Monday, September 22, 2008
Ercoupe Landing Photo
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Door County Rides & a First Solo
This morning I flew solo to Sturgeon Bay in Door County to give some airplane rides to relatives and my parents' friends. I made two trips along the shores of the peninsula cutting across the middle. We saw Whitefish Dunes State Park, the Cana Island Lighthouse, Peninsula State Park, lots of marinas, golf courses, and big houses, small towns, and finally Potawatomi State Park. Sorry no pictures this time!
In the afternoon I flew a lesson with the president of our EAA chapter. He's transitioning from a trike back to an airplane, where everything is "backwards."
I rounded out the day with another lesson which included a first solo -- congratulations to Ben who has been working hard on his landings.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Todd Solos his Ercoupe
My student Todd learned what it's like to take off in his Ercoupe minus one tonight. He was off the ground by the windsock, which is normally just a checkpoint in our long takeoff run when I'm aboard.
As a testament to how easy this darn little thing is to fly, Todd was the first person I have ever signed off to take his first solo at our 20-foot-wide Brennand Airport rather than somewhere else, and there was a crosswind. Congratulations to Todd, whose sport pilot certificate is just around the corner!
Labels: Ercoupe
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Canada Trip 9/4-9/5
All of the above pictures are from Canada. Farms, farms, farms...
My first trip with a charter company was an unusually long two-day trip to western Canada and back. I've had my foot in the door here for a while, but I hadn't met the pilot until Wednesday. Within hours of that introduction, I got the call asking if I wanted to go along on this trip.
I flew in a Piper Navajo Chieftain, mostly running the radios and helping with navigation, but also flying from the left seat on the second day. Each day was an all-day event of flying and making stops throughout the day and into the night. Flight time alone was about 20 hours round-trip, not including stops and their associated delays. Time seemed to go fast though. It was a fun trip and a great experience for me.
Day 1: Oshkosh - Baraboo (DLL) - Rochester (RST) - Winnipeg - Saskatoon - Grande Prairie.
Day 2: Grande Prairie - Saskatoon - Grand Forks, ND (GFK) - Baraboo (DLL) - Oshkosh.
The flight was very educational. Neither the other pilot nor I had ever been in Canada before. The landscape was a lot different than we expected; we learned we Americans aren't the only ones with a "Great Plains." I liked learning to fly a different airplane through various types of weather. Also, dealing with the Canadian system of air traffic control was an experience in itself. Not only were there several slight differences from U.S. phraseology and procedures, but there were giant gaps in both radar and radio coverage-- sometimes more than half an hour.
For some reason I have a vivid memory of a young charter pilot stepping out of a Piper Navajo at my home airport before I even learned to fly. I remember thinking how that was what I wanted to do, fly people around in planes like that one, and I was going to do whatever it took to get there. Years later, here I am. I'm looking forward to more of this type of flying.
Monday, September 1, 2008
The Best Weekend of my Summer
This Labor Day weekend I flew to Prickett-Grooms Field (6Y9) in Sidnaw, upper Michigan and camped with a group of pilot friends from the Pilots of America message board.On Friday evening, I left with all my camping gear and a folding bike in the Cessna 172 and flew 1.4 hours north to Sidnaw. Right behind me, John, another Brennand Airport-based pilot, flew up in his Cherokee 140. The flight seemed to go pretty fast because I spent most of it talking to John and the pilots of two other Sidnaw-bound planes on the air-to-air radio frequency.
That night, everyone filled the Frederick family's cars and pickup truck and rode to Hoppy's Bar in nearby Kenton. We ate, listened to live music from "Purdy Good," talked airplanes, and let the locals entertain us with their dance moves. Back at the airport, the stars were out in full force with no moon or city lights.
Saturday morning most of us struggled out of bed after our late night of fun. The public came out to the airport for the official fly-in event that consisted of lunch, helicopter rides, and Young Eagles flights. There were lots of people including a news reporter. A few people from our group gave some plane rides, but mostly we hung out in the shade, relaxed all afternoon, and went to the local gas station for hand-scooped ice cream. Eventually the crowd disappeared and it was time for our group to pile onto a hay wagon for our next adventure.
Yes, a hay wagon. It was fun! Pulled by a tractor, we enjoyed a sunset cruise of about an hour to Hoppy's Bar. There, we stocked up on pizzas for the ride back. It was dark by then, and we ate our pizza under the stars on the wagon, bundled up in coats and blankets.
Our hayride ended at the bar in Sidnaw, where we hoped they had a TV that would show the local news. They didn't, so we were unable to see the news story about the fly-in. Some of our group went over to the Fredericks' cabin for a campfire. I went back to the airport for a somewhat early bedtime since I was pretty tired.
Sunday morning, after a good night's sleep I was up not long after dawn. Everything was soaked with dew. When Tim left in the Citabria, his airplane shed water like a mini waterfall, which looked really neat in the morning sun. I got a video clip of Tom leaving in his RV-8.
I couldn't just stand around on this beautiful morning and watch everyone else fly! I untied the 172 and took it for a half-hour sightseeing flight up to the Keewenaw Bay.
And the day just kept getting more fun. After my flight, I joined everyone over at the cabin for a fire-cooked breakfast of bacon and eggs. John and I went back to the airport, where he packed up and left to go camping on Madeline Island. Meanwhile, I got a ride in an AMD Zodiac 601 sport plane.
I went back to the cabin and waited with a few others for our turn on the ATVs. The Fredericks have six ATVs and there were five of us in the second group. Soon I donned my helmet and goggles and was off on a two-hour ATV trip. It included stops at a middle-of-nowhere cabin and a bluff overlooking the forest. It was ridiculously fun and the scenery was great.
By Sunday evening, the majority of our group had flown home but I chose to stay. Those of us who remained (which included our hosts) went to a steakhouse several miles away for dinner. The food and conversations were great. Tri-Pacer pilot Barb and I stayed in "the bunkhouse" at the cabin while the remaining people slept in the cabin.
Although I wished this weekend would never end, this morning I left bright and early. I knew the wind was going to get pretty strong later and wanted my flight to be as smooth as possible. I really lucked out because although there was as much as a 30-knot headwind, my ride was completely smooth all the way to Clintonville, where I exchanged the 172 for our Piper Arrow that needed to go back to Brennand.
A big thank-you goes out to the Frederick family for rescuing this little airport from extinction and hosting such a fun event each year. I am glad to know all these wonderful people who helped make this weekend a huge blast!
24 more pictures! Click the play button below or click here to view the album.
Labels: Sidnaw
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