tlewis95
I drive planes
I felt like planning another nice, long and adventurous vacation trip in an airplane, and made it in a twin again to get some Multi time.
After some solicitation for partners to split it with (and there was a lot of interest), mxaexm and I started looking into the details.
I came up with a route to take us from Chicago, to Catalina Island, NYC and back in 8-days, with lots of good stops in between.
The route - ARR-AFK-COS-GCN-VGT-VNY-AVX-TUS-NM83-BPG-RBD-MEI-LQK-FFA-ORF-SBY-GED-CDW-BDL
-PVD-BAF-LHV-UNV-BKL-ORD-ARR
Notable things we saw along the way - Grand Canyon, Vegas, Hollywood Blvd, Catalina Island, Tuscon Boneyards, 18M Glider Nationals/SSA HQ in Hobbs, NM, Kittyhawk, NC, Virgina Beach, NYC, Lock Haven, PA (Piper Museum), Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame/Museum, with a touch and go on 9R at O'Hare to ice the cake on our way back to ARR.
We flew 44 hours, 5200nm, stayed in 7 hotels, landed in 19 states at 26 airports, burnt 775 gallons of 100LL, and saw some amazing things. There was only one day that we had something other than severe clear and easy VFR. We did manage headwinds the whole way around though...
The first leg to Nebraska City, NE for gas - http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N449JA/history/20110626/1845Z/KARR/KAFK
I know that it is a lot of pictures, but it was hard to get it down to just these from the 900 or so that I took. Enjoy!
Loading up in the shade at ARR
Beavis and Butthead about to do "more" of America (they have about 75 hours of flying with me now)
Too much glass? (First time using Foreflight btw. Bought the ipad just for it, and love it)
Clearing the runway at COS for our first overnight
Airplane Restaurant at COS
Pulse-Oxy-Meter as we run at 12.5 to cross the mountains
La Veta Pass
Ridge Runnin at 12,500'
West of the high stuff, going down to 10,500' on the way to the Grand Canyon
Ship Rock
Over the Grand Canyon, flying the Zuni Point run southbound
[yt]beaYbrrE-T8[/yt]
Following the rim back to the airport
From the south rim
Testing my fear of heights (it's still there...)
Getting ready to leave GCN
A nice reminder (9,800'...Seminole wasn't too happy about it)
[yt]MYI5P4fO5SE[/yt]
Hoover Dam on the way to VGT
Making a run for the AC on the 111F ramp
Overhead VGT on the SID southbound
LAS and the strip
[yt]Oa30oWVOPiM[/yt]
The famous 16R at VNY!
Unloading into the rental at Pentastar/VNY (looks like a commercial or something I thought)
Win
Walking around Hollywood Blvd
At the VNY viewing area
Ended up with the Mini Route south over LAX
LAX
Catalina Island with the airport just barely above the clouds
Left downwind for a cool/difficult approach to 22 at Catalina
Base-ish
Almost on...
[yt]5DCzWrKanNg[/yt]
Whew
We made it! (L to R, myself, Marta, and Mike)
Clouds breaking up a bit before we leave after lunch for Tuscon
At least we can see the Pacific now as we leave Catalina for Tuscon
A very dence Socal (between LGB and SNA)
Final at TUS
C130s in the desert...kinda sad
Millionaire TUS got us a Radison Suite for $80. Very nice!
A little on the warm side for this Chicago crowd as we leave TUS at 9am
Running along the fence
ELP
Somewhere in SW NM
Downwind at NM83 (Hobbs Industrial Airpark) to catch the Day 8 launch of the 18M Soaring Nationals
A follow me bike to lead us around the ex-B17 base
On the ramp at Hobbs, gliders in the background
The Grid
Soaring Society Of America HQ
Taking off from the ramp at Hobbs
[yt]TyQ33PGMJ-A[/yt]
East Texas Oil Field
Central Texas Wind Farm
Cheapest 100LL of the trip at RBD
Of course the AHRS problems would show up at night, in actual, on the last leg of a 10 hour flying day
Trying to get a cab and a way out of the airport after-hours at MEI. We were here from 11pm to 12:30a trying to figure things out
At MEI
Beavis and Butthead getting excited about some buildups
Hello East Coast, and Atlantic! Overhead Kittyhawk
[yt]l60uUloCvHQ[/yt]
1903 Flyer's crankcase that broke on the plane's 4th and final flight on 12/17/1903
Where the first powered flight started, and ended. Hill and monument in background
Trying to imagine hauling a glider up here and jumping off with it into a 30mph breeze
Heads! I won the coin-toss at Kittyhawk to honor the Wright Brothers idea, and got to fly the next leg to ORF
Atlantic Shore
Final Runway 5 at ORF
Hanging out at Virginia Beach the next morning
Not for long though! Entering the Hudson SFRA area by NYC
Heading back North, with the same view that 1549's crew had
Intrepid. (That we went too on the ground the next day)
Turns around a statue?
[yt]2MkDM-ZFUf8[/yt]
Hanging out in an Avantair P180 at CDW
Times Square
Ground Zero
Blackbird on the Intrepid
Concorde at the Intrepid Museum
Underneath the Concorde, looking at the point where 1549 came to a stop
Nav Bridge of the Intrepid
MSG
Not sure of the airport, but apparently a C5 base in MA?
Pretty much the only weather we had on the whole trip, here at BAF
More ridge running, but at 3000' over PA this time on our way to Lock Haven
In Lock Haven, PA
Stopped in University Park, PA to get a car to run over the hill to Ridge Soaring Gliderport (East coast soaring Mecca)
But the place was deserted...even on a great soaring Sunday, there wasnt a single person at the gliderport. It was nice to see the place though
Rental Gliders in a hangar with a net for a door
HELLO CLEVELAND. Going into BKL for the night
Cool airport! BKL
Stopped into my favorite chain restaurant.
And were seated next to a pair of boots that Mick Mars wore in the 80s! Win
RR HOF (Pics weren't aloud...so mine kinda suck because security was everywhere here.)
Floyd's Stuka-ish plane from the 79/80 tour of The Wall
Rob Halford leather coat, and a bunch of other very cool 80s Metal stuff
Early draft of "Walk This Way" lyrics from Steven Tyler
Lady Gaga Meat-Dress
WOAH! I want a poster of this. Also note that her outfit/boots are right above and below this
Cedar Point! (Only over-flying on the way home...)
Happy to be in a twin with this routing to ORD for our touch and go.
7,000' on a left downwind for 9R
Final 9R at ORD
On the go at ORD
On the go at ORD
[yt]St2prxQqtrk[/yt]
You made it to the end! It was hard to pick just these out of the 900 or so that I took, but I hope you enjoyed them!
After some solicitation for partners to split it with (and there was a lot of interest), mxaexm and I started looking into the details.
I came up with a route to take us from Chicago, to Catalina Island, NYC and back in 8-days, with lots of good stops in between.
The route - ARR-AFK-COS-GCN-VGT-VNY-AVX-TUS-NM83-BPG-RBD-MEI-LQK-FFA-ORF-SBY-GED-CDW-BDL
-PVD-BAF-LHV-UNV-BKL-ORD-ARR
Notable things we saw along the way - Grand Canyon, Vegas, Hollywood Blvd, Catalina Island, Tuscon Boneyards, 18M Glider Nationals/SSA HQ in Hobbs, NM, Kittyhawk, NC, Virgina Beach, NYC, Lock Haven, PA (Piper Museum), Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame/Museum, with a touch and go on 9R at O'Hare to ice the cake on our way back to ARR.
We flew 44 hours, 5200nm, stayed in 7 hotels, landed in 19 states at 26 airports, burnt 775 gallons of 100LL, and saw some amazing things. There was only one day that we had something other than severe clear and easy VFR. We did manage headwinds the whole way around though...
The first leg to Nebraska City, NE for gas - http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N449JA/history/20110626/1845Z/KARR/KAFK
I know that it is a lot of pictures, but it was hard to get it down to just these from the 900 or so that I took. Enjoy!
Loading up in the shade at ARR
Beavis and Butthead about to do "more" of America (they have about 75 hours of flying with me now)
Too much glass? (First time using Foreflight btw. Bought the ipad just for it, and love it)
Clearing the runway at COS for our first overnight
Airplane Restaurant at COS
Pulse-Oxy-Meter as we run at 12.5 to cross the mountains
La Veta Pass
Ridge Runnin at 12,500'
West of the high stuff, going down to 10,500' on the way to the Grand Canyon
Ship Rock
Over the Grand Canyon, flying the Zuni Point run southbound
[yt]beaYbrrE-T8[/yt]
Following the rim back to the airport
From the south rim
Testing my fear of heights (it's still there...)
Getting ready to leave GCN
A nice reminder (9,800'...Seminole wasn't too happy about it)
[yt]MYI5P4fO5SE[/yt]
Hoover Dam on the way to VGT
Making a run for the AC on the 111F ramp
Overhead VGT on the SID southbound
LAS and the strip
[yt]Oa30oWVOPiM[/yt]
The famous 16R at VNY!
Unloading into the rental at Pentastar/VNY (looks like a commercial or something I thought)
Win
Walking around Hollywood Blvd
At the VNY viewing area
Ended up with the Mini Route south over LAX
LAX
Catalina Island with the airport just barely above the clouds
Left downwind for a cool/difficult approach to 22 at Catalina
Base-ish
Almost on...
[yt]5DCzWrKanNg[/yt]
Whew
We made it! (L to R, myself, Marta, and Mike)
Clouds breaking up a bit before we leave after lunch for Tuscon
At least we can see the Pacific now as we leave Catalina for Tuscon
A very dence Socal (between LGB and SNA)
Final at TUS
C130s in the desert...kinda sad
Millionaire TUS got us a Radison Suite for $80. Very nice!
A little on the warm side for this Chicago crowd as we leave TUS at 9am
Running along the fence
ELP
Somewhere in SW NM
Downwind at NM83 (Hobbs Industrial Airpark) to catch the Day 8 launch of the 18M Soaring Nationals
A follow me bike to lead us around the ex-B17 base
On the ramp at Hobbs, gliders in the background
The Grid
Soaring Society Of America HQ
Taking off from the ramp at Hobbs
[yt]TyQ33PGMJ-A[/yt]
East Texas Oil Field
Central Texas Wind Farm
Cheapest 100LL of the trip at RBD
Of course the AHRS problems would show up at night, in actual, on the last leg of a 10 hour flying day
Trying to get a cab and a way out of the airport after-hours at MEI. We were here from 11pm to 12:30a trying to figure things out
At MEI
Beavis and Butthead getting excited about some buildups
Hello East Coast, and Atlantic! Overhead Kittyhawk
[yt]l60uUloCvHQ[/yt]
1903 Flyer's crankcase that broke on the plane's 4th and final flight on 12/17/1903
Where the first powered flight started, and ended. Hill and monument in background
Trying to imagine hauling a glider up here and jumping off with it into a 30mph breeze
Heads! I won the coin-toss at Kittyhawk to honor the Wright Brothers idea, and got to fly the next leg to ORF
Atlantic Shore
Final Runway 5 at ORF
Hanging out at Virginia Beach the next morning
Not for long though! Entering the Hudson SFRA area by NYC
Heading back North, with the same view that 1549's crew had
Intrepid. (That we went too on the ground the next day)
Turns around a statue?
[yt]2MkDM-ZFUf8[/yt]
Hanging out in an Avantair P180 at CDW
Times Square
Ground Zero
Blackbird on the Intrepid
Concorde at the Intrepid Museum
Underneath the Concorde, looking at the point where 1549 came to a stop
Nav Bridge of the Intrepid
MSG
Not sure of the airport, but apparently a C5 base in MA?
Pretty much the only weather we had on the whole trip, here at BAF
More ridge running, but at 3000' over PA this time on our way to Lock Haven
In Lock Haven, PA
Stopped in University Park, PA to get a car to run over the hill to Ridge Soaring Gliderport (East coast soaring Mecca)
But the place was deserted...even on a great soaring Sunday, there wasnt a single person at the gliderport. It was nice to see the place though
Rental Gliders in a hangar with a net for a door
HELLO CLEVELAND. Going into BKL for the night
Cool airport! BKL
Stopped into my favorite chain restaurant.
And were seated next to a pair of boots that Mick Mars wore in the 80s! Win
RR HOF (Pics weren't aloud...so mine kinda suck because security was everywhere here.
)
Floyd's Stuka-ish plane from the 79/80 tour of The Wall
Rob Halford leather coat, and a bunch of other very cool 80s Metal stuff
Early draft of "Walk This Way" lyrics from Steven Tyler
Lady Gaga Meat-Dress
WOAH! I want a poster of this. Also note that her outfit/boots are right above and below this
Cedar Point! (Only over-flying on the way home...)
Happy to be in a twin with this routing to ORD for our touch and go.
7,000' on a left downwind for 9R
Final 9R at ORD
On the go at ORD
On the go at ORD
[yt]St2prxQqtrk[/yt]
You made it to the end! It was hard to pick just these out of the 900 or so that I took, but I hope you enjoyed them!
