We then flew along, a Long-EZ and Baron,
in formation across the plains of western Kansas and eastern Colorado. At first,
it was great, because the air was perfectly smooth, mostly due to a thin cloud cover keeping convective heating from occurring.
Later, though, the clouds burned off and the turbulence began – a series of never-ending bumps and jolts, somewhere
between light chop and moderate turbulence.
Although I enjoyed flying along in formation,
I couldn’t help but wonder once again just how empty the sky really is in most of the West. You can fly for 700 miles
without seeing another general aviation plane. Just like Jonathon Livingston Seagull, I find myself wondering why heaven (the
sky) is so empty when it should be crowded with others who love to fly.
Landing into Ft.
Collins – Loveland
was pretty mundane. My brakes worked OK, not great, but enough, and as I taxied off the runway I realized that you almost
couldn’t get to the ramp because there was an MD-82 that was stuck right at the intersection of all the taxiways. Turned
out they had tried to make a tight turn onto a perpendicular taxiway and had gotten the steerable nosewheel to brake lock,
As I was refueling the plane, one of the
pilots at the FBO walked up and asked if he and a young boy could take a look. Paul, the 11-year old, was spending a day at
the airport as part of his school’s “shadow” day, where they tried to get the kids to learn about different
careers. He seemed genuinely interested in flying, and when the instructor and I both encouraged him to continue to focus
on math and science, he seemed willing to put out the effort.
I was picked up at the airport by my cousin,
Melissa Brewster. I went out to her home and met up with her husband, Eric, and their three sons. Seeing them made me pretty
homesick for my own boys. It also made me realize that I want my kids to come out to Colorado and experience what ranch life
is like – I think they would enjoy it immensely. Oddly enough, one of the songs I had listened to during the flight
had haunted me about my sons, “Cat’s in the Cradle”, a story about a father who never makes enough time
for his boys, with him often being gone during key moments in his son’s life (“he learned to walk when I was away”).
I hope that I am there for my boys, but being off on a trip solo like this means that I’m not there. I just have to
work on the right balance.
I listen to a lot of different music when
I fly. Everything from Broadway Show tunes to a series of classes on “How to listen to the great works of classical
music”. I have also found that books on tape go a long way towards warding off boredom and the tendency to grow sleepy
in the afternoons. I have come to the conclusion that when I fly and sing along with the music, I am the world’s greatest
singer. Honest.
I also called Flight Watch in the middle
of the transit across Kansas to satisfy my own curiosity.
I asked about the status of the storms over Nebraska that
has dissuaded me from flying up to see my Gramma. Turns out that they had dissipated and the skies were now almost clear.
Figures.
Tomorrow looks like it will likely b e
my last day on the trip. I am going to try to get an early start before heading up to Cody,
WY to see Bob and Linda Evans for a few hours before pressing on home. Much as
I have enjoyed this trip, I miss my family and want to get home. I also think that Kay is getting pretty tired of the single
parent routine and could use a break.
One last thing: I’d like to thank
all the people who have been reading these travelogues who have invited me to visit and often stay with them. I think that
it is this kind of friendliness and hospitality that have made the Canard Community so enjoyable over the decades.
Day’s Total Distance Covered: 479 nautical miles
Day’s Total Flight Time: 3 hours 18 minutes
Day’s average groundspeed: 145.15 knots
Day’s Flight legs: 1 (plus 1 Long-EZ
demo flight)
Day’s Highest Altitude reached: 8,500’
Day’s Highest Groundspeed attained:
170 knots
Total Trip Distance Covered: 4,259 nm
Total Trip Flight Time: 26 hours, 55
minutes
Total Trip average groundspeed: 158.22 knots
In-flight food consumed today: 2 cokes,
1 Gatorade, 1 12-oz milk, 1 packet of pop tarts, 2 Peanut Butter and Cheese crackers, 1 bag of Cheddar Cheese goldfish
Other planes seen (outside of the terminal
area): 2 (1 really close)
