Selling my car

Maybe I'll put some Oshkosh stuff up eventually. I've just been super busy. Still I wanted to post a little sampler of what I'm going to be selling in the near future. It's my 1967 Camaro SS/RS 350. My mom bought it new in March of 1967 and I just don't have the time nor resources to hang onto it. Here's a picture:

I'm back from Oshkosh

The trip up was easier than last year and we arrived without much trouble or fanfare. I'll try to post a few details later this week (you know, when I'm at work) but for now let's just say that the Cessna LSA proof of concept vehicle was cool, but maybe not as cool as the Cessna NGP flyby. And the F-22 Raptor display was the most awesome fighter display that I've ever seen. The F-15, F-16, and others don't have ANYTHING on the Raptor except maybe the purchase price!

Come back in a few days and check for an update.

Oh, and I tried my new motorcycle jacket. The mesh design is awecome and MUCH cooler than riding with my other jacket. There was also a lot less wind drag which made it much easier to relax on the bike at freeway speeds and higher!

Ready to fly for another year

I finally completed a new club check yesterday, so I'm legal to fly club planes for another 12 months. I took everything out of my flight bag and put it all in the expandable bag on the back of the motorcycle. It fit great, even the headset, so I may have to do that more often when going out to fly.
I love flying and I love riding my motorcycle, so any time that I can combine the two it's a good day!

I ordered a new jacket to suppliment/replace my original Tourmaster Transition. I know it is brand new, but I've already decided that it was just too hot for the summer. I'm keeping it for now because it's an awesome jacket, but by tomorrow I should have a new Cortech GX Air mesh jacket with leather panels. I ordered it this weekend and UPS says it's on schedule for a July 12 delivery. Yes, it's yellow and black to match the bike. Tourmaster and Courtech are the same company, but the Cortech branded products are tailored with a more sporty style than the Tourmaster products. Assuming that the weather stays ok, I should have bike, bag, and jacket at the flying club meeting this weekend. After the meeting, me and another club member are going to have lunch and discuss any final plans for Airventure 2006!

Back from Colorado - Part 3 (of 3)

Salida was fun. My wife had a friend up there and she gave us some good ideas of stuff to do. She took us rafting on the Arkansas river and told us how to get to an old ghost town up in the mountains where we saw a lot of neat stuff and fed chipmunks out of our hands! We also rode the Royal Gorge train and visited the park.

It was finally time to go home. We had been watching the weather and while it was clear in Pueblo, there was a line of rain reaching across Texas from a stalled cold front. It was showing on radar east of Abilene which was where we planned to stop for lunch. We got to the airport around 9:30, paid for parking and fuel, loaded the plane, and turned in the rent car. We took off and headed toward our first stop of Abilene as we climbed to 9000 feet which kept us above a scattered layer of clouds. We had a pretty smooth flight and shortly after 3 hours, we had the field in sight and started to line up for landing. After an uneventful landing we taxed over to Abilene Aero and parked. A lineman was there at my door with a red carpet that he placed on the ground for me to step out onto! Very cool. The facilities were great and the people were very nice. We went over to the terminal where we had a very good lunch and then returned to pay for gas and get a new preflight briefing.

As I mentioned in an earlier posting, the trip home was pretty uneventful and our luck held. The long line of thunderstorms across the state had broken up completely and there was just some stuff north and south of our course on radar. We departed to the east and started our climb to 9000 again. I had planned our course to go sort of north of Waco to miss some rather large MOAs (Military Operator Areas) between us and Houston. Well, about 10 minutes into the flight, the center controller called us up and said that he had an ammended clearance when I was ready to copy. I grabbed my pen and said, "Go ahead." He then said that the MOAs were "cold" (inactive) and we were cleared across them direct to College Station. He then added, "That route will keep you out of all the weather all the way to Houston." He was right. While we watched stuff build to the left and right of our course, we cruised along in the clear above all but one or 2 small ones that we punched right through without any bumps. All this time the frequency was saturated with the controller and airplanes continuously getting vectors around the building weather near both Dallas and San Antonio. Meanwhile we cruised along in smooth comfort and watched towns and airports drift by below.

As we got to College Station we received a few small course changes and a descent to get us on the STAR (Standard Terminal Arrival Route) in to Hooks. Finally, about 20 miles out Approached asked if we wanted an approach or wanted to continue for the visual approach. We were below scattered clouds to we elected for the visual and via the GPS, pointed the nose straight at the airport. A short time later we were back on the ground at home, glad to be breathing the "thick" Texas air, but still missing the LOW humidity back in Colorado!

After all we went through and the unconfortable condidtions around Amarillo, I was amazed to hear my wife say on the drive home, "Next time we're giving the kids Dramamine on every leg!" Yes, you heard me correctly...She said "next time"! After the stressful flight up there, I thought we had taken our last trip as a family. Apparently not!

Next up...Oshkosh!!!!

Back from Colorado - Part 2

Where was I? Oh yes, stuck in Amarillo watching the radar. Anyway, I forgot exactly how long we were there, but after watching the radar and talking to FSS it looked like we had a window of opportunity to get to Pueblo. The briefer pointed out a gust front where the doppler was showing an extreme shirt in wind speed/direction. He said to be careful with that.

We got back in the plane and started it up. The wind was still blowing pretty hard but the bad weather looked to be east of our course. While we were doing the runup, ground control called us to to say that a Cirrus SR22 reported severe turbulence at 11,000 over Dalhart. Well, that was the gust front, and that's the route we were taking so we sat and thought about that for a couple of minutes. The boys were already falling asleep, so I said, "Let's go see what it's like and we can turn around if it's getting too rough." We took off and the up/down drafts were still pretty strong and I was thinking, "This might be interesting." We kept going and while it was not worse than moderate turbulence, we were still getting tossed around quite a bit. Even with the manifold pressure and propeller RPM at the bottom of the green arcs in the guages, we were still bumping into the yellow arc on the airspeed indicator. I was worried about stresses on the airplane at a couple of points so to slow down and stabilize it a little I dumped the landing gear. That helped so as it smoothed out I put the gear back up. I wasn't having any trouble keeping the airplane under control, but it was gettin worse. I actually told my wife, "Listen, if we get tossed totally sideway or even if you go upside down, don't freak out, we'll be fine. I don't expect it to get that bad, but wanted to say it just in case." Finally as we neared Dalhart it got a little rougher. I was keeping the airplane at maneuvering speed at this point, which is the speed you use to minimize the chances of overstressing the airframe. Suddenly, BOOM!! We must have hit the center of the gust front because we had a huge bounce that actually unseated my headset from my ears! Fortunately that was the worst of it. It actually started smoothing out after that and it got smoother and smoother as we neared Pueblo. We kept watching the rain in the distance but were able to stay away from it without any effort. We finally started talking to Pueblo approach and started our descent. We had trouble picking out the airport since we were unfamiliar with the area, so even though we were in visual conditions we elected to track the localizer inbound until we saw the airport.

One funny note about the landing... On short approach I noticed a big jackrabbit run across the runway. After we landed and got the plane tied down, I mentioned the rabbit to my wife. She said, "You think that was funny? I looked almost straight down as we approached the runway and there just have been 20 of them scatter in all directions just before we crossed the numbers!"

So, after a long day and some interesting moments, we had finally made it to Colorado where we tied down the plane, picked up the rent car, and headed out to Salida where we spent the next week. More on the return trip next. It'll be pretty boring compared to parts 1 and 2!

Back from Colorado - part 1

We had a fun time in Colorado. Like one of my neighbors said, "When you take the kids its a trip. When you leave them at home it's a vacation." Well, we had a good trip. My wife and I have a vacation planned for later this year!

I'll say that as for cross-country trips though, the part from Houston to Pueblo was probably the least fun of any I've done yet. It started out pretty good with us leaving Houston early and beating the weather. We had one tiny cell that we went around near Waco on the way to our first stop in Amarillo, TX. But once we started flying over the hills closer to Amarillo, it felt like we got on a roller coaster. At 9000 and later 11,000 feet we had up drafts that would pick us up 200 feet before I could get the ascent stopped. The kids were sleeping at this time, but I was still trying to be gentle and avoid the hill-topping rollercoaster feeling coming back down to our altitude. Keep reading, it gets better... We finally started down to our landing in Amarillo. I'll get to the point and say that as we got close to 6000msl, it started getting really rough. We were bumping around and I was keeping busy just maintaining some semblance of control : ) Well, about 4 miles from the airport, bouncing around 200 feet at a time, the up and downs were too much and both boys who were awake at this point got sick. Yep, that kind of sick. So, my wife kept busy trying to keep them calm while I SOMEHOW managed to get us on the ground. Oh, did I mention that winds were 26 gusting to 35 and of course not right down the runway? Oh, and that a 737 landed a couple of minutes in front of us, so that didn't help too much on the stability near the runway!

After all that, we finally got it on the ground and got the plane parked. If you are a fellow Southwest Flying Club member, rest assured that the kids car seats caught all the "overflow". We changed the kids clothes, cleaned out their car seats, and then I drove into town to get some motion sickness medicine for the boys while they found something for lunch. Sounds appetizing doesn't it?

Because of fronts moving through the area, we ended up being stuck in Amarillo for a couple of extra hours while we waited for a break so we could get to Pueblo. More on that leg and our encounter with a "gust front" in part 2....

Miles and flying

I'm up to 181 miles on the bike. Have ridden it to work 3 or 4 times, and will likely do so tomorrow. Then it's staying in the garage for a week while I do some flying. I'm taking the 182RG up to Pueblo, CO.

I have ridden it, and it was good.

The rain finally stopped and I was able to take the bike home. I rode around the Honda of Houston parking lot to get the feel of it first. It was pretty similar to the Ninja 250 that I rode in the class last week. The riding posture was just a little more upright, there's a little more weight, and don't forget the power. Although the bike overall is twice as powerful as the Ninja, it's still VERY manageable and I think even easier to ride at slow speeds because the throttle is smoother than the training bike I rode. It will JUMP if you goose it a little so I had to watch out for that, but again, the bike is so rider-friendly that it wasn't any trouble at all.

After riding it for 35 miles this weekend, I felt confident enough to ride it to work this morning on the HOV lane. No cars beside me and only 1 or 2 places where traffic might merge, but there wasn't any this morning. The side streets off the HOV weren't any trouble either. There was a big hole in the road to miss just outside my building, but I had seen that last week in the truck so I was ready for it. Traffic was pretty light overall and everybody gave me enough room. It also seems like if you wiggle in your lane a little, the cars behind you think, "Uh oh. This guy looks a little iffy." and they give you more room!

Rain, rain, go away....

The bike is paid for but it just won't dry up. I already have something to do this evening and the rain chances are still 60% or better, so it's looking like Friday at this point to get the bike home.

You know, it seems like there was some other hobby that I'm really into.....what was it? Oh yeah, FLYING! I haven't flown in over a month! I better get out there and practice a little before taking the family on vacation on the 16th. I'm due a club check this month, so maybe I'll just grab an instructor and kill a whole bunch of birds with one stone this weekend or the next.

I'm licensed to drive on 2 wheels.

I did it. I passed the DPS vision and written tests. You need to get 14 out of a possible 20 questions correct on the written to pass. The computer ended the test when I got the first 14 questions correct. 15 dollars, a signature, 2 thumb prints, and a photo later, I had my temporary class-M license. The plastic version should arrive in 3 weeks.

Next is to pick up the bike. I don't have time today, plus it's supposed to rain most of the day. Hopefully Wednesday or Thursday I'll have time. Stay tuned.

Passed the MSF Basic RiderCourse

I passed the Motorcycle Safety Foundation's Basic RiderCourse at Awesome Cycles yesterday. Now I just need to go pass the written test at the DPS office. For those of you outside of Texas, that's the Depart of Public Safety, which is like the DMV in other states. It's up to you to figure out why ours is different. Anyway, After doing that I can go pick up my yellow 2004 Honda 599 that's waiting for me at Honda of Houston.

Insurance is ready, financing is ready, and we just have to get over there. I don't have time to go get it tomorrow after work, but maybe I'll have time Wednesday. My last unknown is that I've ordered frame sliders for it and they likely won't get here until Thursday or Friday. Do I feel confident enough to practice on it and then drive it home without the sliders? I'd give that a "yes" but if something happened and I dropped it, boy my name would be mud! I'll let you know what happens.

Angel Flight and motorcycle update

Well, due to the bad weather, we only had a handful of people show up for our rally but we called it a success. We had a cancer patient hear of us that very day and came out to meet us. This gentleman and his wife had been driving between Kansas and Houston every 2 weeks for quite some time. Just because of the time spent on the road, they'd make a round trip to Houston and back home, and start it all over 7 days later. Add in the cost of meals and hotel rooms during the journey and you can begin to imagine the time and financial burden on these patients. With Angel Flight, this patient is going to be able to drive to a small local airport near his home and be in Houston just a few hours later. After receiving treatment, they can be home the next day with almost no transportation expense to the patient. Quality of life is improved, out of pocket expenses drop a LOT, and they just have less to worry about. Pass the word along about angel flight to everyone you see. The more folks who can learn about Angel Flight the better. We can't help them if they don't know about us!

On the motorcycle front, I'm scheduled to take the basic rider course next weekend. I bought my own full-face helmet yesterday so I don't have to use a loaner at the class. It's a HJC CL-SP Phoenix and it feels great and doesn't look too shabby. I think it will look good with my new bike...that's right, my new bike. We have been looking around this past week and tracked down a nice used 2004 Honda 599. We looked all over it and just loved it. It's low mileage, bright yellow, and still has a Honda warranty through 2009! We did not want to buy anything before taking the riding class, so we asked the dealer, "What would it take for you to hold this bike for us until we get our class and written test over?" Well, when they said it was $200 refundable to hold it for 30 days, we said, "You've got a deal."

We originally weren't going to spend any bike money until after the class, but it was such a nice bike for a great deal that we knew that we'd be SO disappointed if we came back after Memorial Day and it had been sold. In fact, as we were signing the papers, another salesman stuck his head in the room and asked, "Did you put a deposit on the yellow 599?" We said, "Yes we did!" He said, "Ok, I wanted to be sure because a guy who was in earlier just walked in and asked to see the bike again. I'll tell him it's no longer available." In the end, it appears that the bike had been in the showroom for a couple of weeks with one or 2 people looking at it and if we hadn't put the deposit down, it would have likely been gone when we came back next week.

So anyway, I am all set to take the class. I have my helmet and I already had jeans, boots (I'm in Texas, remember!), and gloves. I bought a long-sleeve undershirt that the military and pro sports are wearing to keep cool. It's made so you can wear it by itself or under another shirt or riding jacket. I'll probably just wear one of my old air force BDU shirts over it for a second layer to block the sun (the undershirt is black) so I'm set to go. I just have to show up on time Friday night for classroom and then Saturday and Sunday mornings for class and driving. I'll let you know how it goes. Assuming that all goes as planned, I'll take the class next weekend, take the written test at the DPS office Tuesday morning, and then pick up the bike either Tuesday or Wednesday afternoon, depending on how much free time I have. My boys have swim lessons on Tuesday evening, so I probably won't have time to get it on Tuesday. Suffice it to say that I'm pretty darned excited!!! Stay tuned.

Uh oh, rain? Oh, and motorcycles!

Well, we're supposed to have our big Angel Flight rally at Conroe (CXO) tomorrow, but now they're saying a 60% or better chance of T-storms. Looks like I better take the rain gear!

Did somebody say "motorcycles"? Oh, that was me! Yes, you heard it here first folks, I'm planning to get my motorcycle license. We're looking at dates to take a training class as soon as we can find time. I've ridden a LOT of miles on a bicycle (and not the stationary kind) but never on a motorized 2-wheeler. I'm used to driving 3 and 4 wheelers with manual trannys so it shouldn't be totally foreign to me. I think I'll take the class to see how I like it. You're supposed to get about 8 hours of classroom instruction and 10 hours of riding so that should be more than enough to decide if I want to continue with it and get my own bike. Heck, it only took 5 minutes in an airplane so many years ago to know that I liked it!

I'll keep you posted.

Yep, CFI

I think I've finally decided to go for the CFI instead of the multi rating. Whew, I'm glad that decision has been made...What? Now I have to decide where/how to get the rating? Sheesh.

2 more Angel Flights

I took advantage of the long weekend to volunteer for 2 more angel flights. Over Friday and Saturday I logged over 10 hours and 800 miles flying 2 patients home. One I took to San Angelo, TX and the other to Marlin, TX near Waco. I just flew the 172 so I could afford both flights. I figured that as long as the airplane had the range and capacity, I could do more good by offering 2 flights in the 172, verses just a single flight in a 182. Our 172 isn't that bad of a traveler anyway. Up around 8000 feet I was getting true airspeeds between 115 to 120 knots using 75% power.

I had a lot of fun. The Friday flight was delayed about an hour waiting for the fog to lift so I could get into Hobby (KHOU) but after that it was pretty smooth sailing. Both days were windy but we weren't slowed down too much and fortunately for my passengers the rides were smooth. I even logged about an hour of actual instrument time and an ILS approach into Hobby.

I think that Angel Flight is the most rewarding thing I've ever done. It's great to actually have a purpose for flying other than recreation and training. I only wish I could afford to do it more.

Got some actual instrument time.

I finally got some substantial flying time in the clouds this weekend! I got to log 1.7 hours of actual time this weekend while practicing approaches at Conroe (CXO), Hunstville (UTS), Crockett (DKR), and Lufkin (LFK). We managed to stay in the clouds almost the whole time. Before, the most instrument time I had logged during one flight was 1.4 hours. I think this puts me at a whole whopping 12 hours now.

When I got home and tried to see what was on Flightaware, there wasn't much. They get their basic data from the FAA, and I guess the multiple flight plans and hopping around we did made us hard to track. It only shows our flight track from Lufkin to Hooks (DWH) that my buddy flew even though it lists it as Huntsville to Crockett.

Or CFI and CFII...

Well, I'm going back and forth. The multi would likely be fun, but I could probably get more usage our of the CFI sooner. At the very least I could do club checks for other members. Plus I'd have an excuse to fly in the right seat! As my sons get older I could actually give them some instruction and sign it off as well.

Another thing that I was thinking about was the sportplanes and that license. For about the past year I've been toying with getting access to a light-sport aircraft to check people out in. With the CFI I could do that.

Decisions, decisions, decisions.... hmmmmm

Can you say, "MEI"?

Well, I'm toying with the idea of getting my multi-engine rating (AMEL) tacked onto my Commercial and Intrument tickets. I'm hovering between that and some instructor ratings, but darn it, the multi just sounds more fun (and less work)!

Would you believe it, with over 350 hours PIC I have NEVER even flown in a light twin?! I'll try to post here as I move forward with whatever I ultimately decide.

Angel Flight SC

Since my last post, I have joined Angel Flight and made my first charity flight. I flew a very nice couple from Hobby (KHOU) to Mount Pleasant, TX (KOSA) where another pilot took over and took them the rest of the way to their home in Arkansas. I hope to make one mission per quarter if funds and personal schedule permits.

Making plans...

The 182 is already reserved for Airventure 2006. I think me and my 4-year old are also going to camp with the airplane at the Texas Fly-In at Hondo, TX in May. We may just take the 172 if we don't have too much to carry. I think we'll only stay one night unless he really wants to stay longer. It will be his first overnight fly-in and I don't want him to get tired of it.