Fly Baby long trip

wby0nder

wby0nder

Cleared for Takeoff
Joined
Aug 29, 2006
Messages
1,060
Location
Iowa
Display Name
Display name:
Matt Michael
Left Ames Iowa this morning about 1 minute before the football game TFR went in to effect at 10, and flew to Muscatine to top off the fuel. Touchy filler hose chugged fuel all over me there. Fortunately they had a shower and had 1 change of clothes. Next leg was to Muncie Indiana where I'd located another airport with Mogas.

This was my longest leg and heaviest take off ever in the Fly Baby. Climb was 400-600fpm initially and than I cruise climbed up to 7500 msl to get above the clouds. I maintained 2500 rpm and was doing about 90mph. 3 hours and 45 minutes later I let down to a nice little strip near Muncie (7I2) and topped off the header tank.

Several taildraggers and a bi plane there with friendly fellas standing around gawking at my weird little plane. When I asked if anybody could hand prop me I think there were 5 or 6 guys looking at each other and chuckling. One of them said, "take your pick".

Getting situated in the "fully loaded" Fly Baby provided them with several minutes of entertainment. Sliding into the super cush-modified seat, with a parachute on is fussy enough. But, to close the canopy I have to put several bags on my lap first, close the canopy, then slide bags over my shoulders to the turtledeck behind my head. It's gotta look strange.

From there I ran SE about 80 miles to a little strip called Stewart just outside the Cincinnati Class B where my pals Chris and Julie Uhl met me. Total milage for the day was about 530 statute.

Tomorrow 320 miles east to just outside the DC security zone. Can hardly recall such a stretch of amazingly perfect weather.

Matt Michael
 
Last edited:
Glad you had a change of clothes, and only needed them due to a fuel spill. :) Have fun!
 
AWESOME, Matt! I saw your hangar door open as I went out to get the RV, but I was in a hurry to beat the TFR myself. I heard the FBO call you as you were taxiing out, but I was too far out to hear you. I was half-tempted to turn around and do a 'flight of two' departure so you could have a transponder code to get out of the area with.

Was Tom still flying gliders at MUT when you were there? I think he was working on soloing a couple of guys soon. I flew over there to help dad rivet the instrument panel turtledeck to the firewall.

Weird coincidence how much our paths crossed today, yet we never saw each other. ha!

I hope you're taking plenty of pics. Definitely a story to tell about over a Killian's at Dublin Bay when you get back. ;)

Tell Chris and Julie hello from the other abnormally tall Chris. :D
 
You're flying Bower's Baby from Ames to Wash DC? Wow, how cool is that!

And you took a fuel bath on your first fill up for this long trip...sorry, that made me chuckle.

I recently met a pilot (Chuck Davis) who was pals with Peter Bowers. He flew a Fly Baby from WA to Los Angeles. He bought it from Mr. Bowers and now keeps it at KFUL. Peter Bowers was a very interesting fellow, I'd have loved to meet him.
 
The guy who is meeting me just outside the DC security zone at Front Royal airport ALSO knew Pete Bowers. Bob Ball and Pete were in a glider club together at Seattle back in the late 50s. He's shown me scrapbook newsletters and photos of their soaring activities together.
 
Richard said:
I recently met a pilot (Chuck Davis) who was pals with Peter Bowers. He flew a Fly Baby from WA to Los Angeles. He bought it from Mr. Bowers and now keeps it at KFUL. Peter Bowers was a very interesting fellow, I'd have loved to meet him.
Click to expand...
I believe this is Chuck's airplane....

Flabob2.jpg

Some detail on Pete Bowers at:

http://www.bowersflybaby.com/bowers/index.html

These long trips in Fly Babies have my utmost admiration. I flew 300 miles in mine one day, and it dern near killed me. :yes:

Ron Wanttaja
 
Great adventure, Matt.

Stewart's an interesting field. Are you going to snag some biplane time while you're there?

It was a perfect day in the Shenendoah Valley today. I was up on my mountain property - 20 or so miles west of FRR.

You coming into the DC area proper, or just staying out Front Royal way?
 
my understanding is matt was at arlington national cemetary tonight for a funeral and is probably heading westbound tomorrow. he reported he was getting 4 gph and made it from ames to FRR with 3 stops. could've made it in two. that flybabies got legs...
 
Did I read that right? A knowledgable CFI implying 2 stops would've been acceptable on 3 stop flight?:fingerwag:
 
i didnt say it wouldn't have been a good idea. i was mostly commenting that matt has done enough work on the flybaby between adding fuel tanks and speed mods that he is only 2 fuel stops away from the east coast. pretty impressive for a flybaby.
 
AdamZ said:
Matt why do you fly with a Parachute?
Click to expand...

Adam,

You ever seen a Fly Baby? ;)

Or it could simply be habit - Lots of glider pilots fly with a 'chute, and it occasionally pays off. Remember that mid-air between a bizjet and a glider near Denver a few years ago? Everyone walked away, the only real casualty was the glider itself (the glider pilot bailed out and parachuted to safety).
 
tonycondon said:
i didnt say it wouldn't have been a good idea. i was mostly commenting that matt has done enough work on the flybaby between adding fuel tanks and speed mods that he is only 2 fuel stops away from the east coast. pretty impressive for a flybaby.
Click to expand...
I know. I was just joshing. I agree, that is impressive.
 
flyingcheesehead said:
Adam,

You ever seen a Fly Baby? ;)

Or it could simply be habit - Lots of glider pilots fly with a 'chute, and it occasionally pays off. Remember that mid-air between a bizjet and a glider near Denver a few years ago? Everyone walked away, the only real casualty was the glider itself (the glider pilot bailed out and parachuted to safety).
Click to expand...

actually that was near Reno.
 
I just hope Matt remembers to take lots of photos. Sounds like an awesome trip, and awesome weather to boot.
 
flyingcheesehead said:
Adam,

You ever seen a Fly Baby? ;)

Or it could simply be habit - Lots of glider pilots fly with a 'chute, and it occasionally pays off.
Click to expand...

The Fly Baby is a single-seater. No worries about getting the pax out first, should anything happen. Most are open-cockpit, so egress is relatively easy.

There was a Fly Baby pilot about ten years ago that lost a wing. When he bought the airplane, his wife had insisted on his wearing a parachute. Came in handy, that day....

Ron Wanttaja
 
Matt is home. thanks to some tailwinds he did the return trip with two stops. Made cincinatti area shortly after dark on Monday. Tuesday he tanked up and made it non-stop to Muscatine, IA, i think he said it was nearly 400 miles. not too shabby. averaging 4.2 gph. trying to pry interesting data out of him when i talked to him yesterday was pretty tough as he was fairly tired from 4 busy days of flying. I can't wait for the full flight report.
 
He was flying faster than my Excursion while burning less. What's not to like? (unless you have any luggage) :)

Sounds like a great trip!
 
Ted DuPuis said:
He was flying faster than my Excursion while burning less. What's not to like? (unless you have any luggage) :)

Sounds like a great trip!
Click to expand...

well he did carry quite a lot of stuff actually. hes got a baggage area built in behind the seat, sharing space with the aux fuel tank, as well as the turtle-deck area behind the seat where i think he was throwing sleeping bags and and a tent among other things. he packed 4 days worth of clothes plus a suit I believe.

I understand that during the first trip through Cinci he had the aux tank out and gathered all of the baggage in front of the airplane and got a picture. apparently pretty impressive. I've also heard that watching him stuff all that stuff in the airplane is equally impressive. has to start the airplane, get in, get all the stuff off the wing and into his lap. shut the canopy, then start throwing stuff over his shoulder into the baggage area behind his head. im told some of the geezers along the way got quite the show watching him do this.
 
All the more impressive. Sounds like a great trip!
 
Here's my account of the long cross country from Ames Iowa to the DC area in my Fly Baby, in 2 parts, attached word documents
 

Attachments

  • DC trip part 1.doc
    4.5 MB · Views: 24
  • DC trip part 2.doc
    2 MB · Views: 14
An excellent adventure... how fortunate that you had the perfect "excuse" to do it: making a very fine gesture for a friend of your father's.

It's great to see someone really getting the most out of a Fly Baby- they are awesome airplanes, but easy to dismiss as just "round the patch" fliers.
 
Awesome writeup! I just can't believe you made Bob hand prop you though :D
 
Great writeup and pics...

There's something about a successful long solo xc that links you to an airplane in a way no other mission can do.

Was this your first time crossing the Alleghenies?
 
Was this your first time crossing the Alleghenies?[/quote]


Yes, at least in my own plane.
 
wby0nder said:
Yes, at least in my own plane.
Click to expand...

On VFR days it seems from noon until 6 or so the slight amount of uplift the mountains provide feeds CU buildup all along the range.

I work in Fairmont, WV where I can watch it happen from our building high on top of a hill. We'll have severe clear here while the ridge to the east is soon covered with towering CU (I've flown around them too -- even 12k is not always high enough).

I'm looking at a FlyBaby Sunday afternoon. My son's expressed an interest in learning to fly in his recent letters from Basic, so I may have to stick to a two-place airplane, but I'd love to use a FB to fly back and forth from work a few times a month!
 
Matt, that was a fabulous write up!!! Great cause for the mission as well!!

I had asked earlier if there was a reson you bought a parachute? Do you wear them when ever you fly GA? or was the Fly Baby just untested at that point?
 
AdamZ said:
Matt, that was a fabulous write up!!! Great cause for the mission as well!!

I had asked earlier if there was a reson you bought a parachute? Do you wear them when ever you fly GA? or was the Fly Baby just untested at that point?
Click to expand...


Thanks,

I wear a parachute whenever I can. I own a couple from my gliding activities where they are sometimes required. If I ever needed one and it was sitting back in the hanger... Well you get the idea.

Inflight fire at altitude, collision, and night engine failure are things that CAN happen. A parachute gives you one more survival option.

MM
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top