Tanya
Well Known Member
The time finally came for our summer adventure. Our planned trip to the Bahamas with our friends Roy and Sandy was canceled due to Covid. After Oshkosh also hit the skids for the year, we started talking about a sailboat trip with them in the San Juan Islands. It had been on the radar since our trip down the island chains to Grenada, but it was destined to become a reality in 2020.
A couple weeks before the adventure was to commence, we noticed a crack in the side of our nose wheel tire. So, off to buy a new tire to replace it. A few days later, a new tire was on and 22C’s nose was sitting proud again. After closer inspection, we are very glad we didn’t launch cross-country with it as there was a little damage on the bottom as well. We got our money’s worth with the tread sneaking up on the wear markers.
Mother Nature always has her say, and this trip started out with her voice being heard loud and clear. As departure day grew near, a tropical depression formed in the gulf. A couple days later, it turned into a tropical storm named Hanna. On departure day, we made a beeline out of Austin as she turned into a hurricane. Once again, we were thankful for the IFR capability as Hanna’s outer bands covered Austin with solid overcast that persisted a good hour into the flight.
The first fuel stop for the day was Borger, TX, KBGD. A great little West Texas airport with jolly, helpful staff and superb fuel prices. Nobody can complain about $3.20 avgas.
The next leg was up to Cheyenne, WY. It was all happy at 10K with a full meal service. While you may not be able to rotate the CQ1 mic out of the way as you can with an over-ear headset, just a quick tug to the side keeps it out of the way since it stays exactly where you put it.
We were awfully close to joining the club of exploding chips in the cockpit. Scott’s bag was already in auto-open mode with the seal half torn. Another 1000 feet, and we would have experienced that terror first hand.
The easy flight time ended due east of Denver. That’s when the bumps started, and the happy campers started to turn grumpy. We descended into CYS for fuel, all the while watching the rain showers to our north and west. It wasn’t anything heavy, but with mountains all around, we were concerned the rain could push us a direction we didn’t particularly care to go. So, we filed another IFR flight plan to make sure we played nice with Mother Nature. It turned out that the rain dissipated and we had great visibility, but it sure made the leg less stressful.
We landed at Rawlins, WY. The FBO folks were great to work with. They offered up some hangar space in case the winds picked up. We were planning to leave before they opened and the forecast was good, so we declined. We picked the stop because it had a hotel within walking distance, about a 1/2 mile. We are trying to keep our people interactions to a minimum while still being able to enjoy our magic carpet. So, off to the hotel with frozen dinners in tow for our evening dining.
The airport is at 6800 feet, but it has a 7000 foot runway so no problem, or at least so I thought. A few days before the trip, we saw a new NOTAM that the 7000 foot runway was closed! The crossing runway is 4000 feet. While we hate to leave fuel on the ground, this was one of those times that being on the heavy end of the envelope with a forecast density altitude of 9,000 feet (even at 7am) didn’t seem wise.
Time to rest up for another 800+ day tomorrow.
A couple weeks before the adventure was to commence, we noticed a crack in the side of our nose wheel tire. So, off to buy a new tire to replace it. A few days later, a new tire was on and 22C’s nose was sitting proud again. After closer inspection, we are very glad we didn’t launch cross-country with it as there was a little damage on the bottom as well. We got our money’s worth with the tread sneaking up on the wear markers.
Mother Nature always has her say, and this trip started out with her voice being heard loud and clear. As departure day grew near, a tropical depression formed in the gulf. A couple days later, it turned into a tropical storm named Hanna. On departure day, we made a beeline out of Austin as she turned into a hurricane. Once again, we were thankful for the IFR capability as Hanna’s outer bands covered Austin with solid overcast that persisted a good hour into the flight.
The first fuel stop for the day was Borger, TX, KBGD. A great little West Texas airport with jolly, helpful staff and superb fuel prices. Nobody can complain about $3.20 avgas.
The next leg was up to Cheyenne, WY. It was all happy at 10K with a full meal service. While you may not be able to rotate the CQ1 mic out of the way as you can with an over-ear headset, just a quick tug to the side keeps it out of the way since it stays exactly where you put it.
We were awfully close to joining the club of exploding chips in the cockpit. Scott’s bag was already in auto-open mode with the seal half torn. Another 1000 feet, and we would have experienced that terror first hand.
The easy flight time ended due east of Denver. That’s when the bumps started, and the happy campers started to turn grumpy. We descended into CYS for fuel, all the while watching the rain showers to our north and west. It wasn’t anything heavy, but with mountains all around, we were concerned the rain could push us a direction we didn’t particularly care to go. So, we filed another IFR flight plan to make sure we played nice with Mother Nature. It turned out that the rain dissipated and we had great visibility, but it sure made the leg less stressful.
We landed at Rawlins, WY. The FBO folks were great to work with. They offered up some hangar space in case the winds picked up. We were planning to leave before they opened and the forecast was good, so we declined. We picked the stop because it had a hotel within walking distance, about a 1/2 mile. We are trying to keep our people interactions to a minimum while still being able to enjoy our magic carpet. So, off to the hotel with frozen dinners in tow for our evening dining.
The airport is at 6800 feet, but it has a 7000 foot runway so no problem, or at least so I thought. A few days before the trip, we saw a new NOTAM that the 7000 foot runway was closed! The crossing runway is 4000 feet. While we hate to leave fuel on the ground, this was one of those times that being on the heavy end of the envelope with a forecast density altitude of 9,000 feet (even at 7am) didn’t seem wise.
Time to rest up for another 800+ day tomorrow.
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