Tom & Bonnie are on the road again

[tommylewis]

After a great 12 day visit with our daughter and family in New Hampshire, which included a week at a beach house on the Maine coast, today we started the trip back to Texas. The weather was not quite as good as our VFR flights up to NE. We were flying the RV7a because we expected an IFR leg on the return trip, and our expectations were met today as we had two IFR legs so we each got to fly one.

We filed IFR out of Nashua, NH this morning, my turn to fly, and climbed to 8k to follow the victor airways down to Altoona, Pa. If someone knows how to get a direct IFR flight in that part of the country, I would like to hear about it. We were in and out of the clouds all the way and shot the GPS 21 approach into AOO breaking out well above minimums. The 530W, GRT, and TT autopilot all did their job well.

After refueling, checking the weather and realizing our original flight path plan went right through a LARGE area of thunder storms, we changed plans and filed for Greensboro, NC. Not exactly on our direct flight plan, but it did get us south of all the weather. We did get direct routing on this leg. At 10k feet, Bonnie is flying this leg, we were again in and out of the clouds but with buildups and turbulance from the weather moving in from the west. The XM weather was essential for this leg. But as we got to Greensboro, a storm was over the airport so we canceled IFR and proceeded VFR around to the south of the weather and proceeded west to Shelby, NC where we landed to refuel and access our options. After a look at the radar to the west, the decision to spend the night was easy, expecially when we were given use of a hangar for the night. There is also a car rental place in town that will deliver a car to the airport. There are several good motels and restaurants in town.

On every trip we make the decision as to wheather we run the plane in the economy mode or the speed mode. Today were operating the plane in the best speed mode with true airspeeds of 170 knots all day long because of the developing weather. These RVs are really amazing.

Tomorrow we will be flying west toward Texas in hopes of getting home. Check out our progress on the SPOT link in my signature block.

[Michael White]

Good luck, Tom, and watch out for the thunderbumpers and haze. We get so much afternoon humidity here in the South this time of year that we can be near-IMC without a cloud in the sky. Get started early if you can.

Have fun and fly safe,

[rv7boy]

They're coming across North Alabama. If it weren't so hot outside, I'd go out and try to see them.

P.S. They don't show up on Flightaware today (yesterday they did) so they must be flying VFR. Weather looks like VMC all the way to DFW area.

P.P.S. 10:55 AM CDT Update: Looks like they crossed North Alabama about 50 miles south of me. They're making good progress and are approaching the Alabama/Mississippi state line as I write this. RV's are amazing traveling machines.

[rv7boy]

Looks like they made it through Alabama before a big glob of thunderstoms developed. Looks like they are diverting a little to the right of course to avoid some T-S buildups in Mississippi. We're presently under a Severe Thunderstorm Warning here in Huntsville.

[Sig600]

Originally Posted by tommylewis

If someone knows how to get a direct IFR flight in that part of the country, I would like to hear about it.

Climb straight to FL450+ and do .95 Mach, worked for me!

[tommylewis]

We did make it home today. I flew the first leg and climbed to 8500 where it was 52 degrees and smooth. Had good VFR weather so we did not file IFR but when we stopped for lunch in Mississippi the thunderstorms started popping up and Bonnie had to do a little deviating around some storms across that state. She climbed high to clear some buildups and then came back down to 10500 for the rest of the trip. XM weather was again very valuable.

Not exactly the direct route home, but our plan worked. These RVs really are great cross country machines!!

Boy is it HOT in Texas!!