n5lp
fugio ergo sum
RVs are delightful and versatile airplanes. They are good for aerobatics, rides, travel and throttling back to 4 GPM for local scenic flights. When you think of a reconnaissance and photography aircraft, the RV with its low wing combined with a non-opening canopy isn't what would immediately come to mind though.
Surprisingly I find mine is used a lot for those purposes though, and really works fairly well. When something interesting is happening I like to be in on it but normally you can't go to those interesting sites from the ground. From the air, you almost always can see what is going on.
The missions are many; perhaps a forest fire, where your Garmin 496 shows you exactly where the area of interest is. Just go right for the center of the TFR and stay above the restricted altitude.
This fire was in the Guadalupe Mountains a few weeks ago. Notice how the slurry bombers make fire lines. The non-resident fire fighters complained about all our plants and animals that stick or bite. At one point an airtanker was called in for a drop on bees that were bothering the fire fighters.
Or maybe your mission would be to capture a photo of a bunch of friends kayaking the Pecos River.
In a small town, people know who has the airplanes so sometimes you get a call involving a lost hiker or a cave or an escapee. This Wednesday I got a call about a sinkhole. A guy servicing a well heard a rumbling and got out just in time. The county emergency coordinator called and wanted to look at the sinkhole from the air as they couldn't tell anything from the ground from the distance they were willing to get from it. So we went then and have been monitoring it since.
Its fun to be in on the action!
Surprisingly I find mine is used a lot for those purposes though, and really works fairly well. When something interesting is happening I like to be in on it but normally you can't go to those interesting sites from the ground. From the air, you almost always can see what is going on.
The missions are many; perhaps a forest fire, where your Garmin 496 shows you exactly where the area of interest is. Just go right for the center of the TFR and stay above the restricted altitude.
The TFR for this fire in the Sacramento Mountains went up to 12,000 MSL. The photo was taken from 12,500.
This fire was in the Guadalupe Mountains a few weeks ago. Notice how the slurry bombers make fire lines. The non-resident fire fighters complained about all our plants and animals that stick or bite. At one point an airtanker was called in for a drop on bees that were bothering the fire fighters.
Or maybe your mission would be to capture a photo of a bunch of friends kayaking the Pecos River.
In a small town, people know who has the airplanes so sometimes you get a call involving a lost hiker or a cave or an escapee. This Wednesday I got a call about a sinkhole. A guy servicing a well heard a rumbling and got out just in time. The county emergency coordinator called and wanted to look at the sinkhole from the air as they couldn't tell anything from the ground from the distance they were willing to get from it. So we went then and have been monitoring it since.
Its fun to be in on the action!