Journey Of A Lifetime (long)

[Vlad]

Engine started on 30th blade. Then there were Corpus Christi TFR and fires.









Abeam Matagorda Island the temptation became high. I still have the unused invitation to land there from 2 years ago and I can dig it out of electronic archives if somebody questions me. Right descending turn... looks like nobody around...




Matagorda island is conquered.





An energy drink didn't help much. Neither a snack of potato chips. Next stop will be Texas Gulf Coast Regional airport. Tanks are nearly dry and hunger is slowing down my two remaining brain cells. Look what I see at the ramp An Aluminum Wizard! Wow I thought only Massachusetts RV builders could do it.













I had a great soup at a Mexican restaurant and sprinted out to Galveston where I was planning to overnight. Galveston Tower understood my mumblings and sent me directly to the numbers.





Highly rated FBO was just rated highly. I sat in the terminal for an hour waiting for a crew van. It never showed up so I walked couple miles. Payed dearly for a night of comfort. But it's a vacation and hotels were preplanned. Had a burger and a drink at a beach joint, dragged my feet back to the hotel and fell asleep with TV on.

[1001001]

My employer has a facility located smack between Gila Bend Muni and the Air Force Aux field. I'm curious if you got any pictures of it? It's just southwest of the muni field.

If you stand on top of the product packaging tower at night you get the airport beacons right in the face--of course you can tell the Aux field by the double white flash.

In the background of the shot above you can see the local gas turbine power plant. I think there's a paper mill off to the southwest closer to the Air Force field too.

Originally Posted by Vlad

By 8 am it was already hot down low I climbed to 60 degrees Fahrenheit and stayed there till I reached Gila Bend (E63).





Local Sheriff was there on his business. I didn't stay long. The little terminal building didn't have an operational cooling system. Gila Bend has pretty intensive traffic both flight schools and the military.

[precession]

Originally Posted by Vlad

Nearly 11 enjoyable hours of extreme aerial tourism.

"extreme aerial tourism" -- great description of this entire thread.

[PerfTech]

.........I loved it all! With very little more effort, this is an E-Book, and I would buy one. Thanks Vlad....

[NYTOM]

Vlad you wouldn't believe how many times a day I check to see if you posted a new episode. And really sad when you miss a day. I'm getting scared, your almost across the Mississippi. I know know I'm going to have withdrawal symptoms when you get home. Without a doubt your best adventure.
Thank you for the incredible motivation .

[Randy]

Vlad, Thanks for all the reports. I have a similar extreme aerial tourism trip on my bucket list now, and you are to blame:

[Vlad]

In the Galveston hotel I slept and slept then more. Ate their attached to the ticket tasteless breakfast and took a short two mile walk to the airport. It was Saturday.
A moster storm was raging for days in Luisiana flooding the coast and throwing tentacles of convection to the north. I plotted deviation routes and left the island. Sneaked under the first still developing chain of weather by Houston and kept heading northbound.








Fought off two chains of weather and got entangled in the third. With oxygen on top I go. Can't get the right approach frequency. By the time I contacted Center I was already near the limits of VFR airspace. Just a bit and I am over it. Just a bit...




Don't do it at home without an oxygen mask. Altitude chamber at his worst and Center wasn't happy about it. I promised myself to fill the necessary form. The interesting thing is that a high time carbureted engine driving a wood prop can get you to these altitudes and in some instances even higher. Who said he doesn't like the 9?
On my way around the weather I landed at Magee, Mississippi and Enterprise, Alabama. Took a crew car for a spin around the Alabama town you can't get lost there a road is just a huge circle you are coming to the airport from any direction. I also saw some very interesting runways. Do they race helicopters there? How can I get a permission to land at a heliport?








The day of Cloud Battles was nearly over I managed to reach the west coast of Florida.





A relaxed leg to Tampa was terminated by arrival of a huge storm which grew out from nowhere. Winds by Peter O'Knight were blowing in all directions. I firewalled the throttle and plopped in the middle of the runway bouncing like a tennis ball.





I was met by my good friends we quickly secured the aircraft and they hauled me away. Life was good again.








Tomorrow I will be exploring the State of Florida. They have a lot of fun places there don't go away ...

[snopercod]

GPS Altitude 20,674' LOL! How do they say "It's easier to get forgiveness than permission" in Russian?

[Boyd Birchler]

You better exercise the NASA form for the "get out of jail free card" or they may start a suspension action for exceeding 17500 while VFR. I would be sure to fill out the form and mail one and keep the strip that comes with it.

A guy in a Mooney did the same as you over the front range of the Rocky's and caught all kinds of grief, that could have been avoided with the NASA safety form.

[jeffkersey]

Heart pounding reading this. Are you instrument rated but the plane isn't IFR "certified" so you don't file? I would like to know what you end up going through with the FAA after this? If anything?