Last year I had to replace the engine in my Maule after 2400 hrs on the original O-360 just wore out. That meant not much flying for the year. This year I decided to make up for last year's inactivity by flying from the Seattle area to Maryland to see my kids and grandkids and then catch AirVenture/Oshkosh on the way home. The weather gods did everything they could to stop me, but I persevered. Here's the flight path I actually flew, despite doing my initial planning around an approximate great circle route.
I had hoped to make it to Sheridan, Wyoming on the first day, but fog delayed my start and then thunderstorms prevented me from getting past Bozeman, Montana.
I actually spent an extra day twiddling my thumbs in Bozeman and driving the poor staff at Million Air crazy as I plotted multiple flight path options for getting out of there, all to no avail. On the 3rd day conditions weren't perfect, but they were flyable. I only made it to Pierre, South Dakota, well off of my intended course.
From Pierre, I only made it to Joiliet, Illinois before thunderstorms put me on the ground again. Fortunately, that airport was much more convenient than the one in Pierre. Hotels and restaurants were within walking distance of the field, so I had a good night's sleep with a full stomach.
From Joliet, the weather forecast was pretty bleak. I managed to squeeze around the north end of the IFR/thunderstorm area by scud running. Then I zigged and zagged all over the map spending more time fling north and south than making much progress eastward. I finally gave up at the end of the day in York, PA as daylight was fading.
All facilities at York were closed when I arrived and there were no ride-share services or hotels nearby. Fortunately I had camping gear and food with me so I pitched my tent and had a dehydrated meal before the thunderstorms arrived again. Fortunately I have a good tent that stayed dry inside.
I never actually made it to my destination (Ocean City, Maryland) because a thunderstorm was parked over the town and airport. I landed in nearby Salisbury, MD and my sone came to pick me up. Finally, beach time with the family!
From Maryland, I battled low visibility and more thunderstorms on the way to AirVenture/Oshkosh. I found lots of airports with grass runways and cheap gas along the way to make things fun and affordable. I spent a night in Tiffen, Ohio at the Seneca County airport. Tiffen Aire is one of the friendliest FBOs I've ever stopped at. They let me take a recent model Lincoln crew car for the night, so I had a good night's sleep in a hotel and a great meal at MST Pub and Grub.
The next day was a short flight just to position myself for flying the Fisk approach into KOSH on Thursday morning. A I wound up in Watertown, Wisconsin, about an hour SW of Oshkosh. Again, the airport was within walking distance of 2 hotels and several fast food restaurants. The next morning was showtime! The approach into KOSH was crazy busy and was further complicated by all the aircraft departing KOSH after enjoying the Wednesday night airshow.
There's a 10 picture limit for attachments, so this story will continue in a separate post.
I had hoped to make it to Sheridan, Wyoming on the first day, but fog delayed my start and then thunderstorms prevented me from getting past Bozeman, Montana.
I actually spent an extra day twiddling my thumbs in Bozeman and driving the poor staff at Million Air crazy as I plotted multiple flight path options for getting out of there, all to no avail. On the 3rd day conditions weren't perfect, but they were flyable. I only made it to Pierre, South Dakota, well off of my intended course.
From Pierre, I only made it to Joiliet, Illinois before thunderstorms put me on the ground again. Fortunately, that airport was much more convenient than the one in Pierre. Hotels and restaurants were within walking distance of the field, so I had a good night's sleep with a full stomach.
From Joliet, the weather forecast was pretty bleak. I managed to squeeze around the north end of the IFR/thunderstorm area by scud running. Then I zigged and zagged all over the map spending more time fling north and south than making much progress eastward. I finally gave up at the end of the day in York, PA as daylight was fading.
All facilities at York were closed when I arrived and there were no ride-share services or hotels nearby. Fortunately I had camping gear and food with me so I pitched my tent and had a dehydrated meal before the thunderstorms arrived again. Fortunately I have a good tent that stayed dry inside.
I never actually made it to my destination (Ocean City, Maryland) because a thunderstorm was parked over the town and airport. I landed in nearby Salisbury, MD and my sone came to pick me up. Finally, beach time with the family!
From Maryland, I battled low visibility and more thunderstorms on the way to AirVenture/Oshkosh. I found lots of airports with grass runways and cheap gas along the way to make things fun and affordable. I spent a night in Tiffen, Ohio at the Seneca County airport. Tiffen Aire is one of the friendliest FBOs I've ever stopped at. They let me take a recent model Lincoln crew car for the night, so I had a good night's sleep in a hotel and a great meal at MST Pub and Grub.
The next day was a short flight just to position myself for flying the Fisk approach into KOSH on Thursday morning. A I wound up in Watertown, Wisconsin, about an hour SW of Oshkosh. Again, the airport was within walking distance of 2 hotels and several fast food restaurants. The next morning was showtime! The approach into KOSH was crazy busy and was further complicated by all the aircraft departing KOSH after enjoying the Wednesday night airshow.
There's a 10 picture limit for attachments, so this story will continue in a separate post.
