Thanksgiving means flying

Yes it is not officially turkey day yet but Rachel arrived last night so the festivities began.  Thanksgiving is usually a day without a lot of things to do other than cook and eat.  Two things I enjoy a great deal but, the day is long and my stomach only stretches so much. 

It has been a tradition for my Dad and I to go flying Thanksgiving morning and then move on to the eating activities.  Today I got a head start, yes he won't be here for a few hours and we are two days out but the plane was ready, the weather was clearing and Rachel was ready to go.

We headed out for some fun flying.  Mostly sightseeing.  Our first sight was unscheduled.  There were P8s doing pattern work at Navy JAX.  We were up at 3500 and they were below us at 2000 so we were well clear.  Still we enjoyed watching the big planes slide below us.  P8s replaced the P3 Orions on for Sub hunting and are basically tricked out 737s.  The military pilots like them because when they finish their service they are trained in a Boeing Airliner.

Once clear of the traffic, Rachel took a turn flying and headed us over towards Saint Augustine.  We did a few loops around downtown to get some pictures and recon the fort.  The Castillo De San Marco was still where we left it last time.

We headed South to get a look at Fort Matanzas.  For a while the National Parks water taxi was down but today we saw it docking at the fort.  May be time for another visit.

We then continued down to Marineland and were surprised that we could see the dolphins in the tanks from 1500 feet.  Then it was back to Saint Augustine to top the tanks to prep for the weekend.  Weather is a concern but we have more flying planned.  We shall see if we can work around any bad stuff.  Right now I am not confident in the forecasts.  They have been wrong since Saturday.

Grass

When the Wright Brothers got started, there were no airports.  This was not like the chicken and the egg.  Airplanes came first, then airports.  Early airports did not have miles of concrete.  They were mostly pastures that had been hijacked for other uses.

Slowly people started creating purpose built airports but grass was the preferred surface.  Now I have landed on grass before but it has been over 20 years.  When I owned Mooneys, they had poor prop clearance so I avoided grass.  Also with so many nice concrete strips, who need grass but sometimes the location does not have an alternative.

Today there was a Young Eagles event over at a nearby strip.  It is private but I had permission to land so I headed over.  Now grass can be smooth or rough.  It is not so much the grass but the dirt underneath.  Also if the grass is too tall it makes takeoff harder as it creates drag.

This was Haller airpark and it has a really nice strip.  Very smooth.  It is sort of short, 2600 feet with 660 feet at each end then big trees.  Getting in was easy,  fly on airspeed, watch the trees, once clear, reduce power and gently flare.  On touchdown I was pleasantly surprise at the smoothness during the roll out.  They had a mess of planes and the Coast Guard had stopped by to do PR.  Easier when they are based a few minutes away.

After parking I went over to register to fly Young Eagles.  When they put the word out, they thought they needed more planes.  When I arrived they were so busy launching planes, that I waited an hour and they still did not have me in the rotation.  The guy in charge thought it would be a few more hours so I decided to give up.  It was a great event regardless.  I soon reversed the process and was headed home.  I used the extra time to change my oil, which went smoothly and I was happy with the very clean filter.  I am ready for another 50 hours of flying now.

Getting behind Michael

Like all good things, vacations must come to an end.  Last year we had to skirt a Tropical Storm Cindy to go on vacation and this year Hurricane Micheal to get home.  Hopefully this will not be a continuing vacation pattern.

Michael made Landfall Wednesday as a strong Hurricane.  By Thursday morning the remnants were still pretty impressive.  This obviously meant we weren't flying through.  Now the weather picture was a bit more complicated than the hurricane.  We had a front moving through from the West as well, this is what was helping Move Michael along.

This was the same front that we raced against at the start of our trip.  It had eventually caught us and passed.  This left us on the back side but also brought low clouds and rain Thursday morning.  Our plan was patience.  Every minute we delayed the front and Michael would move further past us bringing better weather.

I had been concerned that we would need to wait until 2PM but late Wednesday I guessed we could go at 11 AM.  We awoke to gray, rainy weather and our only real rush was to return our rental car by 10:30 so as to avoid an extra day charge.

With the car returned,  I did an especially slow pre flight and loaded the luggage.  We settled our bill and then dallied a bit watching the news coverage of the storm.  By then the sky was starting to show cracks of blue and the en route reports were looking good.  I had decided earlier in the morning to forgo the straight line home.  It would have taken us East of Atlanta and through the tail end of the rain.

By going around the West Side of Atlanta we added a few miles and 15 minutes but it kept us in the clear.  The ride home was surprisingly good given a very unstable atmosphere.  The jets above were all reporting terrible rides from the low 20s to mid 30s.  More than one captain asked for a better altitude only to be told by the controllers that they could have what they like but that none were good.

We were down at 7 and 8 thousand which was a sweet spot.  The weather was clear above us and just a thin layer below.  Off to our left we could see the storm in the distance.  Down below by the surface it was bumpy with wind shear again which we experience while doing a quick fuel stop around Atlanta.

In the end it took us 3:16 minutes of engine time to get home plus 15 minutes to pump gas.  Theoretically we could have done it in 2:45 direct line but we lost 15 minutes waiting to get our IFR release from Kentucky.  This would have impacted the direct line time as well.  We were out in the less traveled area which means that Center does not has as good radar down low.

When you depart, they need to protect a large area of airspace so that you can join the system without bumping int anyone else.  Right as we called to go another plane had just departed nearby and there was a medivac departure that takes priority.  We sat idling for quite a while waiting our turn.

All was well as we had a smooth ride home and even enjoyed some good tailwinds on the back side of the low.  Yup 206 knots was not too shabby, even if we only had it for a short time.

Hurricanes and caves

We had been watching the hurricane coverage closely. While we were safe in Kentucky, Michael was heading near our part of the state and I was figuring out when it was safe to head home.  One of the premier attractions for Kentucky is Mammoth cave.  It is called Mammoth because it is the largest know cave complex with over 412 miles mapped and no end in site.

We  headed over in the morning and bought tour tickets. I had tried to buy them the night before but the website would not sell. I asked and was told that recent web changes were causing problems for many.  In the end it did not matter as we got the tour and time we wanted.

They bus you a few miles to a cave entrance and then you walk about .75 miles including 500 steps. It is done over 2 hours.  They rate it as strenuous but we found it quite easy.  The cave is cool at about 55 degrees F year round.  We had done some caves in Australia and we both walked away thinking the Australian caves were more interesting and better looking.  The tour groups have up to 110 people so the sheer size makes the tour a bit unwieldy.  Our guide was very good though so it was still a fun experience.

There is a bat disease in the caves so on the way out you need to shampoo your shoes by walking over a squishy mat.  We then took a walk and went down to the historic entrance which was first used in 1816.  Strange to think that this has been a tourist attraction for over 200 years.

Once we were suitably caved out, we headed out making a quick stop for pizza and a sub.  Returning to our hotel we watched some Hurricane coverage.  We have made several day trips to Apalachicola  and it was sad to see the flooded downtown.  We had enjoyed strolling the waterfront and now it was under several feet of water.

On the bright side the plans I had been making were looking good for a late morning departure. I was still not sure how far West we would need to divert, when it would clear enough to depart and what airports would not be available for fuel stops due to storm damage. 

Hurricane Michael Relief

We use the plane for fun most of the time but I also like to do some public benefit flying as well.  This can take several forms but this weekend it was Hurricane relief.  A few weeks back I did some work for Florence and now Michael had come roaring through our back yard.

Yesterday we gathered some supplies and headed to Gainesville to fly supplies.  Unfortunately there were more planes than supplies so we dropped our load and headed back home to regroup.  They thought they would have more work Sunday but  donations were slow.

We decided to just grab stuff here and take it out Sunday morning.  Aircraft seem small and cramped when you have to sit still for hours but can hold a good amount.  We filled the car trunk and most of the back seat and headed off to the airport.

We had about 300 pounds of cargo, which I had carefully weighed.  We  loaded it so it would not shift and distributed the weight to keep us withing the weight and balance limits of the plane.

Arriving in Apalachicola, we found quite a production.  Lots of equipment, lots of buses, ambulances and trucks.  Once clear of the runway we were directed where to park to unload.  They dropped a pallet by the plane and we handed stuff out.  We were surprised, in a good way, when the Sheriff and a State Representative came out to great us.

We chatted a minute and promised to return when they were back up making Oyster Po-Boys.   As we were firing up a big tractor/fork lift came to haul away the supplies and get ready for the next plane.  A few minutes later we were back in the air headed home. 

The town did not look too bad from above but you can's see flood damage.  What was different was that normally on a nice Autumn Day the town is full of tourists enjoying the waterfront, eating and shopping.  It looked pretty much like a ghost town.

This Hurricane has gotten some press but not as much as others.  It has hit an area that was already struggling economically so while the buildings are still standing in this area, they still need lots of help.  There will be other groups collecting and sending supplies, now is your chance to help.

Two more (#33, #32)

We awoke early Tuesday. Time to get out of town. The weather was excellent and we arrived at the airport around 7 AM.  We were headed back to Eastern time and wanted to maximize our daylight.

We had great conditions for the flight with the exception of the winds.  The front behind us and Michael South of us were creating a strong flow from the South East. This meant we had a 10 knot headwind.   The flight was 2 hours but we decided to grab another state while we were in the neighborhood.

Our path took us over Indiana. I chose Evansville as it was right on our course and was a towered field to make arrival and departure clearances easy.  One odd thing we saw was some low level wind shear.  The winds went from 20 knots at altitude to 40 at 1000 feet to 5 on the surface.

We were prepared for this and with our modern air data computers we are able to see this data in real time and react accordingly. Also, everyone infringes of us was making good reports so we were well informed.   We touched down normally and made the first turn off.  Tower read our new clearance and we were cleared for an immediate departure.  Quick in and out and we have a souvenir photo of the airport.

We continued on to Somerset Kentucky.  As soon as we cleared the runway, the local folks let us know where to park.  They brought a golf cart which we dumped the luggage on.  We declined a ride and stretched our leg.  The line guy took our stuff to the rental car for us.  The airport has very nice facilities and has free popcorn and cookies.  This makes it a top stop, sadly it is not on our normal route.

We loaded up the rental and headed off to sight see.  First stop was Cumberland falls.  They bill it as the little Niagara.  Now I think that is a bit oversold.  If they said some wide impressive falls, then I think they would be spot on.  We took in several different views and then headed off to hike.

We did the Eagle Falls trail.  It was billed as strenuous.  It was not a walk in the park but it was basically a lot of stairs and steep terrain over 1.5 miles.   The falls the,selves were cute but the hike was the main event.  You walked down the river and by Cumberland falls with some new views.

We took a final view of the falls and then headed off to counteract the exercise we just completed.

We were suitably hot and sweaty as we headed to the birthplace of KFC. This was the original location and it is a KFC and mini museum.  After enjoying some chicken and reminiscing about the Colonel, we were off again.  

It's probably the grease talking bu even though the Colonel may be gone, you can still feel his spirit or the life size plastic statute, one of the two.

We drove through rural Kentucky and stopped at a dam in a state park to enjoy the beach.  Yes they have a beach in Kentucky, not quite the same as home though.  The reservoir seemed to have been created with a large earthen dam.  It had a small hydro plant at the base as well.  It was sorta impressive and when I first saw it I had to say DAM!  

We then headed off to our hotel, a new Courtyard.  The irony is that we stayed in the Marriott Grand in St. Louis and the Courtyard is actually nicer.  Not only nicer but tech savvy. The room has 14 outlets to charge and 8 USB charge ports.  If you run out I am sure they will send up some power strips.

Somerset has tons of restaurants but most are chains that we have at home.  We took a chance and headed to a Pura Vida, a Costa Rican place nearby.  We were greeted by the owner.  He runs the front and his wife is the chef.   He suggested a sampler plate and we added an order of empanadas. 

The food was excellent and we chatted with the owner while we ate.  He was quite a character and had moved to Kentucky 15 years ago and built up a local clientele.  He seemed surprised that we knew the difference between Costa Rican and Mexican food.

As we were finishing the excellent food, he came to the table with a guitar and serenaded us with a Spanish love song.  Not only did they make great food but he could really play and sing.  After dinner We headed back to the hotel to check weather and watch new on Michael. 

We were struck by the fact that the weather was so great yet was about to turn.  I did check with the car rental company and confirm we could add a day if needed.  The hotel had plenty of rooms as well so we had our backup plan but things were looking pretty good for a mid day Thursday flight home.

The Arch

Monday was arch day.  The Arch like Mount Rushmore was built to attract people.  In both cases it seemed to work. We had purchased tickets online so we had our day planned.

Arriving you go through security and then underneath the Arch to a Museum. At our appointed time we lined up for our tram to the top. The tram is really a funicular that has cars that rotate as the ascend to stay level.

Each tram has 8 cars and they fit 5 people. 5 small people.  The doors are like an elevator with inner and outer doors.  The inner ones are partially glass so you can see the inside of the arch as you ride up.  

When you get to the top, there is an observation area with slit windows allowing you to see the Missouri and Illinois sides.   After taking in the view and snapping some pictures, we lined up for the ride down.  Up takes 4 minutes but down is a quick 3. 

Contrast the Missouri side with the Illinois sides of the river.  This is all a factor of elevation.  St. Louis is on higher ground.  Even so they have a big wall to avoid some river flooding.  The other side is a flood plane so less city, more trees. 

We then left the arch and headed down to the Mississippi River where we boarded a tour boat for a quick cruise up and down the river.  After our cruise we headed back to the museum and watched a movie on the Arch construction.

We decided to kick back and chill for the late afternoon as we are on vacation.

I spent a good bit of time looking at the weather.  Michael was still on our minds but  the weather was good to get to Kentucky.  I had called ahead and confirmed that hangar space was available if needed so we were set.  We turned in early so that we could get a good start in the morning. We were flipping back from central to eastern time. 

Some extra arch pictures for your enjoyment.  It really is photogenic.