1050 DFW time Friday.....getting this weekend's thread started. ;^). Looking like a few have the day off.
v/r,dr
v/r,dr
Van's Air Force
The definitive Van's Aircraft support community! Buying, building or flying an RV? Join our exclusive family of mentors and enthusiasts!
WDYDWYRTW? 11/29 - 12/1 / 2024
- Thread starter DeltaRomeo
- Start date
With a huge area of stable weather holding over the entire South Island, we decided to head down to Stewart Island for that $100 hambuger. Or in our case, the $500 Beer-battered Blue Cod. I know, it doesn't quite have the same ring to it, does it, but I can assure you it's just as unhealthy.
In company with a friend is his very sexy DA62, my wife and I headed down to Ryans Creek airfield for a few hours of relaxation, a brew, and a walk along the waterfront. Arrrrrrhhhhh... the smell of the sea breeze... something we don't get to experience often where we live. You know the smell - a combination of salt, humidity and rotten fish. The day was stunning, the flying was easy and the scenery was beautiful.
Ryans Creek is a private airfield and permission is required from the local commercial operator in order to land there. The landing fee is $40, however this includes the mini-van taxi into town and back (except when they drive right past you and you have to walk the 1.5 km instead). The permanent population is quite low but as there are a couple of famous walking tracks on the Island the Island is a popular tourist venue. Heck.... I would have seen at least 50 people! You can fly over or take the ferry, but neither option is good on a bad day.
Anyhow, it was a great trip and I was excited to finally have flown my RV-6 down there. The last time I flew in there was in our C182, around...1993? I think my wife (then girlfriend) had just turned 21 a few days earlier. Great memories.
In company with a friend is his very sexy DA62, my wife and I headed down to Ryans Creek airfield for a few hours of relaxation, a brew, and a walk along the waterfront. Arrrrrrhhhhh... the smell of the sea breeze... something we don't get to experience often where we live. You know the smell - a combination of salt, humidity and rotten fish. The day was stunning, the flying was easy and the scenery was beautiful.
Ryans Creek is a private airfield and permission is required from the local commercial operator in order to land there. The landing fee is $40, however this includes the mini-van taxi into town and back (except when they drive right past you and you have to walk the 1.5 km instead). The permanent population is quite low but as there are a couple of famous walking tracks on the Island the Island is a popular tourist venue. Heck.... I would have seen at least 50 people! You can fly over or take the ferry, but neither option is good on a bad day.
Anyhow, it was a great trip and I was excited to finally have flown my RV-6 down there. The last time I flew in there was in our C182, around...1993? I think my wife (then girlfriend) had just turned 21 a few days earlier. Great memories.
Attachments
Last edited:
Trucked her to the airport and wings are now attached for (hopefully) the final time.
Last edited by a moderator:
PilotjohnS
Well Known Member
Trip with family.
Grand canyon cruise over.
Then onto Vegas for best texas bbq outside of texas. Soul Belly in downtown Vegas.
Best comment of the trip was from controller going into vegas, “RV, traffic 6 o'clock, but you have 40 kts on him so traffic no factor.”
Grand canyon cruise over.
Then onto Vegas for best texas bbq outside of texas. Soul Belly in downtown Vegas.
Best comment of the trip was from controller going into vegas, “RV, traffic 6 o'clock, but you have 40 kts on him so traffic no factor.”
Last edited:
Took my son out to French Valley for lunch, and on the way back introduced him to some basic aerobatic figures in the local practice area near the coast. He got to see the aileron roll, loop, barrel roll, Immelmann, Cuban, split S, and hammerhead. I don't do spins in this airplane because I've got the HW wingtip fuel tanks and they never tested them for spin recovery.
I think he really enjoyed taking video of each figure with my iPhone. What cracks me up is how the "passenger warning" placard was so inadvertently prominent in a number of them (here's an example).
Another beautiful day of flying!
--Ron
I think he really enjoyed taking video of each figure with my iPhone. What cracks me up is how the "passenger warning" placard was so inadvertently prominent in a number of them (here's an example).
Another beautiful day of flying!
--Ron
You said he enjoyed taking videos of aerobatics but did he enjoy the aerobatic maneuvers themselves? Did you let him try an aileron roll so he could have some bragging rights?
From the background of your avatar it looks like a really nice paint job on your -6. I like the red pin stripes near the blue.
From the background of your avatar it looks like a really nice paint job on your -6. I like the red pin stripes near the blue.
1030 Sunday morning (Dallas, TX time).
I did let him fly an aileron roll, although I had to do the rudder work since he can’t reach the pedals yet. Next time perhaps a loop.
I send the videos to his teacher and she plays them for the class, a la show-and-tell. I think his street cred will be hard to top…
Yes, it’s a nice paint scheme—wish I could take credit for it, but the plane is what some refer to as the “ultimate quick build”: I bought it.
A local singer songwriter had asked me a few weeks ago if she could shoot a video in the hangar with the 10 in the background. The song was titled “ In the Making”. Kind of fitting as we are awaiting the Special C of A so I can go for the first flight in the next week or so. After 11 takes they were happy with the video. Owning an airplane you just never know where it will take you!
Attachments
Tucson, Arizona
Our company got the call for some emergency weekend work in Tucson. Heck yeah! I threw my mountain bike in the plane and flew non-stop at FL 190, because.... why not?! Pro tip: Fly into Ryan (KRYN) and park by the cafe/pilot lounge. Only $5/night for parking and Enterprise will leave a car for you, with keys in the lounge. It's only 5 minutes more in driving to downtown than Tucson Intl (KTUS), but much less hassle.
Work's done, everyone's happy, so spent an awesome (2) days mountain biking Starr Pass and Honeybee + Ridgeline areas. Roadrunner landscape!
Great food at the Coronet, cocktails at the Owls Club, and some jazz at the Hotel Congress. Alas, time to head back. Always great to see the Ivanpah solar site.
The Sierra's have received their early snow and seeing the big walls of Yosemite (El Cap, Half Dome, Washington Column, etc) brings me back to the my big wall climbing days and Ranger dodging.
Our company got the call for some emergency weekend work in Tucson. Heck yeah! I threw my mountain bike in the plane and flew non-stop at FL 190, because.... why not?! Pro tip: Fly into Ryan (KRYN) and park by the cafe/pilot lounge. Only $5/night for parking and Enterprise will leave a car for you, with keys in the lounge. It's only 5 minutes more in driving to downtown than Tucson Intl (KTUS), but much less hassle.
Work's done, everyone's happy, so spent an awesome (2) days mountain biking Starr Pass and Honeybee + Ridgeline areas. Roadrunner landscape!
Great food at the Coronet, cocktails at the Owls Club, and some jazz at the Hotel Congress. Alas, time to head back. Always great to see the Ivanpah solar site.
The Sierra's have received their early snow and seeing the big walls of Yosemite (El Cap, Half Dome, Washington Column, etc) brings me back to the my big wall climbing days and Ranger dodging.
Friday was spent getting up to Allentown, PA and prepping a “new to me” RV-8 for a 1200 mile flight down to Houston, TX. There is nothing quite like topping off the tanks while getting snowed on. Saturday started at dawn. I blasted off and climbed to 8500 feet, pointed to the southwest. With the cabin heat full on, the miles slid by. I let the AP earn its keep and monitored the situation. Saturday ended with my arrival in Monroe, LA just before sundown. 1000 miles down, 200 more to go. Found a cheap hotel, took a shower and collapsed into bed.
Sunday started early. The last 200 miles were a quick easy hop to home, where my wife met me at the airport/hangar.
All in all, a raging success and the beginning of a new relationship.
Attachments
Love this!!
