Am I the most unlucky person, or what?

[SkyHog]

So - over 2 week's after Ed's fly in at 6Y9, I am back up in Minneapolis to try to get Juliet home. All week, I've been watching weather, watching this front move down, and supposedly, supposed to have moved through by Friday morning (now).

Yeah...that didn't happen, and it doesn't appear that its going to happen either. Depending on what the weather actually does, I may wind up having to buy another freaking commercial ticket to get out of here....of course, I'm holding out for Sunday morning at the latest to save me.

Sigh. I'm not looking for advice here, I've run every possible scenario, I just wanted to rant a bit about my lousy luck with weather. I guess it had to catch up to me. I was doing long cross crountries and getting tailwinds both ways for a long time. I made it to and from Gastons without hitting any IFR conditions, I made it up to 6Y9 with only a little diverting (in the long run, it was only a little). But charma has caught up to me.

Someone turn the weather off, please.

 

[Michael]

So your the reason I had to leave my plane 2 years after gastons!
Hope you make it back safely Nick.

 

[EdFred]

Sunday looks like it should work for you. You'll have to do an end around, and cross the Rockies in Montana, and then slide down the west side to NM. Besides, what I have I taught you? The only thing that matters is PIREPS. lol

 

[Lawreston]

Sorry, Nick. My recent situation pales in relation to the magnitude of your problem. My Skyhawk was ready with avionics upgrades -- Concord, NH(only one state away, as you know well) -- in late May. With all the rain we've had in the Northeast over the last three months, every time we made plans to bring her back to Maine the WX reverted to inclement conditions when the appointed day arrived. Finally, on August 13 we brought her back to little ol' Bowdoinham. I know (a small part of) your frustration.

HR

 

[mikea]

The year I flew in I left my plane at Oshkosh and drove Jann home in the rental car. I came back the next day to fly it home.

I took the plane to Munice in July to get the avionics fixed. Getting home and going back was on Greyhound. THAT was an all day adventure for each trip. I didn't have a laptop to keep me amussed so I had to read. I don't know how I did it.

 

[gismo]

Nick, I think if I were you I'd look for a CFI willing to help you get the plane back home. I'm sure there are some around Mpls that would be willing. That way you only need pay for a one way airline ticket and you'd get in some good instrument dual as well. Chaci Rutz at GAS/Hummingbird might be interested and I can probably come up with a few other candidates if that would help.

If insurance won't allow any local CFI's to be PIC in your plane you could have an authorized CFI from home fly up commercially to go home with you, or you could check with the insuance folks to see if you can temporarily add a qualified local CFI to the policy.

And if you decide to leave the plane, it can stay behind my hanger as long as you need.

 

[SkyHog]

Hmmm...interesting idea Lance. I am, unfortunately, a bit on the broke side, so if I do that, I'll have to do it at a later date, after flying commercially home anyways.

I think I'm just gonna have to wait for the ceilings to come up and try to pick my way through the crap that is blocking me in. Given that I essentially have the entire country as a possible route out of here, the important thing is that I can safely depart Minneapolis. After that, I can find a way home.

 

[Diana]

Given that I essentially have the entire country as a possible route out of here, the important thing is that I can safely depart Minneapolis. After that, I can find a way home.

Nick, if you make it down this way and need a place to stay, you are welcome to stay with us.

 

[EdFred]

Nick, if you make it down this way and need a place to stay, you are welcome to stay with us.

That would be one serious detour!!

 

[gprellwitz]

Nick,
Seriously consider the idea of flying an instructor one way commercially. If it's something you're going to have to do yourself anyway, you're only looking at the cost of his time as an additional expense. And that's probably not much more than another one-way trip you'd have to buy for yourself anyway. You can go a long way toward getting the required instrument time for your IA on this trip, as well as getting valuable experience! You're going to need that if you move up north. Things are a little different there weatherwise than in NM!

 

[Ken Ibold]

I think I'm just gonna have to wait for the ceilings to come up and try to pick my way through the crap that is blocking me in. Given that I essentially have the entire country as a possible route out of here, the important thing is that I can safely depart Minneapolis. After that, I can find a way home.

Nick, you've ALWAYS been able to get home. Just click your heels together three times and say ... What's that? You left your ruby slippers at home? Nevermind.

 

[Earthroamer]

I bet you will get out. Just keep an eye on the weather and when it breaks, head off. Most likely will be extreme early in the mornings. So, dont drink all night.

 

[TangoWhiskey]

Hmmm...interesting idea Lance. I am, unfortunately, a bit on the broke side, so if I do that, I'll have to do it at a later date, after flying commercially home anyways.

I think I'm just gonna have to wait for the ceilings to come up and try to pick my way through the crap that is blocking me in. Given that I essentially have the entire country as a possible route out of here, the important thing is that I can safely depart Minneapolis. After that, I can find a way home.

Taking Lance's suggestion a step further, then, (or, is it a step back?) how about hiring a CFII to help you get an hour down the road towards good weather, then pay his cab fare back? OK, cab fare might be too expensive... just trying to think of ideas.

 

[HPNFlyGirl]

If you come east, to NC,you can stay with me.

 

[Pjsmith]

I bet you will get out. Just keep an eye on the weather and when it breaks, head off. Most likely will be extreme early in the mornings. So, dont drink all night.

Later Saturday to Sunday looks not so bad. I'm not terribly experienced in long distances myself, but for each I have staked out airports enroute where I could stash the plane free for a while and still be reasonably close to picking up commercial transportation for the remainder of the trip. If the prog charts are close to accurate, you'd at least be able to get your bird within a couple of states of New Mexico. That'd make the next commute much easier than the one to MN....

 

[gismo]

If you come east, to NC,you can stay with me.

Now that would be quite the detour, but quite possibly worth it.

 

[SkyHog]

Wow.....I just ate breakfast at White Castle.

How could I have been alive for 24 years and never eaten there....delicious.

Looks like tomorrow afternoon/evening is my best bet. I'll go as far as I can without flying into the Rockies after dark. Then it should be a short hop from there.

Assuming the progs are right (they've been wrong all week).

 

[tonycondon]

Sunday is definitely looking good for you Nick.

You know, couldve had that plane back 2 weeks ago if you wouldve let me jk

 

[gismo]

Hmmm...interesting idea Lance. I am, unfortunately, a bit on the broke side, so if I do that, I'll have to do it at a later date, after flying commercially home anyways.

I think I'm just gonna have to wait for the ceilings to come up and try to pick my way through the crap that is blocking me in. Given that I essentially have the entire country as a possible route out of here, the important thing is that I can safely depart Minneapolis. After that, I can find a way home.

Right now it looks like your worst problems are SW Minnesota, NW Iowa, and NE Nebraska. I think if you got as far as Grand Island NE or even just Norfolk, you'd be OK from there. But I don't see any way to get to Nebraska VFR, perhaps Troy's idea of flying IFR with a CFI to Nebraska would work. And Saturday's forecast says that Kansas and Colorado might be iffy. It does seem likely that most of the wx might clear out by Sunday but that's too far ahead to predict VMC with much accuracy.

Whatever you do, I wouldn't consider 3-5 miles vis with 1000-2000 ft ceilings to be sufficient if there is any rain or TRW that must be avoided because you won't be able to see far enough ahead. I wonder if you could rent (or borrow) a Garmin 396 for the trip? At least with that you'd be able to "see" what you might get into down the road.

 

[Missa]

Wow.....I just ate breakfast at White Castle.

How could I have been alive for 24 years and never eaten there....delicious.

Spoken like a true 24 yr old.

UG, White Castle for Breakfast?!?!?!? Man, there is a reason they are called sliders. You'll know why in 5... 4... 3... 2...

Missa

 

[jesse]

Now that would be quite the detour, but quite possibly worth it.

haha..sometimes distance is of no concern.

Wow.....I just ate breakfast at White Castle.

How could I have been alive for 24 years and never eaten there....delicious.

hmm...never tried it.

 

[wsuffa]

Wow.....I just ate breakfast at White Castle.

How could I have been alive for 24 years and never eaten there....delicious.

Sliders.... oooff. You'll know why they're called that soon enough.

They're not too bad with beer.

[EDIT]: looks like Missa beat me to the comment....

 

[flykelley]

hmm...never tried it.

If you are smart you won't try it. At least wait till you know you will be home. DO NOT EAT THEM AND GO FLYING YOU WILL BE SORRY.

Regards Mike

 

[SkyHog]

LOL guys. They're not that greasy/nasty. They were delicious. Could have done with a few less onions tho

 

[deafsound]

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for ya Nick, both for the weather and the digestive tract.

 

[Missa]

They are deceptively ungreasy... but they will slide!

Missa

And Bills right, they are great with Beer.

 

[alaskaflyer]

Am I the most unlucky person, or what?

No you aree not. Unlucky would be departing anyway, encountering bad weather, and either crashing or spending multiple nights in a farmers field somewhere waiting for the weather to break, instead of a city.

 

[gprellwitz]

Seconding Richard's conclusion, no you are not unlucky. Unlucky would be being stuck somewhere without having the ability to get home and without having all the wonderful people around here willing to help you!

 

[wsuffa]

If you are smart you won't try it. At least wait till you know you will be home. DO NOT EAT THEM AND GO FLYING YOU WILL BE SORRY.

Regards Mike

That would be Skyline.... 5-Way and a couple of cheese coneys....

 

[SkyHog]

Actually, I might get out of here afterall. Clouds are breaking up quite a bit, but just a little further west is still nasty, but moving.

*crosses fingers*

 

[HPNFlyGirl]

Now that would be quite the detour, but quite possibly worth it.

Of course it will be worth it.