ScottSchmidt
Well Known Member
On Dec. 10th we were able to join in on this years Santa Flight from Salt Lake City to Cedar City to deliver toys and cash! In the mix of 15 planes were two of the best performing aircraft in the world, the RV-10! Rick Barnes and myself flew from Skypark (KBTF) to Salt Lake Regional (U42) to load up with gifts and make the 1.1 hour flight to Cedar City. We were very lucky with weather this year. There have been many storms blowing through with more snow than I remember the last two years, but on that Tuesday, the weather was absolutely perfect and cold.
Santa flight is put on by Angel Flight West and they have been doing it for 14 years. I have been able to do it one other time and look forward to next year. This year Santa Flight delivered 5000 lbs of toys and $6,500 to an under-funded Title 1 Elementary school.
Here are a couple of new reports on it for more information.
KSL News - Santa Flight 2013
Fox 13 News - Santa Flight 2013
This year for me was really fun, my wife was able to ditch work and took Anna (3.5 years old) out of pre-school. Don't worry, we read extra books that night to make sure she didn't get behind in her first of two years in preschool. Because we needed room for presents, Emily who is now 2, held down the fort at home.
We woke up early that morning and left for the airport. The night before I drove out to make sure the hangar door was not frozen and turned on the heater in the hangar to 55. We arrived to a warm plane and hangar and loaded up in the hangar because it was 8 degrees that morning and the wind was blowing around 10 mph, it was cold.
We had a short flight to U42 where we landed and started loading up gifts. The gifts were gathered by a local Boys Scout group. The two Elf's were very helpful and ran gifts to all the planes and tried to stay warm in the FBO between loads. They were very very hard workers. Thank you girls.
Here is a picture of Rick Barnes' Oshkosh Award Winning RV-10 loaded to the brim with presents.
Mrs. Claus and the Elf's trying to warm up.
I was very busy loading up my plane and Ricks, trying not freeze to death and did not get many pictures at U42. We finally were up and I contacted SLC Departure for flight following. With 15 planes in the air and ADS-B not in the area yet, I wanted eyes in the sky. They were asking us what was going on, they said there were many targets all along that route of flight.
The flight was incredible. The temperature at 10,500 ft was 22 deg F., and on the ground at Cedar City, -4F. There was definitely an inversion occurring.
Anna was happy on her iPod playing games and watching a movie.
Santa flight is put on by Angel Flight West and they have been doing it for 14 years. I have been able to do it one other time and look forward to next year. This year Santa Flight delivered 5000 lbs of toys and $6,500 to an under-funded Title 1 Elementary school.
Here are a couple of new reports on it for more information.
KSL News - Santa Flight 2013
Fox 13 News - Santa Flight 2013
This year for me was really fun, my wife was able to ditch work and took Anna (3.5 years old) out of pre-school. Don't worry, we read extra books that night to make sure she didn't get behind in her first of two years in preschool. Because we needed room for presents, Emily who is now 2, held down the fort at home.
We woke up early that morning and left for the airport. The night before I drove out to make sure the hangar door was not frozen and turned on the heater in the hangar to 55. We arrived to a warm plane and hangar and loaded up in the hangar because it was 8 degrees that morning and the wind was blowing around 10 mph, it was cold.
We had a short flight to U42 where we landed and started loading up gifts. The gifts were gathered by a local Boys Scout group. The two Elf's were very helpful and ran gifts to all the planes and tried to stay warm in the FBO between loads. They were very very hard workers. Thank you girls.
Here is a picture of Rick Barnes' Oshkosh Award Winning RV-10 loaded to the brim with presents.
Mrs. Claus and the Elf's trying to warm up.
I was very busy loading up my plane and Ricks, trying not freeze to death and did not get many pictures at U42. We finally were up and I contacted SLC Departure for flight following. With 15 planes in the air and ADS-B not in the area yet, I wanted eyes in the sky. They were asking us what was going on, they said there were many targets all along that route of flight.
The flight was incredible. The temperature at 10,500 ft was 22 deg F., and on the ground at Cedar City, -4F. There was definitely an inversion occurring.
Anna was happy on her iPod playing games and watching a movie.
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