dmaib
Well Known Member
Mary (aka Rosie the Riveter) and I have wanted to take this trip since retiring back in 2008. However, various family and life issues have intervened until this year. We thought July and August would be a great time to leave the Florida summertime steam bath and head for drier climes. We departed New Smyrna Beach early on the morning of July 12.
Touched down again in New Smyrna Beach on August 5th, 5554 nautical miles and 39.8 flight hours later. Our plan was to be away for a month, but we were forced to cut the trip a week short when we got word that Mary's mother had fallen and broken her hip. We planned to visit friends and family, and visit places we had never been on this trip.
The first day was from FL to Bentonville, AR to spend a couple of days with my brother and his wife. We made a fuel stop at Key Aviation in Meridian, MS on the way. Key Aviation is a great FBO with very good self-serve fuel prices. Then on to Bentonville KVBT where Summit Aviation greeted us with great service and even stuck our airplane in a hangar for two nights just so the airplane would not be out in the heat. Great folks.
Enroute to Bentonville
Beaver Lake in Arkansas with my brother, Bob.
High water everywhere in NW Arkansas
Next stop was Sundance Airpark in Oklahoma City, to visit with one of our oldest and best friends. He hired me for my first corporate pilot job back in 1975. We spent two days with him and his wife and had a great time. Very good FBO at Sundance with a first rate line service. Could not help but notice that the crew cars were Range Rovers! We visited the Federal Building Bombing monument and museum. This is a somber, but amazing place to visit.
OKC Bombing Monument
Preparing to depart Sundance airpark
Next stop would be a quick fuel stop in Cheyenne, WY enroute to Bozeman, MT where we would spend the night before continuing to our first west coast destination of Seattle.
Touched down again in New Smyrna Beach on August 5th, 5554 nautical miles and 39.8 flight hours later. Our plan was to be away for a month, but we were forced to cut the trip a week short when we got word that Mary's mother had fallen and broken her hip. We planned to visit friends and family, and visit places we had never been on this trip.
The first day was from FL to Bentonville, AR to spend a couple of days with my brother and his wife. We made a fuel stop at Key Aviation in Meridian, MS on the way. Key Aviation is a great FBO with very good self-serve fuel prices. Then on to Bentonville KVBT where Summit Aviation greeted us with great service and even stuck our airplane in a hangar for two nights just so the airplane would not be out in the heat. Great folks.
Enroute to Bentonville
Beaver Lake in Arkansas with my brother, Bob.
High water everywhere in NW Arkansas
Next stop was Sundance Airpark in Oklahoma City, to visit with one of our oldest and best friends. He hired me for my first corporate pilot job back in 1975. We spent two days with him and his wife and had a great time. Very good FBO at Sundance with a first rate line service. Could not help but notice that the crew cars were Range Rovers! We visited the Federal Building Bombing monument and museum. This is a somber, but amazing place to visit.
OKC Bombing Monument
Preparing to depart Sundance airpark
Next stop would be a quick fuel stop in Cheyenne, WY enroute to Bozeman, MT where we would spend the night before continuing to our first west coast destination of Seattle.
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