N7702Y
Pre-Flight
I was scheduled to fly (commercial) from KPDX to KBFL via a plane change at KSFO yesterday with a colleague. Don't like to travel on Sunday, but sometimes you just have to be there. I hadn't planned to use the Comanche because of cold clouds all the way from PDX to KRDD from the deck to FL 200 that had been in place for a month and were forecast to stay. Classic PNW icing conditions.
So, my associate and I met at the airport and went to check in. We learned that our flight to SFO was delayed for "at least" 2 hours, missing our connection. Result, we'd be getting in at Midnight. Maybe. Ain't business travel grand? Not a meeting we could re-schedule either, a very time dependent "deal" meeting.
But the weather had broken, almost. Ceilings from KPDX were 5,000 feet with isolated light rain showers all the way down to KEUG, then clear South of that, only a few high altitude clouds. So.... Told the nice lady from United that we wanted credit for our tickets, which she provided, and that we'd by flying private. She laughed and said "lucky you"!
Over to the hanger, and pulled the Twinkie out. Called flight service for a briefing. Plan was to fly VFR at 3,500 or a bit lower if necessary from KPDX to KEUG, staying under the icy clouds, then pick up an IFR at 11,000 from their to KBFL (it would be getting dark, and I nearly always fly IFR at night).
We launched 25 minutes after leaving the airline check in desk, at about 3:30, LT. The flight worked our pretty much exactly as planned. Good VFR all the way to EUG, then picked up our clearance and watched the sunset over the Siskiyou Mountains as we motored down South doing 180 knots over the ground. Landed at KBFL at 7:10, almost exactly when our original airline flight would have gotten in.
Ah, yes it is good to fly!
Jay
So, my associate and I met at the airport and went to check in. We learned that our flight to SFO was delayed for "at least" 2 hours, missing our connection. Result, we'd be getting in at Midnight. Maybe. Ain't business travel grand? Not a meeting we could re-schedule either, a very time dependent "deal" meeting.
But the weather had broken, almost. Ceilings from KPDX were 5,000 feet with isolated light rain showers all the way down to KEUG, then clear South of that, only a few high altitude clouds. So.... Told the nice lady from United that we wanted credit for our tickets, which she provided, and that we'd by flying private. She laughed and said "lucky you"!
Over to the hanger, and pulled the Twinkie out. Called flight service for a briefing. Plan was to fly VFR at 3,500 or a bit lower if necessary from KPDX to KEUG, staying under the icy clouds, then pick up an IFR at 11,000 from their to KBFL (it would be getting dark, and I nearly always fly IFR at night).
We launched 25 minutes after leaving the airline check in desk, at about 3:30, LT. The flight worked our pretty much exactly as planned. Good VFR all the way to EUG, then picked up our clearance and watched the sunset over the Siskiyou Mountains as we motored down South doing 180 knots over the ground. Landed at KBFL at 7:10, almost exactly when our original airline flight would have gotten in.
Ah, yes it is good to fly!
Jay
