Howdy,
I got a call from an aviation columnist this week. He had been stranded at my local airport and had developed an interest in it. Here is this magnificent facility in the middle of nowhere and there is little activity. He had even eaten at the local restaurant "Happy's" and had noticed that most of the letters on the sign are no longer visible.
What can I say? The facility is underused and the town is small and a bit backward.
He asked me about what I do for flying and I told him, but I don't feel I conveyed the positive things. I told him I "look." That is just what I do, and I do enjoy it. In recent years I did fly around with "hair on fire" and upside down but I really don't do that much anymore, I just look.
Today, after takeoff, I headed for Rattlesnake Springs, the site for a recent field camp of international speleologists. I had noticed a cemetery there and wanted to see if I could spot it from the air. From there I went to the entrance to Park's Ranch Cave, one of the longest gypsum caves in the US, just across the highway from Rattlesnake Springs. I was trying to find the particular entrance that was in a photograph I had seen. I was unable to find it.
From there I headed down to the Delaware River, an intermittent stream where I thought the photo might have been taken. Again, I could not find the spot.
I tried to follow the Delaware upstream, which is not easy. When the bed is dry, you can't tell which fork carries the most water. I went some by ignoring the fork that comes in at the biggest angle.
I crossed the large wind turbine field in the Delaware Mountains and then went to the secret
Salt Flat Airport to see what had changed. Quite a bit had changed.
On the way back to Carlsbad I crossed over the Dark Canyon Lookout area where so many Guadalupe Mountains caves are. I tried to find the route to Black Cave. I found the general area, but could not pick out the black pipeline you need to follow.
I looked at the place I hiked last week, the Permian Reef Trail, in Guadalupe Mountains National Park. It was a difficult and hot hike, but from the air, it is nothing, there to there and there. The trail was washed out at that point, a few weeks ago.
Then I went to the Queen area and tried to find the entrance to "Pine Nut" cave that Louise Hose and I found, a few years ago. I have never been able to see the entrance to this cave from the air. The entire cave is filled with Pine Nuts, and I can't figure out why.
After this I went by Sitting Bull Falls and then to McKittrick Hill, the site of many outstanding caves.
When I got back to the Carlsbad, NM area I flew over the RC field, to see what was going on then over Carlsbad to the headquarters of the National Cave and Karst Research Institute building, which is being built, then to friend Roger's super energy efficient home, which is being built.
When I entered the pattern at Carlsbad I retarded the throttle to idle, opposite the touchdown point, on downwind. I cut the base to final turn a bit for altitude then touched down about 500 feet from the approach end, a bit firmly, three point, with no bounce. I need to get the greaser next time.
After putting Black Belly in the hangar, as per normal, I walked in the airport area. Recent rains made things unusually green. King Birds were shooting up everywhere, kind of like "whack-o-moles" catching insects from their perches on the Yuccas.
During the walk I watched a Commander 114 land.
He was carrying power on final then flared and floated and floated and ballooned then floated. The touchdown was at about 2,300 feet down the runway. In his favor it was nose high and he did make the turnoff at the end of the runway. Very fine, by the standards of many.
The normal common birds on this walk are Turkey Vultures, but none were in sight today although the hawks were starting to stir as the walk was wrapping up.
I can't say just why, but there really are advantages to living in the hinterlands.
Regular day
Linear Mode
