Raptor Aircraft

flightwriter said:
Looks like he's started the trek out West.

https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N352TD/history/20210805/1213Z/2A2
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First stop, Manhattan, KS. That's just east of a line from 2A2 to KBIL Billings, MT. Billings is the most sensible place I can think of for him to go in Montana. It's as far west as you can go without dodging big rocks, basically the western edge of the Great Plains. It's at 3700 MSL but has a 10,000-foot runway. Laurel would not be bad, either, 150 feet lower and 5200 feet of runway plus no control tower or TSA. A route from Manhattan to Billings goes west of the Black Hills and east of the Bighorn Mountains over relatively flat terrain. The high point would be around Gillette, WY, at 4400 MSL.

If Billings is his destination, then he's actually doing okay. 292 miles down, 660 to go. The DA at Billings is presently (9:00 a.m. local) 5200. It will be above 6500 this afternoon, but if he flies in the mornings he should be okay with the elevations. I think he demonstrated sustained flight at 6500 MSL. Visibility is reported between 7 and 9 miles, which in smoke probably means 4 miles but that's still VFR. It's nowhere near as thick in this area as it was through MN last week. He has good enough avionics and piloting skills to keep the plane upright and pointed in the right direction.

So, let's be positive. Who has suggestions for things to do for a day in Manhattan, Kansas?
 
I find some humor with those who claim offense to following a program whose leader himself invited the audience along for the ride seven years ago.
 
He's going to Idaho, right?

I can't figure out how he's going to get there without exceeding his maximum demonstrated altitude. Even if he follows the interstates from Bozeman it's going to be too tight for my taste. Of course he could push it and try to climb higher than he ever did in GA (in the winter).

Personally, I think the smart move would have been to load it up on a flatbed and truck it there. The guy who does Velocity transports even has a rig that can do it without wide load permits.
 
iamtheari said:
If Billings is his destination, then he's actually doing okay. 292 miles down, 660 to go. The DA at Billings is presently (9:00 a.m. local) 5200. It will be above 6500 this afternoon, but if he flies in the mornings he should be okay with the elevations. I think he demonstrated sustained flight at 6500 MSL.

So, let's be positive. Who has suggestions for things to do for a day in Manhattan, Kansas?
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I'm not worried about him spending a day in Manhattan, KS, but if he is headed west and stopping in Billings next, he may want suggestions for things do to in Billings for a very long time. Because I'm among the many who don't see this thing getting over the Rockies. Unless he is planning to both follow an Interstate, AND fast taxi those portions of the route where the road elevation exceeds his demonstrated service ceiling.
 
GaryM said:
I'm not worried about him spending a day in Manhattan, KS, but if he is headed west and stopping in Billings next, he may want suggestions for things do to in Billings for a very long time. Because I'm among the many who don't see this thing getting over the Rockies. Unless he is planning to both follow an Interstate, AND fast taxi those portions of the route where the road elevation exceeds his demonstrated service ceiling.
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Not much going on in Manhattan from a "college town" aspect at the moment, either. Probably won't be hopping for another week or so when the kids all move back to town/move into the dorms.
 
flightwriter said:
I find some humor with those who claim offense to following a program whose leader himself invited the audience along for the ride seven years ago.
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I find humor in people lining up to say, "I told you so," and continuing to be proven wrong. We all know that at some point they'll be right, and at that point they'll claim to have been right all along.
 
iamtheari said:
First stop, Manhattan, KS. That's just east of a line from 2A2 to KBIL Billings, MT. Billings is the most sensible place I can think of for him to go in Montana. It's as far west as you can go without dodging big rocks, basically the western edge of the Great Plains. It's at 3700 MSL but has a 10,000-foot runway. Laurel would not be bad, either, 150 feet lower and 5200 feet of runway plus no control tower or TSA. A route from Manhattan to Billings goes west of the Black Hills and east of the Bighorn Mountains over relatively flat terrain. The high point would be around Gillette, WY, at 4400 MSL.

If Billings is his destination, then he's actually doing okay. 292 miles down, 660 to go. The DA at Billings is presently (9:00 a.m. local) 5200. It will be above 6500 this afternoon, but if he flies in the mornings he should be okay with the elevations. I think he demonstrated sustained flight at 6500 MSL. Visibility is reported between 7 and 9 miles, which in smoke probably means 4 miles but that's still VFR. It's nowhere near as thick in this area as it was through MN last week. He has good enough avionics and piloting skills to keep the plane upright and pointed in the right direction.

So, let's be positive. Who has suggestions for things to do for a day in Manhattan, Kansas?
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It’s a college town. Lots of good restaurants and bars.
 
He’s almost to Nebraska. Still flying low.
 
And, his last track update at 6:55 AM CDT shows him near Grafton NE, making a U-turn and at 1,800 ft at 107 mph. Hope he's ok!
 
KFMZ was only about 5 miles away.
 
I don't put much stock in those last hits from FlightAware.
 
flightwriter said:
FMZ elevation 1,635' per AirNav. Last hit was at 1,800'.

Lots of open land and farm roads in that area, too, though the fields would be full with corn and soybeans.
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He was somewhat lined up for, and just under 5 nautical miles out from, runway 12 at KFMZ at the end of the FlightAware track. Nearby winds are 160 at about 10 knots, so runway 17 would be a better choice (and a nicer runway), but I would pick straight-in for 12 over maneuvering for 17 if I needed to get down. That said, if the last FlightAware point is accurate, he would be more lined up for a gravel section line road about 2 miles east of Grafton, NE, just south of US-6.

While we are here, check out the Fairmont airport from Google Earth. It looks like a classic triangle airport, with what would have been runway 3 or 4 and its parallel taxiway decommissioned and turned into an aggregate/ready-mix company, plus a house sandwiched between a pair of irrigation pivots. It's always interesting to me to see how the old triangle air fields have evolved.
 
I feel bad for the guy, but I'm very relieved he's not hurt. Hopefully it will complete the trip on the bed of a truck. If he's anything, he's persistent and he might keep trying.
 
Salty said:
I feel bad for the guy, but I'm very relieved he's not hurt. Hopefully it will complete the trip on the bed of a truck. If he's anything, he's persistent and he might keep trying.
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If one were to rank the possible outcomes of a project like this from best to worst, a forced landing on flat ground and no injuries would be a close second.
 
iamtheari said:
If one were to rank the possible outcomes of a project like this from best to worst, a forced landing on flat ground and no injuries would be a close second.
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Agreed. And, like the rest of us here, I'm very glad PM reportedly wasn't injured.
 
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