Pete of N978PB
12-16-2002, 02:20 PM
It's been kinda quiet hereabouts lately ... thought maybe an addition to such somnambulance might perk things up a bit.
Yesterday was a better than nornal winter day here in the Ohio River Valley. Since watching ice form on 978PB wasn't the plan when I told Todd & Jo to go ahead and build the thing, it was with some pleasure to find a day in the 40s with no rain, sleet or snow, and ceilings that actually allowed some brightness to enter the day.
Checked the Wx and found that we actually looked better than much of California ... might call the folks at Guinness to let them in on that amazing phenomenon.
So, with warm heart and a light jacket, I headed off for I69 (Clermont County) to fire up and go flying. The good weather also brought out Hal Shevers (Sporty's major domo) who rides herd over all that is good and wonderful at the airport. Ain't too much that's not wonderful there ... he does a fine job.
After a typical takeoff for a typical 260SE - it never fails to give me a rush - the best prospects for a flight with nowhere to go seemed to be downriver, to aerially visit some old haunts from days gone by and some new places not previously seen. Had to swing south of the CVG Class B, what with all those big blow torches roaring off 18R & 18L. But since the flight seemed best done low and slow, they were able to successfully dodge and divert around my baby and me.
The Ohio River is quite a sight to follow from the air ... it twists and turns around large and small bends like a serpent on the prowl. Every few miles there is a tow of barges hauling commodites needed by mankind, up and down the river. Some of them are long, and it's a wonder they can negotiate themselves around all those bends. From the air, it's neat to watch; they turn by swinging their butt ends in the opposite direction of the turn, and then giving it a shot of power to complete the directional change.
In a way, it's not unlike the way dancers do in those places Mom and Dad always said to stay away from - swing the butt and see the resulting turn of events.
Finally arrived over Madison, Indiana, a small river town with Hanover, College on a hill overlooking both the river and the town. An old friend went to school there, and we had some good times hanging out in town during weekend visits. Nearby, on each side of the river are two river-bottom public grass strips, but neither was showing any wings outdoors that day ... the turf is too soft ... made a mental note to check back during more civilized weather months to see what fun resides in those places.
To the east of Carrollton, Ky, there used to be an outdoor movie theater that, during those innocent high school years of the 1950s, showed movies that were designed to mildly educate teenage boys and girls about the more exotic aspects of adult life. Sadly, it is now gone, replaced by some sort of manufacturing plant.
Upriver a few miles is the new Kentucky Speedway for Nascar enthusiasts, carved into the hills with a design to encourage maximum speed and attendance. Just once it would be fun to swoop down and match speed with the Nascar folks, although I guess these days that might invite a trip to Guantanamo.
A couple of years ago, I spoke with a gent who said he had a farm in northern Kentucky that included his own airstrip. So, I slowed 978PB down to the 55kt range, turned into the 20 kt winds, and loitered awhile at 35kts (gotta love this airplane!)looking over his spread. And a lovely spread it is, with 100's of acres of well maintained lands, and the nicest looking grass strip and hangar one could ever find.
Well, it was time to head for home, but not without some sort of a flourish, of course. Decided to make the Garmin 530 do its work, and selected the GPS 04 approach back to I69 even though it was nice VFR with 10 miles vis. Hooked it up to the S-Tec, and sat back to enjoy the ride. It lined up perfectly on the centerline, and the aircraft didn't budge left or right until I turned for the 45 to downwind for 22.
What's interesting is that the VOR-B approach to I69's Runway 04 from FLM VOR is never accurate. In three separate aircraft I've flown, the VOR approach always heads for a point about 1.5 miles east of the airport with the indicator square on center. It's a joke among Hal's flight instructors. Yet the GPS nails it ... there's more to this sutff than faith.
After a nice slow touchdown and return to the comfort of the hangar, the lineman fed her, and I gave her a pat on the back, scratched her a couple times under her whiskers, and said goodnight to sweet 978PB.
See ya next time, honey.
Yesterday was a better than nornal winter day here in the Ohio River Valley. Since watching ice form on 978PB wasn't the plan when I told Todd & Jo to go ahead and build the thing, it was with some pleasure to find a day in the 40s with no rain, sleet or snow, and ceilings that actually allowed some brightness to enter the day.
Checked the Wx and found that we actually looked better than much of California ... might call the folks at Guinness to let them in on that amazing phenomenon.
So, with warm heart and a light jacket, I headed off for I69 (Clermont County) to fire up and go flying. The good weather also brought out Hal Shevers (Sporty's major domo) who rides herd over all that is good and wonderful at the airport. Ain't too much that's not wonderful there ... he does a fine job.
After a typical takeoff for a typical 260SE - it never fails to give me a rush - the best prospects for a flight with nowhere to go seemed to be downriver, to aerially visit some old haunts from days gone by and some new places not previously seen. Had to swing south of the CVG Class B, what with all those big blow torches roaring off 18R & 18L. But since the flight seemed best done low and slow, they were able to successfully dodge and divert around my baby and me.
The Ohio River is quite a sight to follow from the air ... it twists and turns around large and small bends like a serpent on the prowl. Every few miles there is a tow of barges hauling commodites needed by mankind, up and down the river. Some of them are long, and it's a wonder they can negotiate themselves around all those bends. From the air, it's neat to watch; they turn by swinging their butt ends in the opposite direction of the turn, and then giving it a shot of power to complete the directional change.
In a way, it's not unlike the way dancers do in those places Mom and Dad always said to stay away from - swing the butt and see the resulting turn of events.
Finally arrived over Madison, Indiana, a small river town with Hanover, College on a hill overlooking both the river and the town. An old friend went to school there, and we had some good times hanging out in town during weekend visits. Nearby, on each side of the river are two river-bottom public grass strips, but neither was showing any wings outdoors that day ... the turf is too soft ... made a mental note to check back during more civilized weather months to see what fun resides in those places.
To the east of Carrollton, Ky, there used to be an outdoor movie theater that, during those innocent high school years of the 1950s, showed movies that were designed to mildly educate teenage boys and girls about the more exotic aspects of adult life. Sadly, it is now gone, replaced by some sort of manufacturing plant.
Upriver a few miles is the new Kentucky Speedway for Nascar enthusiasts, carved into the hills with a design to encourage maximum speed and attendance. Just once it would be fun to swoop down and match speed with the Nascar folks, although I guess these days that might invite a trip to Guantanamo.
A couple of years ago, I spoke with a gent who said he had a farm in northern Kentucky that included his own airstrip. So, I slowed 978PB down to the 55kt range, turned into the 20 kt winds, and loitered awhile at 35kts (gotta love this airplane!)looking over his spread. And a lovely spread it is, with 100's of acres of well maintained lands, and the nicest looking grass strip and hangar one could ever find.
Well, it was time to head for home, but not without some sort of a flourish, of course. Decided to make the Garmin 530 do its work, and selected the GPS 04 approach back to I69 even though it was nice VFR with 10 miles vis. Hooked it up to the S-Tec, and sat back to enjoy the ride. It lined up perfectly on the centerline, and the aircraft didn't budge left or right until I turned for the 45 to downwind for 22.
What's interesting is that the VOR-B approach to I69's Runway 04 from FLM VOR is never accurate. In three separate aircraft I've flown, the VOR approach always heads for a point about 1.5 miles east of the airport with the indicator square on center. It's a joke among Hal's flight instructors. Yet the GPS nails it ... there's more to this sutff than faith.
After a nice slow touchdown and return to the comfort of the hangar, the lineman fed her, and I gave her a pat on the back, scratched her a couple times under her whiskers, and said goodnight to sweet 978PB.
See ya next time, honey.