Most Memorable Flight or Moment of 2022

Jim Schilling

Jim Schilling

Pre-takeoff checklist
Joined
Aug 5, 2022
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Minnesota
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FlyMidwestJim
Since the year is wrapping up, thought it would be cool to hear everyone’s most memorable aviation moments/experience or flight of 2022.

What do you all have?


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Since I’m starting this mess.

I’ll say the 6Y9 Flyin. The Upper Peninsula is such a beautiful area.

Flying Into that field was a challenge, but wow was it rewarding. Camping under the wing (though freezing my ass off) was a great experience. I’m grew up in the suburbs so I’d never seen a night sky lit up with such an incredible field of bright stars and we experienced the north lights together.

One of the best parts though was the people. The great POA folks that were there were so great to hang out with. Had some great conversation, we had a ton of fun, and it was just an overall great trip.

To me, stuff like this is what makes aviation so great. The flying into unique places and the great people who make up this aviation community of ours!


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When I took off in June and, right after breaking ground, something tapped me on the knee. Bit of a surprise, in a single-seat aircraft.

(Carburetor heat control had come loose and was dangling over my knee.)

Ron Wanttaja
 
Yeah, for me it was Jan 1. It’s been discussed here thoroughly. Still no change in status, ntsb has it.

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First flight of the RV-10.

First trip to Oshkosh in the RV-10.

First family trip (complete with first-ever AOG situation) in the RV-10.
 
Getting my wife to Oshkosh and 6Y9 was cool.
She's ready to go back to both.

Rough River flight with @OkieFlyer was some of the most intense flying I've ever done. The 55 kt headwind in really bad turbulence and rain made for a 7 hour white knuckle flight.

Flying IR is proving to be fun and memorable.
Using the new plane for family vacations.
It was all memorable I guess!
 
I checked out in a C172 at Wausau, WI (KAUW), and then flew over the old family farm and cabin up near Merrill, Tomahawk, and Gleason. Dreamed of doing that ever since I was a kid.
 
Well, it's not the kind of thing I want to remember, but by far, the accident at Wings Over Dallas in November, but the engine out landing in August is a close second.
 
2022 was a good flying year for me.

Persuading my wife to fly with me for the first time in almost 40 years:
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Flying up to Marcy Field in the Adirondacks for a backpacking trip, on the todo list for nearly as long:
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And a great weekend with new and old friends camping at the Waterbury fly-in:
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I’d have to say my flights over Mt St Helens were the most memorable for me this year. Weather was perfect and the visuals amazing.
 

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As posted today on Book Face:

Flying reflections for 2022:

My first reaction to 2022 was it was a total bust. I flew about two-thirds of what I wanted to from a time standpoint. The plane was out of commission for nearly 6 months of the year. However, I did have some really great trips this year.

I flew just shy of 96 hours versus a goal of 150. I went nearly 13,000 miles (statute as opposed to nautical) and I visited 27 different airports. The only airports that I visited more than once were the two Peoria airports, Iowa City, Savannah, TN and Rochester, MN.

Highlights:
I got to take Cassie down to Houston and back from Tennessee. At that appointment she was told she was no longer going to be a part of the cancer trial she was in. She was still so positive that she would keep fighting. Her positivity was just amazing. Unfortunately she passed away two months later.

I got to take sweet Sofia (7 years old) to Rhode Island to see a brain specialist for her chiari malformation. I then took Manasa (6 years old) home from Baltimore on the same trip. I flew 13.5 hours that day. The trip included my first time through the NYC airspace and it was pretty awesome. (Link to video:
)

I got to take some parents and their son home to Pittsburgh after he had recuperated from massive brain trauma. The approach to the airport was interesting because we had to circle around this snow producing cell.

I took Geoff up for treatments at Mayo, stayed overnight and took him home. FYI, the Mexican restaurant down the street from the airport is excellent.

I flew out to Boston but stopped in the DC area on my way there to stay with my brother and his family overnight. Then flew an IFR approach into Bedford and flew Ainsley (3 years old) and her parents home to Kentucky. That included another trip through NYC airspace.

Took Mark to Iowa City and back for treatments along with his wife and one of his daughters.

Picked up Laurie from Mayo and took her home to Canton.

Mixed in with all of that, I flew 9 dogs, flew to Missouri to get Jim K's new truck, and had a few lunch runs with friends.

Hopefully 2023 will continue to bring good memories.

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I’m going to have to agree with @Jim Schilling on this one. This year’s 6Y9 flyin (my first time there) was probably my most memorable moment. I’m a big fan of our flyins and being able to bring the 170 up to 6Y9 as a freshly minted taildragger rated (read: real) Pilot AND get to hang with the community really made the year.

94D3AAC7-7E19-4D9F-A060-17EE422A7308.jpeg 859784A7-BE03-41FA-8833-509A852AF3DF.jpeg

Of course the icing on the cake was on my way back home from 6Y9 when the taildragger gods spanked me at KMNM
[footage missing]
 
South Dakota trip was memorable for us. Only family trip we got in, so a bit of a low bar.

Work wise, a couple emergencies, including the 450kcas below 5k return which I posted a flightaware screenshot on here a while back. Closest ive got to lid jettison to date. Much prefer that to punching of course lol.
 
hindsight2020 said:
South Dakota trip was memorable for us. Only family trip we got in, so a bit of a low bar.
Click to expand...

Wait a minute - it's been over a year since your trip to PR??? Jeebus, having a kiddo is *really* effing up my sense of time. :p
 
Flying my dad's plane to Florida for it's upgrade while he was in Alaska. He doesn't let anyone (even his former partner) fly his baby.
 
hindsight2020 said:
Work wise, a couple emergencies, including the 450kcas below 5k return which I posted a flightaware screenshot on here a while back. Closest ive got to lid jettison to date. Much prefer that to punching of course lol.
Click to expand...

Translation for us slow movers? Sounds like whatever happened, it happened fast.
 
Flew in a beautiful RV 10 from Brookhaven, north to the Long Island sound, east to Montauk Light house, then back to Brookhaven. I was Pilot Flying part of the trip, and along the south coast, did some steep turns and tests of the stability, how long for it to return to level. Great plane!

Christmas present from my son, provided by one of his friends, the builder. This is my first flight since Covid, so extra special. Thank you, Charlie Derk!
 
Flying wise they all involved ABI.

One day in February we were the last flight in and next to last flight out of ABI before an ice/snowstorm, dropping off boss. A few days later trying to get the hangar door open at ADS, weight of ice on roof jammed it closed, to go back to ABI to pick up the boss. ABI had one runway and very few taxiways open when we got there, ramp was still mostly ice.

Just a few weeks ago shooting an ILS, ABI, to absolute mins. We saw the lights at 220agl but did not see the runway until 100agl.

Personally,

Getting a call from a friend's wife early one morning telling me he had died over night. Total surprise.

Dealing with my Mom's deteriorating health.

Positive side,

I did get a nice raise in pay.

To end the year, we had a pipe freeze and burst in the back of the house over Christmas.
 
kaiser said:
If there’s no oil on it, there’s no oil in it?
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kaiser said:
I’m going to have to agree with @Jim Schilling on this one. This year’s 6Y9 flyin (my first time there) was probably my most memorable moment. I’m a big fan of our flyins and being able to bring the 170 up to 6Y9 as a freshly minted taildragger rated (read: real) Pilot AND get to hang with the community really made the year.

View attachment 113563 View attachment 113564

Of course the icing on the cake was on my way back home from 6Y9 when the taildragger gods spanked me at KMNM
[footage missing]
Click to expand...

bbaf484e1a2142377e87a836cb41f1cd.jpg



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kayoh190 said:
Wait a minute - it's been over a year since your trip to PR??? Jeebus, having a kiddo is *really* effing up my sense of time. :p
Click to expand...
Brother you ain't kidding. This life is blazin' through. I just came back from SJU tonight after my yearly pilgrimage to deliver the grandkid for yearly quality time. It was truly bittersweet not gonna lie. My folks got old man; I'm slowly but surely transitioning more to a caretaking role every visit. It scares me that we're here already, and it makes me feel past my own prime (aside from the obvious squinting at the flight doc once a year lol), not that I'd ever say that to them. But life is like a Soviet line, you're marching or you're getting shot by the guy pushing behind, but you're going either way! :D

Yeah the ocean crossing was in '21, and glad I did it, cuz inflation went to hell a year later and the wife got a job with bat poop schedules, so I think that's about the last time I'll get something like that done for a while. We've seen good folks on here pass for the most innocuous reasons too, so it does weigh on me the notion of uttering "I'll do it tomorrow", especially after holiday travels to aging parents. Gotta make it count, it's all I got to say about any of this. Easier said than done of course, but the relative urgency of living does not escape me.

Happy New Year to you and yours!

Piperonca said:
Translation for us slow movers? Sounds like whatever happened, it happened fast.
Click to expand...

Sorry, I had to get off mobile to find the post. Here ya go. Cheers and a Happy New Year!
 
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