig bonded with Todd as they talked about California, real-estate development, and flying. Before long, Todd invited the two of us to spend the night at his 'bunk-house'. In fact, the Crosby fair & rodeo was on the way to Todd's ranch.
The plan was for Todd to take us to the bunk-house, drop us off, run some errands, and later pick us up on his way back to town so that we could secure use of the airport vehicle. While enroute to the bunk-house, we found out how much we all had in common.
When we turned into the main gate for Todd's ranch, we knew that we were being treated like Royalty. Todd has a lighted full size base-ball diamond set up for his 3 boys right next to a swimming pond that had a high dive platform and a zip-line. The bunk-house is part of Todd's airplane hanger complex with one grass runway out near the road and a 2nd grass runway under construction. The bunk-house is to die for@! Thanks alot, Todd!!
We were shown around, given use of the 4-wheelers to run to the local store, and were told that the best steak house in the area was 400 yards up the road.
Needless to say, this is how I wanted this trip to unfold. In my imagination, this is what barn-storming around the country used to be. Fly in to an airport, talk with the locals, and get invited home for dinner. In fact, we have another trike pilot in North Louisiana, who found out about our trip, and he has asked us to spend time at his place tomorrow night.
That good luck I was talking about at the start of today's blog entry has truly found us.
After Todd left to run his errands, I walked out to the pond to take a swim and shoot down the zip line. What a blast! The water temperature was perfect, the zip line was fun, and a couple of dives off the platform was just what I needed. Craig took a little nap so that he would be ready for tonight's Colt-Ford concert.
Pure bred Texas Long-horn cattle (and babies)
Friday, June 21. Flight from Bayport, Texas, (KHPY) to Vivian, LA, 3F4
Crawfish
Are mudbugs good to eat?
If you can get your hands on a couple dozen, the answer is a resounding Yea-Haw!
Vivian, LA, is within a couple miles of Texas and Arkansas. From what I learned, this is about as far north as one might reasonably expect to farm 'mudbugs' and make a living at it. The nice thing is that most of the alligators avoid coming up this way due to the wild hogs roaming the streets, back yards, and farms. (School children and small pets: be-ware!)
We've flown into a different part of the country full of good people and friendly dogs. But let me make myself perfectly clear, when riding around on a 4-wheeler, we had a holstered pistol sitting between us: for snakes, alligators or wild hogs.
Our hosts, Cheryl and Rich, keep horses, humming-birds, dogs, cats, fish, and about 2 million crawfish on their 83 acre spread. The unique thing about Rich is that he is the ONLY pilot in the world who has a landing strip carved out of a crawfish pond. Rich flies a 'Sea-wind Trike', one of the very few amphibious trikes on the market. He keeps his trike in a hanger, but when he wishes to fly, he drives it across a couple dykes to the crawfish pond, launches into the water, pulls up the wheels, and takes off using the floats. The 'Sea-Wind Trike' gives Rich the best of both worlds because he can land on water or on a grass strip or at an airport. A good friend of mine, Doug Boyle, sold Rich his trike and spent two weeks in Vivian teaching Rich how to fly.
Criag and I didn't know what to expect from a friendly little country airport, but as with almost all airports around the country, when you meet a fellow pilot, good things usually happen.
Rich showed up when we landed with his friend, Bo. Bo is an interesting guy in his own right. He makes a living flying just about anything. This weekend, Bo was the pilot for a parachute operation. Next week, Bo will be in multiple states flying for an agricultural spraying operation. In between, Bo is regularly in demand to transport airplanes and to deliver cargo. What a cool job!
Right now, the home made venison sausage is on the grill and biscuits are in the oven. Rich is up cooking us breakfast before we get underway towards Tuscaloosa later this morning. We have about 6 hours of flying scheduled in airspace that will be full of military trainers. We will need to keep a sharp eye out for student pilots as we fly between heavily utilized Military Operations Areas. Thankfully, the weather is cooperating, so it looks like another great day to see new parts of the USA.
More to come.
If you can get your hands on a couple dozen, the answer is a resounding Yea-Haw!
Vivian, LA, is within a couple miles of Texas and Arkansas. From what I learned, this is about as far north as one might reasonably expect to farm 'mudbugs' and make a living at it. The nice thing is that most of the alligators avoid coming up this way due to the wild hogs roaming the streets, back yards, and farms. (School children and small pets: be-ware!)
We've flown into a different part of the country full of good people and friendly dogs. But let me make myself perfectly clear, when riding around on a 4-wheeler, we had a holstered pistol sitting between us: for snakes, alligators or wild hogs.
Our hosts, Cheryl and Rich, keep horses, humming-birds, dogs, cats, fish, and about 2 million crawfish on their 83 acre spread. The unique thing about Rich is that he is the ONLY pilot in the world who has a landing strip carved out of a crawfish pond. Rich flies a 'Sea-wind Trike', one of the very few amphibious trikes on the market. He keeps his trike in a hanger, but when he wishes to fly, he drives it across a couple dykes to the crawfish pond, launches into the water, pulls up the wheels, and takes off using the floats. The 'Sea-Wind Trike' gives Rich the best of both worlds because he can land on water or on a grass strip or at an airport. A good friend of mine, Doug Boyle, sold Rich his trike and spent two weeks in Vivian teaching Rich how to fly.
Criag and I didn't know what to expect from a friendly little country airport, but as with almost all airports around the country, when you meet a fellow pilot, good things usually happen.
Rich showed up when we landed with his friend, Bo. Bo is an interesting guy in his own right. He makes a living flying just about anything. This weekend, Bo was the pilot for a parachute operation. Next week, Bo will be in multiple states flying for an agricultural spraying operation. In between, Bo is regularly in demand to transport airplanes and to deliver cargo. What a cool job!
Right now, the home made venison sausage is on the grill and biscuits are in the oven. Rich is up cooking us breakfast before we get underway towards Tuscaloosa later this morning. We have about 6 hours of flying scheduled in airspace that will be full of military trainers. We will need to keep a sharp eye out for student pilots as we fly between heavily utilized Military Operations Areas. Thankfully, the weather is cooperating, so it looks like another great day to see new parts of the USA.
More to come.
Saturday, June 22. Vivian, Louisiana to Tuscaloosa
Tuscaloosa, re-visited, with Craig
After meeting Nick, Michael & Kelly, Craig and I departed Meridian, Mississippi, for Tuscaloosa. I wanted to spend a couple extra days with Beth, Gary, Ian and Kellie and my mother. Plus, I thought that Craig needed a boat ride and a swim in the lake. Once again, Southern Hospitality was the order of the day @ Bama-Air. We sure enjoyed interacting with the staff. It was especially nice to see Jimmy, Trista and Melissa once again.
Craig got some exercise, climbing the steps from the lake to the house (6 times) and taking a dip in the lake.
A couple nights rest helped get us ready for the next few days of flying.
Craig got some exercise, climbing the steps from the lake to the house (6 times) and taking a dip in the lake.
A couple nights rest helped get us ready for the next few days of flying.
Tuesday, June 25 - Tuscaloosa to the Atlanta area: 91GA - a private airstrip
Craig and I had originally planned to depart Tuscaloosa on Monday; however, some scuzzy weather along the Alabama / Georgia line gave us pause for thought. Take-offs are optional; landings are mandatory. We decided to wait a day to let some weather pass through.
Tuesday morning turned out to be just fine. Craig'sP&M QuickR trike is about 20 mph faster than John'sREVO trike; so John enjoyed the benefit of lollygagging behind, listening on the radio as Craig called out the weather for me. About every twenty miles or so, Craig would give the slow-poke a update on cloud cover as we approached Kevin Wendleburg's wonderful grass airstrip, about 25 miles southwest of Atlanta. Kevin is a senior captain for Delta Airlines. He and his wife found a 168 acre spread with a house, pond, and state recognized turf runway. A few years back, Kevin became interested in trike flying, took some lessons from Gary Berdeaux, purchased a trike and needed a place to store it while flying international flights for Delta. Wow, did he ever come up with a great place. Kevin has a vision for his field, possibly adding hangers, starting a flying school, and welcoming visiting trike pilots.
Another trike pilot, Tony Castillo, drove to Kevin's place from SE Atlanta. Tony is the USA dealer for the P&M brand of trikes. Craig purchased his trike from Tony a few years back. It was great to see Craig and Tony reunite and rekindle their friendship and to finally meet Tony in person.
Kevin & his wife had previously scheduled a 'date night', so Kevin left us with the keys to his hanger, truck and airport home. Prior to Kevin departing for his evening date, he asked if he could fly the Revo. Needless to say, Kevin had a big grin when he landed.
Later, Tony, Craig and I discussed Trike flying over dinner. Afterwards, we headed back to the airport to go trike flying. Tony & Craig discussed how to tune Craig's wing for better performance. I don't know why; Craig's trike is already 20+ mph faster than my wing. Once they were ready for a test flight, Craig & I went back up into the calm evening air so that Craig could test the tweaks to his wing. Tony wanted to fly the Revo, so I gladly let him become Pilot in Command. As the evening wore down and the sun set, we all decided to call it a night. Before Tony left to drive home, the last topic of discussion was East Coast weather.
Craig has the blessing of a home base in Lodi, California, where weather is rarely a problem. Frontal systems hit the California coast and are long gone in less than a day. The mid-section of the USA is the mixing bowl of weather systems dropping down from Canada, frontal systems crossing the Rocky Mountains working their way East, and warm moist air lifting up from the Gulf of Mexico. The interaction of the three systems frequently creates interesting flying conditions for the middle of the USA all the way to the East Coast. This Spring / Summer has been quite active with way too many tornados and strong frontal systems with lots & lots of rain, wind, lightning, and micro-burst wind shear effects. Needless to say, Kenzie and I experienced a plethora of weather events when we started the journey on June 6th. Mother Nature has yet to let up on the East Coast.
All that being said, we knew that we had weather issues facing us in the morning for Wednesday's planned flight from SW of Atlanta to Glasgow, Kentucky.
The reason we were headed to Glasgow was to spend a few days with Gary Berdeaux, master trike pilot instructor, caver, scuba-diver, husband, and all around good guy (and with Susan, Gary's wonderful wife).
Tuesday morning turned out to be just fine. Craig'sP&M QuickR trike is about 20 mph faster than John'sREVO trike; so John enjoyed the benefit of lollygagging behind, listening on the radio as Craig called out the weather for me. About every twenty miles or so, Craig would give the slow-poke a update on cloud cover as we approached Kevin Wendleburg's wonderful grass airstrip, about 25 miles southwest of Atlanta. Kevin is a senior captain for Delta Airlines. He and his wife found a 168 acre spread with a house, pond, and state recognized turf runway. A few years back, Kevin became interested in trike flying, took some lessons from Gary Berdeaux, purchased a trike and needed a place to store it while flying international flights for Delta. Wow, did he ever come up with a great place. Kevin has a vision for his field, possibly adding hangers, starting a flying school, and welcoming visiting trike pilots.
Another trike pilot, Tony Castillo, drove to Kevin's place from SE Atlanta. Tony is the USA dealer for the P&M brand of trikes. Craig purchased his trike from Tony a few years back. It was great to see Craig and Tony reunite and rekindle their friendship and to finally meet Tony in person.
Kevin & his wife had previously scheduled a 'date night', so Kevin left us with the keys to his hanger, truck and airport home. Prior to Kevin departing for his evening date, he asked if he could fly the Revo. Needless to say, Kevin had a big grin when he landed.
Later, Tony, Craig and I discussed Trike flying over dinner. Afterwards, we headed back to the airport to go trike flying. Tony & Craig discussed how to tune Craig's wing for better performance. I don't know why; Craig's trike is already 20+ mph faster than my wing. Once they were ready for a test flight, Craig & I went back up into the calm evening air so that Craig could test the tweaks to his wing. Tony wanted to fly the Revo, so I gladly let him become Pilot in Command. As the evening wore down and the sun set, we all decided to call it a night. Before Tony left to drive home, the last topic of discussion was East Coast weather.
Craig has the blessing of a home base in Lodi, California, where weather is rarely a problem. Frontal systems hit the California coast and are long gone in less than a day. The mid-section of the USA is the mixing bowl of weather systems dropping down from Canada, frontal systems crossing the Rocky Mountains working their way East, and warm moist air lifting up from the Gulf of Mexico. The interaction of the three systems frequently creates interesting flying conditions for the middle of the USA all the way to the East Coast. This Spring / Summer has been quite active with way too many tornados and strong frontal systems with lots & lots of rain, wind, lightning, and micro-burst wind shear effects. Needless to say, Kenzie and I experienced a plethora of weather events when we started the journey on June 6th. Mother Nature has yet to let up on the East Coast.
All that being said, we knew that we had weather issues facing us in the morning for Wednesday's planned flight from SW of Atlanta to Glasgow, Kentucky.
The reason we were headed to Glasgow was to spend a few days with Gary Berdeaux, master trike pilot instructor, caver, scuba-diver, husband, and all around good guy (and with Susan, Gary's wonderful wife).
Wednesday, June 26, headed towards Glasgow, KY (KGLW) home of Diamond Caves
Craig and I woke just after sunrise. Blue skies seemed to rule the early morning. HOWEVER, pilots who are unaware of flying conditions in the South East must always study the temperature / Dew Point spread before taking off. Frequently after sunrise, fog will develop within an hour of the sun coming up, and linger for while, depending upon how fast the temperature / Dew Point spread widens. Sometimes, there are 'holes' in the fog layer whereby an effecient pilot may (repeat, MAY) attempt to launch above the fog layer and get on with the day's flying. However, there is inherent risk by taking off when the localized 'hole' closes up and an emergency situation occurs. Should the pilot experience an 'engine out' and need to promptly return to the airport, if the fog closes in behind the pilot, it might become impossible to locate the departure runway.
Craig and I thoroughly discussed the situation at length. From time to time, we saw large patches of blue sky, only to have the 'hole' quickly close up. We decided to wait it out for a while until conditions got better.
We didn't wait long. We were regularly seeing small patches of Blue Sky. It appeared that we were going to get lucky and take off earlier than expected.
It didn't quite turn out that way.
Craig and I thoroughly discussed the situation at length. From time to time, we saw large patches of blue sky, only to have the 'hole' quickly close up. We decided to wait it out for a while until conditions got better.
We didn't wait long. We were regularly seeing small patches of Blue Sky. It appeared that we were going to get lucky and take off earlier than expected.
It didn't quite turn out that way.
When we started to see some patches of Blue Sky, we quickly agreed that we could probably get up over a thin cloud/fog layer and easily find patches of ground below us. We both jumped into our respective trikes, started the engines, and taxied out to the runway. Conditions were quickly changing.
During the past two weeks, I've found that the Revo trike enging comes up to operating temperature a wee bit quicker than the P&M trike (even though we fly with the same engine). I decided to launch immediately upon a thorough engine check. Craig said that he would follow shortly. As I lifted off Kevin's delightful grass/turf runway, I pointed the nose towards a patch of blue. It didn't take but a few minutes to climb well over the cloud/fog layer into brilliant blue skies. However, as I climbed out, my wake turbulance caused the 'hole in the sky' to close up. Craig started his take-off roll, climbed about 500' and saw that his oportunity to clear the hole was over. Craig called out on the air to air communications chanel to say that he was going to land and wait; but that he expected me to continue on my way to Shelbyville, Tennessee, for a fuel stop and a chance to inspect the Arion Aircraft Factory.
I felt bad that Craig was not up flying with me. I am sure that Craig felt a sense of relief that he was safely on the ground. Both decisions were correct for each pilot.
When I broke through the hole, there were lots & lots of holes around me where I could clearly see the ground below. In fact, within 5 miles, the cloud/fog layer completely opened up for miles. Unfortunately, the big opening was not headed in Craig's direction.
During the past two weeks, I've found that the Revo trike enging comes up to operating temperature a wee bit quicker than the P&M trike (even though we fly with the same engine). I decided to launch immediately upon a thorough engine check. Craig said that he would follow shortly. As I lifted off Kevin's delightful grass/turf runway, I pointed the nose towards a patch of blue. It didn't take but a few minutes to climb well over the cloud/fog layer into brilliant blue skies. However, as I climbed out, my wake turbulance caused the 'hole in the sky' to close up. Craig started his take-off roll, climbed about 500' and saw that his oportunity to clear the hole was over. Craig called out on the air to air communications chanel to say that he was going to land and wait; but that he expected me to continue on my way to Shelbyville, Tennessee, for a fuel stop and a chance to inspect the Arion Aircraft Factory.
I felt bad that Craig was not up flying with me. I am sure that Craig felt a sense of relief that he was safely on the ground. Both decisions were correct for each pilot.
When I broke through the hole, there were lots & lots of holes around me where I could clearly see the ground below. In fact, within 5 miles, the cloud/fog layer completely opened up for miles. Unfortunately, the big opening was not headed in Craig's direction.
The flight to Shelbyville was uneventful from a technical perspective. From time to time, the air was bumpy. I plodded along at 3,500' well below a layer of tall, puffy, scattered clouds. I had not put on my Klim Jacket prior to taking off, thinking that I would not need to climb up to 7,500' to clear the growing clouds. I would have enjoyed a smoother ride had I climbed higher, but I would have been cold and I would have encountered headwinds in the 35 mph range. As it was, down @ 3,500', I was experiencing headwinds between 18 and 20 mph.
When I arrived @ Shelbyville, I there was major construction taking place inbetween the runway & the 'terminal' building. The taxiway was temporiarly blocked off, but there were signs posted to direct pilots to the fuel truck that was located well away from the FBO office. I parked next to the truck in windy conditions, walked to the office, found an attendant, and made my fuel purchase. Afterwards, I taxied over to where "Lightning" aircraft are built at the Arion Aircraft factory. Needless to say, a REVO trike, pulling up to the open hanger door caused quite a stir from the employees who were diligently assembling sexy new Light Sport Aircraft. The front office staff gave me a warm welcome, I got a quick 'nickle' tour, took a few photos, and after checking the weather towards Glasgow, Kentucky, I soon prepared for the final leg of the day's flight. A quick call to Craig revealed that he had yet to take off from Kevin's airport, some 160 miles to the SE.
Prior to taking off, I received a call from Gary Berdeaux, my host in Kentucky. I informed Gary that I was # 2 for take off and that I expected to be there within 90 minutes. I was taking off in the middle of a sunny day with a nice breeze blowing (that would eventually turn into a welcomed tailwind). The scenery across Tennessee and into Southern Kentucky is georgous. The farm fields looked prosperous, the small communities looked active, and I saw plenty of kids in the community swimming pools. The flying conditions were very bumpy without extreme variations in altitude. I accepted the bumps as part of the day's flight; however, I would have never taken a first time passenger up in those conditions.
Upon arrival @ KGLW, Gary was the first person to welcome me to Kentucky.
During a previous trike adventure, with Dan Gentili providing ground support, Dan & I enjoyed a three night stay with Gary & Susan. We toured their business, Diamond Caves, ate a lot of good home cooked meals, and enjoyed time riding around in the Bentley. Alas, the old Bentley was sold, but replaced with a better model.
Gary managed to squeeze my trike into his hanger along with 3 other trikes. Gary instructs out of his P&M trike and is working with Tony Castillio and Kevin Wendleburg to develop additonal ways to introduce the public to the joys of flying. We then drove to Gary & Susan's beautiful lake-front estate, about 14 miles south of the airport. Susan had home made blueberry muffins in the oven and ice cold fresh cut watermellon ready. We all jumped into the pool for a swim before snacking on the goodies. Later that evening, while trying to catch up with Craig, we enjoyed cheesburgers in paradise.
Craig had a different sort of day. He finally managed to take off from Kevin's airport, headed towards Glasgow; but in the heat of the day. That meant plenty of thermal activity and strong headwinds. Craig flew about 95 miles before calling it a day landing @ Isbell Field in Alabama. Craig secured his trike in a hanger, rented a car, and found a hotel. Craig's plan was to fly up Wednesday.
When I arrived @ Shelbyville, I there was major construction taking place inbetween the runway & the 'terminal' building. The taxiway was temporiarly blocked off, but there were signs posted to direct pilots to the fuel truck that was located well away from the FBO office. I parked next to the truck in windy conditions, walked to the office, found an attendant, and made my fuel purchase. Afterwards, I taxied over to where "Lightning" aircraft are built at the Arion Aircraft factory. Needless to say, a REVO trike, pulling up to the open hanger door caused quite a stir from the employees who were diligently assembling sexy new Light Sport Aircraft. The front office staff gave me a warm welcome, I got a quick 'nickle' tour, took a few photos, and after checking the weather towards Glasgow, Kentucky, I soon prepared for the final leg of the day's flight. A quick call to Craig revealed that he had yet to take off from Kevin's airport, some 160 miles to the SE.
Prior to taking off, I received a call from Gary Berdeaux, my host in Kentucky. I informed Gary that I was # 2 for take off and that I expected to be there within 90 minutes. I was taking off in the middle of a sunny day with a nice breeze blowing (that would eventually turn into a welcomed tailwind). The scenery across Tennessee and into Southern Kentucky is georgous. The farm fields looked prosperous, the small communities looked active, and I saw plenty of kids in the community swimming pools. The flying conditions were very bumpy without extreme variations in altitude. I accepted the bumps as part of the day's flight; however, I would have never taken a first time passenger up in those conditions.
Upon arrival @ KGLW, Gary was the first person to welcome me to Kentucky.
During a previous trike adventure, with Dan Gentili providing ground support, Dan & I enjoyed a three night stay with Gary & Susan. We toured their business, Diamond Caves, ate a lot of good home cooked meals, and enjoyed time riding around in the Bentley. Alas, the old Bentley was sold, but replaced with a better model.
Gary managed to squeeze my trike into his hanger along with 3 other trikes. Gary instructs out of his P&M trike and is working with Tony Castillio and Kevin Wendleburg to develop additonal ways to introduce the public to the joys of flying. We then drove to Gary & Susan's beautiful lake-front estate, about 14 miles south of the airport. Susan had home made blueberry muffins in the oven and ice cold fresh cut watermellon ready. We all jumped into the pool for a swim before snacking on the goodies. Later that evening, while trying to catch up with Craig, we enjoyed cheesburgers in paradise.
Craig had a different sort of day. He finally managed to take off from Kevin's airport, headed towards Glasgow; but in the heat of the day. That meant plenty of thermal activity and strong headwinds. Craig flew about 95 miles before calling it a day landing @ Isbell Field in Alabama. Craig secured his trike in a hanger, rented a car, and found a hotel. Craig's plan was to fly up Wednesday.
Thursday, June 27th
Gary and I enjoyed a couple hours worth of discussions about his responsibilities as an instructor and what he expected from his students. I learned quite a bit about student behaviors and I plan to apply some of the lessons learned.
Craig kept in contact as the day wore on. Weather along the Alabama / Tennessee borde was a problem with plenty of convective activity, low ceilings, and pop-up thunderstorms. Craig sent us a text message that he took off and we started to count down the 90 minutes that it would take Craig to fly to KGLW. Alas, it was not to be, at least not in the mid afternoon. Craig felt that it was foolish to fly in conditions that were uncomfortable and unfavorable, considering low ceilings and rising territory. When scud-running, just beneath the clouds, if the topography below keeps rising, it is easy for an unwise pilot to quickly get into an unmanagable situation. Craig has plenty of experience and his mistakes are minor & few (if any). Craig turned back to the airport to wait for favorable conditions that would happen towards 5 or 6 pm. As it turned out, the wait was well worth the anguish, and after Craig later launched, he enjoyed a pleasant flight over Tennessee (with stiff headwinds).
Meanwhile, once we knew that Craig was well on his way, Gary and I headed to the airport to enjoy an evening's trike flight around the local area. Plus, we wanted to be in the air so that we could act as a welcoming committee for Craig's expected arrival. What is nice about flying with Gary, in his home territory, is that he can provide a running commentary about the local geography. Gary has a wealth of information about what we were observing on the ground and below the ground. This part of Kentucky is full of numerous caves, both explored and unexplored. After about an hour in the air, Gary & I landed, and as we were parking the trikes in the hanger, we heard an aircraft engine overhead. Craig had finally arrived.
Craig kept in contact as the day wore on. Weather along the Alabama / Tennessee borde was a problem with plenty of convective activity, low ceilings, and pop-up thunderstorms. Craig sent us a text message that he took off and we started to count down the 90 minutes that it would take Craig to fly to KGLW. Alas, it was not to be, at least not in the mid afternoon. Craig felt that it was foolish to fly in conditions that were uncomfortable and unfavorable, considering low ceilings and rising territory. When scud-running, just beneath the clouds, if the topography below keeps rising, it is easy for an unwise pilot to quickly get into an unmanagable situation. Craig has plenty of experience and his mistakes are minor & few (if any). Craig turned back to the airport to wait for favorable conditions that would happen towards 5 or 6 pm. As it turned out, the wait was well worth the anguish, and after Craig later launched, he enjoyed a pleasant flight over Tennessee (with stiff headwinds).
Meanwhile, once we knew that Craig was well on his way, Gary and I headed to the airport to enjoy an evening's trike flight around the local area. Plus, we wanted to be in the air so that we could act as a welcoming committee for Craig's expected arrival. What is nice about flying with Gary, in his home territory, is that he can provide a running commentary about the local geography. Gary has a wealth of information about what we were observing on the ground and below the ground. This part of Kentucky is full of numerous caves, both explored and unexplored. After about an hour in the air, Gary & I landed, and as we were parking the trikes in the hanger, we heard an aircraft engine overhead. Craig had finally arrived.
Friday, June 28th - A new chapter unfolds
Craig made it to Glasgow, Kentucky, yesterday evening. Gary & I were delighted to see him. It was nice to see two fellow P&M brand trike pilots compare notes.
For those of you who don't know: Gary is an extaordinary trike pilot instructor and has a delightful wife, Susan, to keep him straight. Gary & Susan have been the managing partners of Diamond Caves for the past decade.
After dinner, I sadly informed Craig that I felt the need to return home. I knew that Craig was planning to head north & west so that he could fly to Washington by way of the northern route.
Earlier this morning, (Friday, June 28) Gary drove us to the airport so that I could get underway and so that Gary & Craig could accomplish some fine tuning of Craig's prop.
About 10:30 (Central Time) I started my journey back to Williamsburg. I flew to the Kentucky / Virginia border, landed for fuel, and continued on over the first few ridges & mountains towards home. I climbed to 5,500', failed to find calm air, so I continued my climb to 7,500'. I was flying into the back side of a frontal system, and when I started to bump into rain showers, I felt it time to pull the plug, land, and let the system blow well into Virginia. I landed at Lonesome Pine Airport. The airport manager, Bob, asked if I would like to put my plane into a hanger for a while, an offer that was gladly accepted.
I spent about 2 hours on the ground, watching the weather, catching up on email, and planning my next move. @ 4 pm (Eastern Time), I felt that I could make some significant progress. Bob helped me get the plane out of the hanger, we said our farewell to one another,
and I immediately took off with a plan of landing in Blacksburg at the Virginia Tech Airport. Once before, while on a different trike adventure, I spent the night at KBCB with my ground support team - Dan Gentili. I called ahead to VT airport, spoke with Mike, the manager, and he graciously agreed that I could spend the night in the facility.
When I took off from KLPN, the air continued to be quite active, so I kept climbing. Craig - I'll bet you would never believe that I know how to fly 'high'. I ascended through 5,500' without a second thought, climbing to 7,500. The 35 mph tailwind was a welcome bonus. But I didn't stop there. I continued my climb to 9,500' so that I could clear a thin scattered cloud layer. It didn't take long to clear the Appalachian mountains. Before long, I was calling my approach to the Virginia Tech Airport. I arrived just before 5 pm. I frequently saw 120+ mph speeds on the GPS. (Craig would have seen speeds in the 150 mph range had he been with me.)
The VT airport staff welcomed me with their usual Southern Hospitality. I squeezed the plane into the VT hanger right beside one of the VT jets. 'Harley', the line person was extremely helpful, driving the gas truck over so that I could take off early in the morning before the usual airport staff arrives. Once inside the FBO office, Harley handed me the keys to the courtesy car and gave me directions to downtown Blacksburg where plenty of choices were available for dinner. The only crevat was that I had to be back before 7 pm when the doors were locked for the night.
I have a comfortable room with a big flat screen TV, a computer to use, a shower facility (and someone was nice enough to leave me a towel). Maxine called, so she knows that I might make it all the way to Williamsburg tomorrow.
Gary, Susan, thanks for a wonderful stay at your Kentucky lakefront paradise.
Craig, the trip has been FANTASTIC; I am so happy that we spent some time flying together. We sure smelled the roses along the way. Have a safe flight home.
For those of you who don't know: Gary is an extaordinary trike pilot instructor and has a delightful wife, Susan, to keep him straight. Gary & Susan have been the managing partners of Diamond Caves for the past decade.
After dinner, I sadly informed Craig that I felt the need to return home. I knew that Craig was planning to head north & west so that he could fly to Washington by way of the northern route.
Earlier this morning, (Friday, June 28) Gary drove us to the airport so that I could get underway and so that Gary & Craig could accomplish some fine tuning of Craig's prop.
About 10:30 (Central Time) I started my journey back to Williamsburg. I flew to the Kentucky / Virginia border, landed for fuel, and continued on over the first few ridges & mountains towards home. I climbed to 5,500', failed to find calm air, so I continued my climb to 7,500'. I was flying into the back side of a frontal system, and when I started to bump into rain showers, I felt it time to pull the plug, land, and let the system blow well into Virginia. I landed at Lonesome Pine Airport. The airport manager, Bob, asked if I would like to put my plane into a hanger for a while, an offer that was gladly accepted.
I spent about 2 hours on the ground, watching the weather, catching up on email, and planning my next move. @ 4 pm (Eastern Time), I felt that I could make some significant progress. Bob helped me get the plane out of the hanger, we said our farewell to one another,
and I immediately took off with a plan of landing in Blacksburg at the Virginia Tech Airport. Once before, while on a different trike adventure, I spent the night at KBCB with my ground support team - Dan Gentili. I called ahead to VT airport, spoke with Mike, the manager, and he graciously agreed that I could spend the night in the facility.
When I took off from KLPN, the air continued to be quite active, so I kept climbing. Craig - I'll bet you would never believe that I know how to fly 'high'. I ascended through 5,500' without a second thought, climbing to 7,500. The 35 mph tailwind was a welcome bonus. But I didn't stop there. I continued my climb to 9,500' so that I could clear a thin scattered cloud layer. It didn't take long to clear the Appalachian mountains. Before long, I was calling my approach to the Virginia Tech Airport. I arrived just before 5 pm. I frequently saw 120+ mph speeds on the GPS. (Craig would have seen speeds in the 150 mph range had he been with me.)
The VT airport staff welcomed me with their usual Southern Hospitality. I squeezed the plane into the VT hanger right beside one of the VT jets. 'Harley', the line person was extremely helpful, driving the gas truck over so that I could take off early in the morning before the usual airport staff arrives. Once inside the FBO office, Harley handed me the keys to the courtesy car and gave me directions to downtown Blacksburg where plenty of choices were available for dinner. The only crevat was that I had to be back before 7 pm when the doors were locked for the night.
I have a comfortable room with a big flat screen TV, a computer to use, a shower facility (and someone was nice enough to leave me a towel). Maxine called, so she knows that I might make it all the way to Williamsburg tomorrow.
Gary, Susan, thanks for a wonderful stay at your Kentucky lakefront paradise.
Craig, the trip has been FANTASTIC; I am so happy that we spent some time flying together. We sure smelled the roses along the way. Have a safe flight home.
WISE County, Virginia: Robert J. “Bob” Spera, the face and personality of general aviation at Wise County’s Lonesome Pine Airport for nearly 21 years, has been granted Master Instructor Emeritus status in recognition of his many years of commitment to excellence, professional growth, service to the aviation community and quality aviation education.
Spera has served as the fixed base operator (FBO) at LPA since 1992 as well as the owner of Lonesome Pine’s Liberty Flying Service (http://LibertyFlyingService.com/). He has also served as a FAASTeam (FAA Safety Team) representative in the Federal Aviation Administration’s Charleston, W.Va., FSDO (Flight Safety District Office) area that covers all of West Virginia and eight counties of Virginia.
This week Master Instructors LLC announced the top ranking for Spera. Master Instructors LLC is the international accrediting authority for the Master Instructor designation as well as the FAA-approved master instructor program.
Spera first earned master instructor status in 2002, held it continuously ever since, and is one of only 31 aviation instructors worldwide to earn the credential six times. Master instructor status is achieved by few, let alone the emeritus designation.
There are approximately 96,000 certified flight instructors in the United States. Fewer than 700 have achieved master status to date. The last 17 national Flight Instructors of the Year were master certified flight instructors. Spera is one of only 17 Virginia aviation educators to earn the prestigious master title and is one of only 19 worldwide to be granted emeritus status.
Spera has served as the fixed base operator (FBO) at LPA since 1992 as well as the owner of Lonesome Pine’s Liberty Flying Service (http://LibertyFlyingService.com/). He has also served as a FAASTeam (FAA Safety Team) representative in the Federal Aviation Administration’s Charleston, W.Va., FSDO (Flight Safety District Office) area that covers all of West Virginia and eight counties of Virginia.
This week Master Instructors LLC announced the top ranking for Spera. Master Instructors LLC is the international accrediting authority for the Master Instructor designation as well as the FAA-approved master instructor program.
Spera first earned master instructor status in 2002, held it continuously ever since, and is one of only 31 aviation instructors worldwide to earn the credential six times. Master instructor status is achieved by few, let alone the emeritus designation.
There are approximately 96,000 certified flight instructors in the United States. Fewer than 700 have achieved master status to date. The last 17 national Flight Instructors of the Year were master certified flight instructors. Spera is one of only 17 Virginia aviation educators to earn the prestigious master title and is one of only 19 worldwide to be granted emeritus status.
Saturday, June 29; waiting for airport staff to arrive
I was promised that one of the 6 hanger doors would be unlocked so that I could depart @ 6 am. Unfortunately, the message didn't get out to everyone. The hanger is locked tighter than a drum. The morning air looks perfect for the 3 hour flight to Williamsburg. I was lucky to be able to get back into the terminal building. The airport opens @ 8 am. What is a 2 hour delay after 4 weeks of flying? I have a pot of coffee brewing.
Word from Kentucky is that Craig will soon be underway.
Word from Kentucky is that Craig will soon be underway.
Saturday, June 29, last leg for John - Blacksburg, VA to Williamsburg, VA
Craig is flying from Glasgow, Kentucky towards Washington, by way of Montana & northern Idaho
Brady arrived just before 8 am to open the airport office. He didn't seem too surprised to have a customer in the building. After he learned that I needed to open the hanger to pull out the plane, he stopped his usual routine, picked up the key, and we walked over to the hanger. He was quite surprised to see the trike; I guess he expected to see a fixed wing aircraft. We had a nice discussion about trikes and how they handled.
Shortly thereafter, I loaded up, cranked up, let the oil warm up, programmed in KJGG, my home airport in Williamsburg, Virginia, and taxied out to the runway. After the appropriate calls, I was soon gaining altitude over the Virginia countryside. I climbed up to 5,500' for the flight home. I picked up a moderate tail wind that boosted my ground speed to over 100 mph. Two hours later, I started my descent into Williamsburg. The trip was over, for me. Craig has about 1,500 miles to go before he re-unites with his sister who lives in Washington, just north of Portland, Oregon.
Shortly thereafter, I loaded up, cranked up, let the oil warm up, programmed in KJGG, my home airport in Williamsburg, Virginia, and taxied out to the runway. After the appropriate calls, I was soon gaining altitude over the Virginia countryside. I climbed up to 5,500' for the flight home. I picked up a moderate tail wind that boosted my ground speed to over 100 mph. Two hours later, I started my descent into Williamsburg. The trip was over, for me. Craig has about 1,500 miles to go before he re-unites with his sister who lives in Washington, just north of Portland, Oregon.
A rough estimate of miles flown, hours, and general route
I have yet to update the log book; however, I can give a rough estimate regarding some statistics for the trip. The route, using a rough plot, comes out to just under 3,500 miles. I gave about 45 trike rides to friends along the way; with some passengers enjoying a 10 minute flight and others receiving an hour long flight. Craig, Rich, Kevin, Tony, Gary and I completed a number of evening flights purely for fun. All in all, I estimate that I flew over 75 hours at an average fuel burn rate of 4.20 gph which works out to about 300 gallons of fuel. I kept the trike in a hanger every night. The two stops that required a hanger fee were the exception to the generosity that we experienced along the way. I spent only 1 night in a hotel; the remainder of the nights were spent in an airport 'snooze' room OR we were staying with family or with other trike pilot friends. Weather was the biggest factor that had to be addressed each day. Summer flying in the South Eastern USA is a challenge. The middle of the USA is a mixing bowl of weather systems. There are high & low pressure fronts moving in from the Rocky Mountains, Canadian cold fronts sweeping down into the mid section of the country and warm moist air sweeping up from the Gulf of Mexico. The 2013 Spring & early Summer months have seen severe tornado activity along extremely strong frontal systems that brought unusual amounts of thunderstorm activity across the South East. We were actually quite fortunate to get in the number of flying days we hoped for with only a few small delays.
While I am not sure of the exact number of miles flown; it is the number of smiles that truly count for me, smiles from people who have never seen nor ridden in a Trike. I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat.
While I am not sure of the exact number of miles flown; it is the number of smiles that truly count for me, smiles from people who have never seen nor ridden in a Trike. I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat.