Big East Trip Day 7
posted by Unknown @ 11:59 AM
Rodriguez Ground Crew
The travels by air and ground by the Rodriguez Family
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Big East Trip Day 1
Big East Trip - Travel Day 1
Saturday 5/29/04
DAY 1 DAY 2 DAY 3 DAY4 DAY5 DAY 6 DAY 7
Saturday 5/29/04
DAY 1 DAY 2 DAY 3 DAY4 DAY5 DAY 6 DAY 7
Longmont, CO (2V2) - Le Mars, IA (LRJ)
Full stop @ Le Mars, IA
The first leg was to an airport suggested by a coworker. Le Mars, IA is the hometown of a friend of mine, Dave. The flight there was mostly uneventful, except for passing a building thunderstorm in the middle of Nebraska.
A low pressure system with about 5 fronts in it was just passing through Colorado before we left. While the weather was fine in Longmont, we hit the first front northeast of Ogallala, NE. Turns out that front and many others were all part of a low pressure system would chase us for at least a week. We fueled up in Le Mars and were even offered a free ride to the Blue Bunny Ice Cream factory. We had to pass due to time limitations.
Unfortunately, this was about the only runway that Brig didn't get a picture of on landing.
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Le Mars, IA - Prairie du Chien, WI (PDC)
Touch & Go @ Jackson, MN (MJQ)
Touch & Go @ Jackson, MN (MJQ)
Well, it didn't take long for us to have to alter our trip. The weather east of Le Mars was not great, fairly overcast to broken skies. We were planning to make our stop in Minnesota in Austin. The onboard weather system showed that the surface reports all along the southern edge of Minnesota were low ceilings and low visibilities. The most promising airport appeared to be Jackson, MN. So we turned left and diverted there. At least it was still just scattered to broken there, and we got in with a touch & go and right back up again towards Prairie du Chien. Sure enough, as we passed the area south of Austin, it was completely overcast. Prairie du Chien though was perfectly clear and we made a straight-in there.
I found out about a restaurant within walking distance called "Huckleberrys", so we set out for it. It was sort of a long walk and we probably used up too much time walking back and forth from there. We had a good lunch though, got fueled up, and were on our way east.
I found out about a restaurant within walking distance called "Huckleberrys", so we set out for it. It was sort of a long walk and we probably used up too much time walking back and forth from there. We had a good lunch though, got fueled up, and were on our way east.
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Prairie du Chien, WI - Benton Harbor, MI
Touch & Go @ Aurora, IL (ARR)
Touch & Go @ Gary, IN (GYY)
Full stop @ Benton Harbor, MI (BEH)
Touch & Go @ Aurora, IL (ARR)
Touch & Go @ Gary, IN (GYY)
Full stop @ Benton Harbor, MI (BEH)
The weather on this leg was pretty good. We did an easy straight-in touch & go at Aurora, IL, and flew along the southside of Chicago, where it was a little hazy over downtown. Next was Gary, IN, and another straight-in touch & go. Gary had to be one of the most unsightly places I'd ever seen. Big, dark abandoned buildings and shipyards, seagulls everywhere, just looked like a big dump. The controllers were pretty friendly though. After that it was along Lake Michigan, past Michigan City, IN and Indiana Dunes, and on to Benton Harbor, MI. We passed one of several nuclear reactors to come. Coming up on St. Joseph, MI we could see the harbor and lighthouse. We flew right by it on a straight-in to Benton Harbor airport. I should mention here that this location was another one suggested by a different friend at work, Dean. He grew up near Benton Harbor-St. Joseph, and talked me into this place over Michigan City, which was our original first overnight stop. We're glad we took his advice, it was a really nice place and we plan on returning.
Once we landed at the airport we had to make some calls to get someone out there to get our rental car keys. The next day I went back to the airport and put the airplane in a hangar. There was supposed to be a huge storm coming through, it was probably the same one that was just getting started back in Nebraska, and was now a full fledged monster causing thunderstorms and tornadoes. The rain we received while there was pretty heavy all right. The parking lot near our hotel was completely flooded. The next morning it was just cool and overcast with no rain or thunderstorms.
Once we landed at the airport we had to make some calls to get someone out there to get our rental car keys. The next day I went back to the airport and put the airplane in a hangar. There was supposed to be a huge storm coming through, it was probably the same one that was just getting started back in Nebraska, and was now a full fledged monster causing thunderstorms and tornadoes. The rain we received while there was pretty heavy all right. The parking lot near our hotel was completely flooded. The next morning it was just cool and overcast with no rain or thunderstorms.
SLIDESHOW
posted by Unknown @ 11:56 AM
Big East Trip
BIG EAST TRIP
May 29,2004 - June 14, 2004
Well, this was the big one. The trip of a lifetime, some called it. I call it a lot of flying, and a lot of landings, a lot of sight seeing, and overall, a lot of fun. In my quest to land at all 50 states, this added 28 to the list, for a total of 46. We landed in Oklahoma, which we'd already done, and obviously Colorado. We also had to land in Kentucky twice because of a power outage at one of the airports. Weather was a constant concern, although except for the last couple hours of the trip, the ride was fairly smooth. Of the 31 planned airports, 4 had to be changed due to weather, and 1 had to be added due to the power problem above.
Surprisingly, on our last landing in Longmont the kids were asking when/where the next trip was going to be to!
Surprisingly, on our last landing in Longmont the kids were asking when/where the next trip was going to be to!
Trip stats: Estimated Total Mileage=4,819 Nautical Miles (@5,541 Statute Miles), Estimated Flight Time=44:36, Estimated Fuel= 573 Gallons. Estimated Fuel costs=$1,778. Avg Fuel Price: $3.01/gallon. Landings to a full stop=18, Touch & go's=14. Uncontrolled airports=19, Controlled airports=13. States landed in=31. Longest flight day=8:42 (Day 5). Shortest flight day=4:06 (Day 4)
Route of flight with airport/waypoint ID's
posted by Unknown @ 11:46 AM
Friday, December 3, 2010
Arkansas
Mountain Home, Arkansas
Flown: November 27-29, 2003
Aircraft: Cessna 182 - N92844
Approximate round trip mileage: 1,298nm
Approximate flying time: 11:48
This, like the trip to Show Low, was a trip to see Brig's Mom and Jake, who had now moved to Mountain Home, AR. Nearly all of our previous trips were taken in warmer months, this one was over the Thanksgiving Day weekend in November. When we arrived at the airport in Longmont, we were greeted with sub-freezing temperatures and frost all over the airplane. This was during the time when I had the airplane outside on the ramp, not hangared. We learned our lesson and shortly thereafter were once again in a hangar. After spending way too much time scraping ice off the airplane, we finally were ready to get going. We should have known better though, as the airplane was so cold that the battery had little life in it and it gave us one chance to start the engine. It didn't work. I called my mechanic Jayme, but it was Thanksgiving Day, and he wasn't in the area.
We got lucky when a pilot walked by and offered his assistance. He went down to his hangar and got out his battery charger and jumper cable. He also put some air in our tires. After plugging his jumper into our airplane it started right up. With a wave, and later a Christmas card, we were on our way. Our problems weren't quite over yet though. The flaps got some melted ice down into them and froze in the down position after takeoff. Raising them wasn't working, but they would go lower, which that wouldn't work on the long trip ahead. I was about to abort and come back around and land as the flaps went all the way full without retracting. Right then I remembered a trick Jayme had shown me before and up the flaps came. Finally, we were really on our way, about two and a half hours late.
On our flight everything worked pretty decently, although we thought there was a problem with our new intercom system. Turns out it was probably cold and it corrected itself. The battery recharged itself in flight and caused us no further problems. Our first stop was in Manhattan, Kansas. It was pretty deserted there, but we used the restrooms and fueled up. Our airplane problems weren't quite over yet. While sliding my seat forward to let the kids in the back, I slid it right off its tracks! Turns out this is the normal way to take the seats out, but we didn't know that and thought we broke it and were in a bad way. My trusty pilot assistant/flight attendant Brigette fiddled with it and fixed it, otherwise I was going to be flying from the right seat and her sitting on the floor!
I picked Manhattan as a stop as it was good weather there and marginal afterward. From there we could take a look at how it'd be for the next leg to Arkansas and file IFR if needed. The weather wasn't too bad up until Joplin and Springfield, then it would get a little dicey. We took off and got flight following from Kansas City Center in anticipation of later needing an IFR clearance. As forecasted, after Springfield the overcast thickened and lowered. We got an IFR clearance but only needed it for a small time to get through the overcast and set up for an approach into Mountain Home. Mountain Home, by the way, was not our first choice for landing in this area. We wanted to go to a fly in resort called Gastons, which was just a little west of Mountain Home. It's a grass runway right next to a hotel and fishing destination. But the weather was not good enough to consider going there. It was pretty dark and misty under the overcast, we even got a little snow in the clouds. Gaston's was hard enough to find in perfect conditions and land on grass. In this weather, no way.
So it was on to Mountain Home/Baxter County Airport. It was easy to find and we didn't need an IFR approach after all. We had a late Thanksgiving meal then headed for our motel room. The kids stayed up late both nights keeping the lady at the desk company, talking and making popcorn and hot chocolate. We drove around the area the next day, did some geocaching in the middle of nowhere, and froze pretty good doing it. We did get around to seeing Gastons, from the ground though. The runway really is nothing more than a long grassy area. There were a couple airplanes parked there though.
On the morning we were to leave we had breakfast at Brig's Mom and Jakes, they then followed us to the airport and watched us take off. It was a clear day, but windy on the ground at our next three stops. First it was Neosho, Missouri for a touch and go. Then Miami, Oklahoma for another. Our next stop we did a landing in Kingman, Kansas. Gas was cheap there, but like so many airports that weekend, it was pretty deserted. On our flight back to Colorado we stayed fairly low, only 6,500' above sea level, which is about 3,000 feet above the ground in Kansas, but only 1,500' above the ground the closer you get to Denver. I was hearing about terrible rides above us, moderate to greater turbulence. We were too low most of the way to get flight following from Kansas City or Denver Centers. We got a really smooth ride down at those altitudes though, otherwise it'd be a long and bumpy flight home.
This trip knocked out a few key states, as they'd be hard to hit on our big trip that was upcoming, namely Arkansas and Missouri. I had an idea that sometime in the future I'd try to land at some nearby states alone and I even toyed with the idea of doing touch & go's in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Illinois after leaving Arkansas. But the rides were supposed to be bumpy, and doing that would add at least a couple hours to a long flight day. Had I known that right after this trip we'd start planning to go on our 31 state trip together the following June, I'd gone ahead and landed at those 3 states. As it turned out, we had to go out of our way to hit Eastern Kentucky and Tennessee on the day which turned out to be the longest and most grueling.
This trip to Arkansas was important as it further got the kids, and us, used to long flights and long days. The new intercom system made all the difference in the world. The kids watched DVD's on our laptop, but we decided a dedicated DVD player was the way to go and soon got one. The only other thing missing for really long trips was an autopilot and some kind of in flight weather system. Both of which we got before our next big trip, the one to Michigan, Maine, New York, Washington, Florida, Louisiana, and home.
We got lucky when a pilot walked by and offered his assistance. He went down to his hangar and got out his battery charger and jumper cable. He also put some air in our tires. After plugging his jumper into our airplane it started right up. With a wave, and later a Christmas card, we were on our way. Our problems weren't quite over yet though. The flaps got some melted ice down into them and froze in the down position after takeoff. Raising them wasn't working, but they would go lower, which that wouldn't work on the long trip ahead. I was about to abort and come back around and land as the flaps went all the way full without retracting. Right then I remembered a trick Jayme had shown me before and up the flaps came. Finally, we were really on our way, about two and a half hours late.
On our flight everything worked pretty decently, although we thought there was a problem with our new intercom system. Turns out it was probably cold and it corrected itself. The battery recharged itself in flight and caused us no further problems. Our first stop was in Manhattan, Kansas. It was pretty deserted there, but we used the restrooms and fueled up. Our airplane problems weren't quite over yet. While sliding my seat forward to let the kids in the back, I slid it right off its tracks! Turns out this is the normal way to take the seats out, but we didn't know that and thought we broke it and were in a bad way. My trusty pilot assistant/flight attendant Brigette fiddled with it and fixed it, otherwise I was going to be flying from the right seat and her sitting on the floor!
I picked Manhattan as a stop as it was good weather there and marginal afterward. From there we could take a look at how it'd be for the next leg to Arkansas and file IFR if needed. The weather wasn't too bad up until Joplin and Springfield, then it would get a little dicey. We took off and got flight following from Kansas City Center in anticipation of later needing an IFR clearance. As forecasted, after Springfield the overcast thickened and lowered. We got an IFR clearance but only needed it for a small time to get through the overcast and set up for an approach into Mountain Home. Mountain Home, by the way, was not our first choice for landing in this area. We wanted to go to a fly in resort called Gastons, which was just a little west of Mountain Home. It's a grass runway right next to a hotel and fishing destination. But the weather was not good enough to consider going there. It was pretty dark and misty under the overcast, we even got a little snow in the clouds. Gaston's was hard enough to find in perfect conditions and land on grass. In this weather, no way.
So it was on to Mountain Home/Baxter County Airport. It was easy to find and we didn't need an IFR approach after all. We had a late Thanksgiving meal then headed for our motel room. The kids stayed up late both nights keeping the lady at the desk company, talking and making popcorn and hot chocolate. We drove around the area the next day, did some geocaching in the middle of nowhere, and froze pretty good doing it. We did get around to seeing Gastons, from the ground though. The runway really is nothing more than a long grassy area. There were a couple airplanes parked there though.
On the morning we were to leave we had breakfast at Brig's Mom and Jakes, they then followed us to the airport and watched us take off. It was a clear day, but windy on the ground at our next three stops. First it was Neosho, Missouri for a touch and go. Then Miami, Oklahoma for another. Our next stop we did a landing in Kingman, Kansas. Gas was cheap there, but like so many airports that weekend, it was pretty deserted. On our flight back to Colorado we stayed fairly low, only 6,500' above sea level, which is about 3,000 feet above the ground in Kansas, but only 1,500' above the ground the closer you get to Denver. I was hearing about terrible rides above us, moderate to greater turbulence. We were too low most of the way to get flight following from Kansas City or Denver Centers. We got a really smooth ride down at those altitudes though, otherwise it'd be a long and bumpy flight home.
This trip knocked out a few key states, as they'd be hard to hit on our big trip that was upcoming, namely Arkansas and Missouri. I had an idea that sometime in the future I'd try to land at some nearby states alone and I even toyed with the idea of doing touch & go's in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Illinois after leaving Arkansas. But the rides were supposed to be bumpy, and doing that would add at least a couple hours to a long flight day. Had I known that right after this trip we'd start planning to go on our 31 state trip together the following June, I'd gone ahead and landed at those 3 states. As it turned out, we had to go out of our way to hit Eastern Kentucky and Tennessee on the day which turned out to be the longest and most grueling.
This trip to Arkansas was important as it further got the kids, and us, used to long flights and long days. The new intercom system made all the difference in the world. The kids watched DVD's on our laptop, but we decided a dedicated DVD player was the way to go and soon got one. The only other thing missing for really long trips was an autopilot and some kind of in flight weather system. Both of which we got before our next big trip, the one to Michigan, Maine, New York, Washington, Florida, Louisiana, and home.
posted by Unknown @ 11:19 PM
Montana & North Dakota
Montana & North Dakota
Flown: August 21, 2003
Aircraft: Cessna 182 - N92844
Approximate round trip mileage: 915nm
Approximate flying time: 8:00
We hadn't flown together as a family in over a year. During that time though I had made a few long trips and chalking up new states. I flew to Santa Ana, CA and Dalhart, TX with Joe Berry. I also had to make an unexpected trip out to Las Vegas, NV to catch a plane to Hawaii to help my parents with a surgery my Dad needed.
This trip was to add Montana and North Dakota to the list of states we'd been to. Our first stop was in Glendive, MT. The staff at the airport were friendly and offered us food and drinks. We fueled up and then headed for Dickenson, ND. While there we got a courtesy car, a minivan actually, and drove into town. There we saw a dinosaur museum and drove down the "Enchanted Highway", which is a road with these large sculptures made from scrap metal.
After that we headed back to the airport, fueled up and flew home. On the way we flew by Ellsworth Air Force Base and had a fly by of a B1 Bomber. We also flew by Mt. Rushmore.
This trip was to add Montana and North Dakota to the list of states we'd been to. Our first stop was in Glendive, MT. The staff at the airport were friendly and offered us food and drinks. We fueled up and then headed for Dickenson, ND. While there we got a courtesy car, a minivan actually, and drove into town. There we saw a dinosaur museum and drove down the "Enchanted Highway", which is a road with these large sculptures made from scrap metal.
After that we headed back to the airport, fueled up and flew home. On the way we flew by Ellsworth Air Force Base and had a fly by of a B1 Bomber. We also flew by Mt. Rushmore.
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| Glendive, Montana |
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| On approach to Dickenson, North Dakota |
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| Along the Enchanted Highway, North Dakota |
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| Sunset over Wyoming |
posted by Unknown @ 11:05 PM
Show Low, AZ
Show Low, Arizona
Flown: March 23-30, 2002
Aircraft: Cessna 182 - N92844
Approximate round trip mileage: 920nm
Approximate flying time: 9:00
This was a trip to drop off Brigette and the kids at Brig's moms house. I actually flew two roundtrips, but the "Flight Crew" was only in on a total of one roundtrip. The trip to Show Low included a stop in Farmington, NM. I helped repair my landing reputation with a decent one there. Although Anthony got airsick in the last few minutes before our landing there.
After refueling and refilling our oxygen tank, we left for Show Low. It was fairly warm and slow going until Window Rock but not too bad after that.
After dropping them off I did a nonstop back home. A week later I flew back to get them. Since I had just done two non-stops from Longmont to Show Low, I talked them into trying it to get home quicker. That worked out pretty good and we made good time via La Veta Pass and up I-25 towards home.
After refueling and refilling our oxygen tank, we left for Show Low. It was fairly warm and slow going until Window Rock but not too bad after that.
After dropping them off I did a nonstop back home. A week later I flew back to get them. Since I had just done two non-stops from Longmont to Show Low, I talked them into trying it to get home quicker. That worked out pretty good and we made good time via La Veta Pass and up I-25 towards home.
posted by Unknown @ 10:52 PM
Telluride Fall Colors Fly-In
Telluride, CO
and the Fall Colors Fly-In
Flown: September 29, 2001
Aircraft: Cessna 182 - N92844
Approximate round trip mileage: 423nm
Approximate flying time: 4:18
This was a much needed day trip to Telluride after a month of little to no flying. After our night flight over Denver a month before, I flew once 10 days before 9/11 and once 10 days after 9/11. This was still a time when no one knew what was going to happen to the national airspace system and restrictions were up all over the place. For a few days no airplanes could fly, then it was narrowed down to some airplanes could fly, but not out of or around certain airports. That grounded thousands of airplanes and many flocked to Longmont as it was just outside Denver's special "Enhanced Class B" airspace. Airplanes were being chased all over the place by F16's, even in the Denver area, and you never knew when some new restriction would pop up and you'd be in violation of some new unknown rule. At time time of this trip things were slowly going back to normal.
Telluride is the highest commercial airport in the U.S. Every year, which after 2001 it became every two years, they'd have their "Fall Colors Fly-In". Since the colors were supposed to be good this year, we went, and were not disappointed. It was a perfect day for flying. The fly-in had a pancake breakfast and a terrific show put on by a squadron who puts on a mock battle of Vietnam, based on actual events. By the time they were done they had that airport engulfed in flames and smoke, the best airshow event we'd ever seen by far.
After the show we left for home. The airport sits up on a plateau and it's pretty interesting departing out of there to the west. The ground drops away fairly rapidly and you climb out over a narrow canyon. Once we were past Vail, the weather started getting a little dicey and we had to get an IFR clearance to get through Corona Pass. Once clear of that it was clear into Longmont.
Telluride is the highest commercial airport in the U.S. Every year, which after 2001 it became every two years, they'd have their "Fall Colors Fly-In". Since the colors were supposed to be good this year, we went, and were not disappointed. It was a perfect day for flying. The fly-in had a pancake breakfast and a terrific show put on by a squadron who puts on a mock battle of Vietnam, based on actual events. By the time they were done they had that airport engulfed in flames and smoke, the best airshow event we'd ever seen by far.
After the show we left for home. The airport sits up on a plateau and it's pretty interesting departing out of there to the west. The ground drops away fairly rapidly and you climb out over a narrow canyon. Once we were past Vail, the weather started getting a little dicey and we had to get an IFR clearance to get through Corona Pass. Once clear of that it was clear into Longmont.
posted by Unknown @ 10:51 PM
Denver Night Flight
Night Flight Over
Denver
Flown: August 24, 2001
Aircraft: Cessna 182 - N92844
Approximate round trip mileage: 73nm
Approximate flying time: 1:18
You may wonder why this small trip would be included here. A couple reasons. We were all together, and it was the point where I crossed over 500 flight hours. Unlike our first night trip with the kids, they stayed awake for this one. We pretty much flew the identical path that we flew a year prior at night. Unfortunately, it'd turn out to be our last trip before the events of September 11, 2001, which would ground us for a while, at the time we weren't sure for how long.
posted by Unknown @ 10:44 PM
Sidney, NE
Sidney, NE
Flown: August 19, 2001
Aircraft: Cessna 182 - N92844
Approximate round trip mileage: 228nm
Approximate flying time: 2:30
This was the first trip after taking delivery of our own airplane, N92844. We flew to Sidney, NE as we'd heard about Cabela's, a huge store for camping and outdoor products. They had a shuttle which took us back and forth from the airport for free. A fairly uneventful flight both ways.
posted by Unknown @ 10:42 PM
Spearfish and Devils Tower
Spearfish, SD and
Devils Tower, WY
Flown: July 27-29, 2001
Aircraft: Piper Arrow - N106AW
Approximate round trip mileage: 648nm
Approximate flying time: 6:30
This turned out to be our last trip in a rented aircraft. An airplane that sadly would meet its end in the mountains of Utah a couple of years later. It was also the trip that helped narrow down our choice of aircraft to buy. Up to this point we'd flown in a Cessna 182 and were pretty happy with it, but I was also considering buying an Arrow. This trip would help decide it, and on the way home Brig made it clear she preferred the 182, a month later we bought one. Reasons given were visibility (not as good with the low wing) and interior space (better with the Cessna). But we had a great trip with this airplane anyway.
This was our first combination flying/camping trip. First we flew over the Badlands of South Dakota, it was alright, but not much compared to what we'd seen prior over the Grand Canyon and Lake Powell. Then we flew towards Mt. Rushmore, it was smaller than we'd thought it'd be and not as easy to find, but was still impressive. Just west of that was the Crazy Horse monument, still being built. That was large and easy to find. We then landed in Spearfish, SD and were greeted by some nice people and a rental car.
From there we drove to Devils Tower, but were delayed as Interstate 90 was nothing but dirt in some places and under construction in others. Finally we arrived at the KOA campground at the base of Devils Tower, pretty weird to be up close to something that you've only seen in pictures and movies. Every night they played "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", which was filmed there, and it was funny to watch people turn around during the movie and look up at Devils Tower, expecting to see UFO's. It was pretty ominous, looming over the campground at night. It got so dark there, Anthony and I saw what we could only figure were orbiting satellites. They were too fast and high and underlit to be airplanes. They pretty much looked like distant moving stars.
After our stay at the campground we drove back to Spearfish and flew home. On our way we diverted and flew right over Devils Tower. Anthony expected it to be hollow on top like a volcano, but it's flat. Pretty uneventful flight home, except for Brig's demand for a C182, which I was more than happy to comply with.
This was our first combination flying/camping trip. First we flew over the Badlands of South Dakota, it was alright, but not much compared to what we'd seen prior over the Grand Canyon and Lake Powell. Then we flew towards Mt. Rushmore, it was smaller than we'd thought it'd be and not as easy to find, but was still impressive. Just west of that was the Crazy Horse monument, still being built. That was large and easy to find. We then landed in Spearfish, SD and were greeted by some nice people and a rental car.
From there we drove to Devils Tower, but were delayed as Interstate 90 was nothing but dirt in some places and under construction in others. Finally we arrived at the KOA campground at the base of Devils Tower, pretty weird to be up close to something that you've only seen in pictures and movies. Every night they played "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", which was filmed there, and it was funny to watch people turn around during the movie and look up at Devils Tower, expecting to see UFO's. It was pretty ominous, looming over the campground at night. It got so dark there, Anthony and I saw what we could only figure were orbiting satellites. They were too fast and high and underlit to be airplanes. They pretty much looked like distant moving stars.
After our stay at the campground we drove back to Spearfish and flew home. On our way we diverted and flew right over Devils Tower. Anthony expected it to be hollow on top like a volcano, but it's flat. Pretty uneventful flight home, except for Brig's demand for a C182, which I was more than happy to comply with.
posted by Unknown @ 10:36 PM
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Kimball, NE
Kimball, Nebraska
Flown: June 17, 2001
Aircraft: Cessna 182 - N58798
Approximate round trip mileage: 183nm
Approximate flying time: 2:12
This was a Fathers Day trip and probably the first conscious effort to add a new state to the list of states flown to. I almost didn't include it on this site since it was so small, but Brig insisted, as it was an odd trip and probably helped prepare us for some of the stranger, or at least inconvenient, things to come in our future travels. We hadn't flown much together since the big SoCal trip a year before. Looking for an excuse to fly, we used Fathers Day and a state none of us had ever been to, Nebraska.
Looking at a map I picked the closest airport and it was Kimball. After Greeley, there wasn't much to see, but crossing into Nebraska we could see the interstate and some lakes. After landing in Kimball, at which we were the only airplane, we got a courtesy car to drive to a lake we saw, Lake Oliver, about 10 miles west. This was our first experience of many to come in a courtesy car, which if you don't know, is a loaner left by the airport operator, or FBO, that you can borrow for short trips, first come first served. Well, this one was a station wagon in pretty ratty condition, but it worked. We took it out to Lake Oliver and had a nice time relaxing by the lake, although it was snowing cotton from all the cottonwoods like we'd never seen.
On the way back is where the problem arose. About halfway to the airport that car just died. We had to pull off to the side of the road and call AAA. We weren't quite sure where we were so they didn't know where to send a truck. Lots of friendly people drove by and stopped to offer help, but by then the truck was on its way, which took a while to arrive. Turns out the closest tow
truck was in Scottsbluff, about 45 miles away! We got it towed to the airport and got ready to leave. Before we did we saw a military painted aircraft that was parked on the ramp. The guys flying it were having engine problems and after trying to go west, aborted and came back to Kimball. They were in need of oil, which they couldn't get from the vacant FBO, and we didn't have any either. The flight back was uneventful.
Looking at a map I picked the closest airport and it was Kimball. After Greeley, there wasn't much to see, but crossing into Nebraska we could see the interstate and some lakes. After landing in Kimball, at which we were the only airplane, we got a courtesy car to drive to a lake we saw, Lake Oliver, about 10 miles west. This was our first experience of many to come in a courtesy car, which if you don't know, is a loaner left by the airport operator, or FBO, that you can borrow for short trips, first come first served. Well, this one was a station wagon in pretty ratty condition, but it worked. We took it out to Lake Oliver and had a nice time relaxing by the lake, although it was snowing cotton from all the cottonwoods like we'd never seen.
On the way back is where the problem arose. About halfway to the airport that car just died. We had to pull off to the side of the road and call AAA. We weren't quite sure where we were so they didn't know where to send a truck. Lots of friendly people drove by and stopped to offer help, but by then the truck was on its way, which took a while to arrive. Turns out the closest tow
truck was in Scottsbluff, about 45 miles away! We got it towed to the airport and got ready to leave. Before we did we saw a military painted aircraft that was parked on the ramp. The guys flying it were having engine problems and after trying to go west, aborted and came back to Kimball. They were in need of oil, which they couldn't get from the vacant FBO, and we didn't have any either. The flight back was uneventful.
posted by Unknown @ 11:55 PM
SoCal Trip
SoCal Trip
Flown: July 14-18, 2005Aircraft: Cessna 182 - N92844
Approx round trip mileage: 1,466nm
Approx flying time: 13:30
 | |
| Kanab, Utah |
 |
| Boulder City, Nevada |
 |
| Fullerton, California |
 |
| Queen Mary, Long Beach, California |
 |
| Chris, Antony, & Nicholas leave Fullerton |
 |
| Page, Arizona |
posted by Unknown @ 11:33 PM
California
California Trip 2000
Flown: June 15-21, 2000
Aircraft: Cessna 182 - N58798
Approx round trip mileage: 1,506nm
The next leg was to Kingman, AZ (IGM). Once again it was "hot and sloppy" and bumpy most the way there. Once there we fueled up and enjoyed some ice cream out on the porch of the FBO (Fixed Based Operator, an airport business that sells fuel, etc). From there it was on to Long Beach, CA (LGB) where we met up with Brigette's brother, Bo.
Not included on the map above is the side trip Brigette and I took to Las Vegas and back. After dropping off the kids, we made a night flight into North Las Vegas Airport (VGT).
After returning from Las Vegas, the family spent some time in the SoCal area then returned home via Page, AZ (PGA). We flew over the Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, and the Rocky Mountains on this much smoother flight than what we experience westbound.
posted by Unknown @ 11:23 PM
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