What did you do with your RV this weekend (9/12/2020-9/13/2020)?

DeltaRomeo · #1 09-12-2020, 12:53 PM

...gittin' her started...

scard · #2 09-12-2020, 01:40 PM

It was certainly way too nice in central TX to just sit on the ground. There is always "flight testing" to be done. Just enjoying the NOT 100deg temps!!

SPX · #3 09-13-2020, 12:44 AM

Two friends of mine from Washington were in Flagstaff for work from Thursday through today, so I used the excuse of them being "close" as a reason to fly over and have lunch with them. It was also a nice getaway from the smoke filled sky that we've been seeing here in Southern California for what feels like days (and it's much worse in Northern California).

I took off around 9:30 AM and had a slow 2.4 hour flight to Flagstaff (300 NM) due to a 15 - 20 knot headwind. Overall, it was a pretty smooth flight until I got close to Flagstaff, and then was fairly bumpy the last 30 miles or so. It was pretty windy in Flagstaff, which certainly didn't help the ride quality.

I hadn't flown low level in Arizona in around a year, and even then, it was through Southern Arizona that I flew through. I find the more Northern portions of Arizona to be much more stunningly beautiful.

After visiting my friends, they checked out my RV, and really liked what they saw. The three of us are professional pilots, and I was telling them how much fun the RV is, compared to the work airplane. They both took pictures of the airplane and were both going home to tell their wife that they want one.

I departed Flagstaff and headed home around 3:30 PM. I saw some blue skies in Flagstaff, but also a lot of high (20,000 feet or higher, I'd guess) smoke. By the time I left, the blue sky was gone, and the smoke was present, but it was welcomed this time because the visibility remained good, but the smoke was serving as a barrier from the sun. I am not a fan of flying west in the late afternoon..

I had a nice flight home, and the headwind from this morning actually stayed constant, so it turned into a tailwind this afternoon (rarely happens). The 2.4 hour flight out to Flagstaff was noticeably longer than the 1.9 hour flight home. It was also bumpier...

The visibility stayed good for the flight home, except for the last ten miles or so, when it became only a few miles, again thanks to the smoke. I actually dialed in the instrument approach for better guidance to the runway. Probably should have actually done the instrument approach; would have been easier.

Driving to/from Flagstaff wouldn't be practical in a day. What I did in 8 hours would have taken 18.5 hours in a car. Gotta love the RV!

A few random photos from the day are attached.

crabandy · #4 09-13-2020, 12:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SPX

Two friends of mine from Washington were in Flagstaff for work from Thursday through today, so I used the excuse of them being "close" as a reason to fly over and have lunch with them. It was also a nice getaway from the smoke filled sky that we've been seeing here in Southern California for what feels like days (and it's much worse in Northern California).

I took off around 9:30 AM and had a slow 2.4 hour flight to Flagstaff (300 NM) due to a 15 - 20 knot headwind. Overall, it was a pretty smooth flight until I got close to Flagstaff, and then was fairly bumpy the last 30 miles or so. It was pretty windy in Flagstaff, which certainly didn't help the ride quality.

I hadn't flown low level in Arizona in around a year, and even then, it was through Southern Arizona that I flew through. I find the more Northern portions of Arizona to be much more stunningly beautiful.

After visiting my friends, they checked out my RV, and really liked what they saw. The three of us are professional pilots, and I was telling them how much fun the RV is, compared to the work airplane. They both took pictures of the airplane and were both going home to tell their wife that they want one.

I departed Flagstaff and headed home around 3:30 PM. I saw some blue skies in Flagstaff, but also a lot of high (20,000 feet or higher, I'd guess) smoke. By the time I left, the blue sky was gone, and the smoke was present, but it was welcomed this time because the visibility remained good, but the smoke was serving as a barrier from the sun. I am not a fan of flying west in the late afternoon..

I had a nice flight home, and the headwind from this morning actually stayed constant, so it turned into a tailwind this afternoon (rarely happens). The 2.4 hour flight out to Flagstaff was noticeably longer than the 1.9 hour flight home. It was also bumpier...

The visibility stayed good for the flight home, except for the last ten miles or so, when it became only a few miles, again thanks to the smoke. I actually dialed in the instrument approach for better guidance to the runway. Probably should have actually done the instrument approach; would have been easier.

Driving to/from Flagstaff wouldn't be practical in a day. What I did in 8 hours would have taken 18.5 hours in a car. Gotta love the RV!

A few random photos from the day are attached.

Crazy where a couple hours will take you in an RV! I also LOVE northern AZ!

MacCool · #5 09-13-2020, 05:28 AM

What did I do with my RV this weekend?

Well...up until this weekend I didn’t have an RV. As of yesterday, I’m the new owner of a beautiful, well-equipped, meticulously built, meticulously maintained RV-9A, and met some truly wonderful people in the process. Later this morning, my CFI/RV-wrangler and I are going to saddle up and fly her from St. Louis to her new home in ”up-north” Minnesota. So, it’s not over yet but it’s shaping up to be a great RV weekend for me. First of many.

AlexPeterson · #6 09-13-2020, 07:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MacCool

What did I do with my RV this weekend?

Well...up until this weekend I didn’t have an RV. As of yesterday, I’m the new owner of a beautiful, well-equipped, meticulously built, meticulously maintained RV-9A, and met some truly wonderful people in the process. Later this morning, my CFI/RV-wrangler and I are going to saddle up and fly her from St. Louis to her new home in ”up-north” Minnesota. So, it’s not over yet but it’s shaping up to be a great RV weekend for me. First of many.

Welcome to the RV flying world! Where in MN are you based?