petehowell
Well Known Member
Our trusty, much beloved Boxer, Boo, turned 11 recently and we realized we were living on some borrowed time with him. When his predecessor passed, the entire family (especially my wife) went into a 6 month funk. Unbeknownst to me, she has been looking for a pre-placement dog for the family and told me last weekend that I needed to fly to Sioux Falls to check out a young Boxer in a rescue program she had found on-line. Needless to say, It did not take much arm twisting to get me to agree.
Today was a bit windy, but a really nice fall day in the upper midwest. The ever present co-pilot Kate was on hand again to spot traffic (she embarrasses me every time) and confirm the dog was a family fit.
I went to work extra early and Kate met me at the airport late afternoon. We launched into 40 kt headwinds, but it still beat driving. Flight following called more traffic than ususal as we made it to Y14 in about an hour and a half. We landed, and got a chance to meet Olivia.
Pretty obvious she will become part of the family. I realize this is not a dog board, so here is your RV content and inspiration. SF is about a 4.5 hour drive from Minne. In the -9A, we made it there, met the dog, and were back at home in less time than that with similar fuel economy. The O-320 still runs great LOP, here we get 154kts true on 6.1GPH - at 7500 ft on the trip home. 48 kt quartering tail wind = 171kt over the ground - woo hoo!
As for scenery, it is easy to see why the coasters call it "Flyover Country", but the rich colors and long shadows of a warm fall evening have a certain appeal that I think everone can enjoy. (More pics here)
Just before landing, we were treated to a great sunset - a nice way to close out the evening!
Overall, 4 hours with Kate, 2:46 flight time, 16 gallons of 100LL, and a new best friend!
Today was a bit windy, but a really nice fall day in the upper midwest. The ever present co-pilot Kate was on hand again to spot traffic (she embarrasses me every time) and confirm the dog was a family fit.
I went to work extra early and Kate met me at the airport late afternoon. We launched into 40 kt headwinds, but it still beat driving. Flight following called more traffic than ususal as we made it to Y14 in about an hour and a half. We landed, and got a chance to meet Olivia.
Pretty obvious she will become part of the family. I realize this is not a dog board, so here is your RV content and inspiration. SF is about a 4.5 hour drive from Minne. In the -9A, we made it there, met the dog, and were back at home in less time than that with similar fuel economy. The O-320 still runs great LOP, here we get 154kts true on 6.1GPH - at 7500 ft on the trip home. 48 kt quartering tail wind = 171kt over the ground - woo hoo!
As for scenery, it is easy to see why the coasters call it "Flyover Country", but the rich colors and long shadows of a warm fall evening have a certain appeal that I think everone can enjoy. (More pics here)
Just before landing, we were treated to a great sunset - a nice way to close out the evening!
Overall, 4 hours with Kate, 2:46 flight time, 16 gallons of 100LL, and a new best friend!
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