Trip Report Pg 3 continued
We spent a day at Kennedy Space Center and took a vip tour of the launch pads and shuttle assembly building. Well worth the money and time. Now I know where a few tax dollars go. A cheap day compared to Disney. It was hot and steamy on that side of Florida too. There are plenty more places to go, but one must get back to work and pay more taxes.
It was just one round of TS after another moving W to E across the panhandle of Florida then this was in the back of my mind.
Here was the wx on departure morning. We delayed departure almost too long. We had to wait long enough for ceilings to come up to at least 1500' in Southeastern Georgia/S. Carolina but not too long because TS were again on the move. Maybe that hot and steamy feeling for the last 12 days had a little to do with it.
We departed Sebring, FL- SEF North towards Jacksonville, FL. We got flight following all the way down and surely wanted it going North this day. Another item I would have not flown without is XM wx. Never lost it from 0-13,500' MSL. I would never depend on Foreflight in the air or ADS-B on the ground. They both have their weaknesses. As we closed in on the wx near Jacksonville, ATC ask if I had on board wx. Affirmative I replied. He said he was showing extreme precipitation at my 12 o'clock and 20 miles. I see it and would like to deviate to the East as necessary. There is a warning area out there but no problem vfr and I doubt any military guys were flying this day. We deviated approximately 10 miles from shore. You betcha I had one screen on the engine display and my headset cocked a little on one side to listen to that 540 purr. When abeam Jacksonville, they came on and said the airport was closed to all inbound traffic. It got busy with chatter in a hurry with diversions to alternates and holding patterns. We started heading for the Georgia coast, St Simons Island- SSI. By the time we reached Barnwell, SC- BNL for fuel, ceilings were up to 2,000'. There were many days after that were no-gos for leaving vfr. Flew from Barnwell NW over Western Carolina Reg- RHP to avoid TS and TC popping up SE of the Appalachians.
Then direct NE to Portsmouth, Ohio- PMH, our homebase. Good experience for me and my wife- Navigator/Weather Girl. Thank you Ted for more great training and advice! Thanks to Van's, Lycoming, Hartzell, GRT and XM wx for helping make a first long xc flight for a low time pilot and his family a safe and enjoyable one. Now here at OSH for my daughter's EAA Air Academy and watching preparations for Air Venture. We will be back up on July 21-23 for some camping by the plane...another first. Wouldn't you know it, it is steamy hot here now too.