Jonathan Alvord
Well Known Member
Last week we left for my wife 1st long trip in the RV. She wanted to go to Martha's Vineyard and I wanted to fly, so we loaded up the plane to max weight and off we went. 8.5 hours later after a flyover of Yellowstone, stop in Buffalo Montana, a fly by of Devils Tower, Crazy Horse Monument and Mount Rushmore, another stop in Pocahontas Iowa for fuel, we finally landed in Dupage (western Chicago) where my Niece lives. She is the wine director for the Girl and the Goat restaurant group and was able to get us in for dinner (usually a 3-4 month reservation in advance is needed, I made our in Feb). By for the best meal we have ever had! Everything was cooked perfectly and items I would never have ordered (Duck Tongue) were amazing.
Day 2, up, up and away! We left Dupage and flew south around the Chicago Class Bravo to 3TR ( Michigan for cheap fuel) raced few Blackhawk helicopters there and topped off the tanks. Then off to New England. With two E oxygen tanks we climbed up to 17,500 AGL to get over the clouds then began a gradual decent through the cloud layers. What appeared to be an opening was slowing shutting down and after choosing an alternate (thank you ATC) we landed at University Park, State College PA for the night. We also lost the ability to transmit on the primary radio and switched to the back up. The GA ramp was great and recommended a nice hotel with nearby restaurant/bar and airport transportation. After a couple drinks we were off to bed.
Day 3. More clouds and rain (failed to mention TS Barry was working its way Northeast). We were able to sneak out through a hole to blue sky and again climbed quickly to 7500, 9500, 11500 at which point we cruised over the top of the clouds and then descended down to KCNH (Claremont NH) where some friends left us a car and she went to pick get our daughter and would meet me and another friend out on Lake Sunapee for an afternoon Surf Session. I meanwhile waited for a buddy and took him for a short ride in the RV and back, and then we headed to the lake.
Day 4. Lori and our daughter drove down to Buzzards Bay (New Bedford ) and I met up with another friend and took him for a ride from Lebanon NH to Concord NH and back. It was a quick flight but after stopping in Concord to pick up a back up radio the avionic shop said they could look at my radios if I returned. I flew my friend home and returned to Concord where they promptly told me there was nothing they could do having looked at some of the simple possible causes. With back up radio in hand I flew down to New Bedford and arrived 5 min after my wife and daughter. Let the shuttling begin, two trips to Martha's and then second one we landed with about 1 min to spare before a fog bank closed the runway to VFR traffic. Settled into the VRBO in a heat wave, and went down to Vineyard Haven to find our Captain for the boat races the following day. Dinner at the Black Dog and back to the non-ac VRBO with no fans that we new off.
Day 5. Off to the Races, Sailboat races that is! The Black Dog Dash in it's 30th year is a race for multihull sailboats that starts at anchor with the slowest boat starting first, out of 18 we were number 4 to start! It was another hot day and we did good to hold off the competition but not good enough. Finished 8/18. Celebrated with a great picnic with all the competition that evening, caught up with more friends from the past.
Day 6. Back to Ferry pilot and the return trip to home. Had to drop off our daughter and the loaner car back in New Hampshire then headed to Lake George NY for the night and more Lake Surfing with good friends. Tried to meet up with the original builder of N122EF but he was off celebrating his 50th anniversary.
Day 7. Should have stayed for another day in Lake George. Flew to Frankfort-Highland (UCA) and was grounded by bad weather at the wrong airport. No Crew Car, No really pilot lounge, and what was there had no running water, no wifi, no phone. We waited for 4 hours watching Netflix or amazon prime on the iPad until a weather window opened, or at least we thought it would. Took off under MVFR and quickly returned to the airport when I realized it was a really bad idea. Better to be on the ground wishing you were in the the air than in the air wishing you were on the ground. We finally met a ATP for Delta that gave us a ride to town and the local hotel. Walked in the rain to the Erie Canal and had a mediocre dinner and returned to the hotel for the night.
Day 8, Weather was clearing and we headed to the airport. Preflight (like every morning) fueled and loaded up we took off and headed to the North side of Lake Erie. Flew directly over Detroit Class Bravo with flight following and landed 3.5 hrs later at Tyler memorial (just north of South Bend) refueled and headed West. We had a friend who had just purchased a Jump plane for his business in Maryland and was flying back so we met up with him KWAG. Great little airport and the airport manager was set up for the Oshkosh rush! The Mechanic was on vacation and no oil was to be found but they sold us 2 quarts from their private stash and gave us a very nice Ford Explorer to take to town. Our friends opted out as the 182 was fully loaded with extra doors, empanage, engine mount, rudder. Off they went while we went for burgers. We decided we would order a pizza and bring it to the next stop KLCG (Wayne Morris field in Nebraska). This was by far the nicest little GA airport we stopped at the entire trip. Apparently it was hit by a tornado and completely destroyed a year or two ago and insurance rebuilt it to a very high standard. All the amenities where there. Drinks, Wifi, Shower, recliners, Air conditioning and even a fridge with about 50 fresh sandwiches. I think they were planning on Oshkosh pilots flying in. Next leg to Buffalo Montana which took us around a large weather system near Mt Rushmore. After leaving Buffalo we tried to climb up and over the mountains but Mother Nature was having nothing of it! With no way to go west without hitting some very dark skies and lighting we landed in Laurel Montana and got a hotel room. Note to self if landing for the night try to stop at Class C airport where transportation is cheaper, and food is better. Our friends caught up to us there and we found a nice little bar to have a few cocktails at. There was only one place and nobody was serving food.
Day 9. Laurel (Billings) Montana to Prosser via Missoula. An uneventful but turbulent ride over the Big mountains of Montana and idaho. Finally arriving home after putting N122EF back in her hanger! I think Lori and I were both spent, as we joked about flying to Friday Harbor for lunch just to say we did a coast to coast trip. Our friends arrived a day later and I managed to get the first jump out of the new/Used 182!
Jon
Day 2, up, up and away! We left Dupage and flew south around the Chicago Class Bravo to 3TR ( Michigan for cheap fuel) raced few Blackhawk helicopters there and topped off the tanks. Then off to New England. With two E oxygen tanks we climbed up to 17,500 AGL to get over the clouds then began a gradual decent through the cloud layers. What appeared to be an opening was slowing shutting down and after choosing an alternate (thank you ATC) we landed at University Park, State College PA for the night. We also lost the ability to transmit on the primary radio and switched to the back up. The GA ramp was great and recommended a nice hotel with nearby restaurant/bar and airport transportation. After a couple drinks we were off to bed.
Day 3. More clouds and rain (failed to mention TS Barry was working its way Northeast). We were able to sneak out through a hole to blue sky and again climbed quickly to 7500, 9500, 11500 at which point we cruised over the top of the clouds and then descended down to KCNH (Claremont NH) where some friends left us a car and she went to pick get our daughter and would meet me and another friend out on Lake Sunapee for an afternoon Surf Session. I meanwhile waited for a buddy and took him for a short ride in the RV and back, and then we headed to the lake.
Day 4. Lori and our daughter drove down to Buzzards Bay (New Bedford ) and I met up with another friend and took him for a ride from Lebanon NH to Concord NH and back. It was a quick flight but after stopping in Concord to pick up a back up radio the avionic shop said they could look at my radios if I returned. I flew my friend home and returned to Concord where they promptly told me there was nothing they could do having looked at some of the simple possible causes. With back up radio in hand I flew down to New Bedford and arrived 5 min after my wife and daughter. Let the shuttling begin, two trips to Martha's and then second one we landed with about 1 min to spare before a fog bank closed the runway to VFR traffic. Settled into the VRBO in a heat wave, and went down to Vineyard Haven to find our Captain for the boat races the following day. Dinner at the Black Dog and back to the non-ac VRBO with no fans that we new off.
Day 5. Off to the Races, Sailboat races that is! The Black Dog Dash in it's 30th year is a race for multihull sailboats that starts at anchor with the slowest boat starting first, out of 18 we were number 4 to start! It was another hot day and we did good to hold off the competition but not good enough. Finished 8/18. Celebrated with a great picnic with all the competition that evening, caught up with more friends from the past.
Day 6. Back to Ferry pilot and the return trip to home. Had to drop off our daughter and the loaner car back in New Hampshire then headed to Lake George NY for the night and more Lake Surfing with good friends. Tried to meet up with the original builder of N122EF but he was off celebrating his 50th anniversary.
Day 7. Should have stayed for another day in Lake George. Flew to Frankfort-Highland (UCA) and was grounded by bad weather at the wrong airport. No Crew Car, No really pilot lounge, and what was there had no running water, no wifi, no phone. We waited for 4 hours watching Netflix or amazon prime on the iPad until a weather window opened, or at least we thought it would. Took off under MVFR and quickly returned to the airport when I realized it was a really bad idea. Better to be on the ground wishing you were in the the air than in the air wishing you were on the ground. We finally met a ATP for Delta that gave us a ride to town and the local hotel. Walked in the rain to the Erie Canal and had a mediocre dinner and returned to the hotel for the night.
Day 8, Weather was clearing and we headed to the airport. Preflight (like every morning) fueled and loaded up we took off and headed to the North side of Lake Erie. Flew directly over Detroit Class Bravo with flight following and landed 3.5 hrs later at Tyler memorial (just north of South Bend) refueled and headed West. We had a friend who had just purchased a Jump plane for his business in Maryland and was flying back so we met up with him KWAG. Great little airport and the airport manager was set up for the Oshkosh rush! The Mechanic was on vacation and no oil was to be found but they sold us 2 quarts from their private stash and gave us a very nice Ford Explorer to take to town. Our friends opted out as the 182 was fully loaded with extra doors, empanage, engine mount, rudder. Off they went while we went for burgers. We decided we would order a pizza and bring it to the next stop KLCG (Wayne Morris field in Nebraska). This was by far the nicest little GA airport we stopped at the entire trip. Apparently it was hit by a tornado and completely destroyed a year or two ago and insurance rebuilt it to a very high standard. All the amenities where there. Drinks, Wifi, Shower, recliners, Air conditioning and even a fridge with about 50 fresh sandwiches. I think they were planning on Oshkosh pilots flying in. Next leg to Buffalo Montana which took us around a large weather system near Mt Rushmore. After leaving Buffalo we tried to climb up and over the mountains but Mother Nature was having nothing of it! With no way to go west without hitting some very dark skies and lighting we landed in Laurel Montana and got a hotel room. Note to self if landing for the night try to stop at Class C airport where transportation is cheaper, and food is better. Our friends caught up to us there and we found a nice little bar to have a few cocktails at. There was only one place and nobody was serving food.
Day 9. Laurel (Billings) Montana to Prosser via Missoula. An uneventful but turbulent ride over the Big mountains of Montana and idaho. Finally arriving home after putting N122EF back in her hanger! I think Lori and I were both spent, as we joked about flying to Friday Harbor for lunch just to say we did a coast to coast trip. Our friends arrived a day later and I managed to get the first jump out of the new/Used 182!
Jon
