Chapter 29 Reunion '04

Gold Day and other stuff


So now we get another period of rotten weather. May 20 ain't too bad, with increasing wind forecast for the afternoon. I go to the airport and talk Dave into going to lunch at Lancaster with me. When I get to the hangar, I have forgotten the key. So blow this one off.

The next day was the "let's get kids enthused about flying" day. Sandra was out of town with the state Special Olympics tournament, so she had drafted Renae (Remember the flight with the 2 cute school teachers?) to help me. The day seemed to go well with some of the 7 groups being more enthusiastic than others.
The next weekend, Sandra leaves on Thursday for the National Volleyball Tournament in Atlanta with the Special Olympics team from Texas. Friday is decent, so I go out to see if anyone at the airport wants to go out to lunch. Dave and one of the other guys have gone off for the weekend. Travis has company. Bah, humbug.
It is too pretty to stay on the ground and tomorrow will make 3 weeks since I have flown. I take off for Ardmore, OK on my own. Nice smooth flight. The cafe hamburger is as good as always and the flight home is also good.
Back to the one day a week of reasonable weather. Sit at home all weekend, Sandra's first weekend at home since May 8-10. There is an Angel Flight Pilot's meeting in Sulphur Springs scheduled for June 5. The weather all week is poor, but the forecast for Saturday looks doable. On Thursday, I post my name as possibly attending and indicate that I have an open seat. Thursday evening I get a call from Jerry Garcia that he needs a ride. We set up the time and I give him directions then we wait for the weather.

Saturday comes with a layer of high clouds and scattered low clouds with rain. It is supposed to clear later in the morning, but the scheduled takeoff is 8:45. I didn't get Jerry's phone number, so I can't discuss options with him. My only choice is to get ready and if he doesn't call, go to the airport and hope for the best. I arrive about 8:35 and he is waiting. We eyeball the weather, open the hangar and preflight. By this time, it looks better to the east and more low stuff to the west. Now or never, we pull out, close up hangar and saddle up. By the time we taxi out and run up, the stuff to the west is now over us, but very thin and broken.

I take off and when McKinney AWOS comes in, they are now reporting 700 scattered. 700 plus field elevation is 1400' MSL and we start dodging them as we turn east. I contact McKinney tower and am told:
"Four Lima Bravo, remain clear of class D. We have just gone IFR only due to 700' ceiling."
"Four Lima Bravo will remain VFR clear of your airspace to the north."

I am turning northeast into a break in the stuff. At 2000' I am above it and can see it broken to the east at that altitude. There are enough holes than I can identify Melissa and turn east over it. Leveling off at 3500, I can see that the entire 700' layer ends at Princeton, and report this back to McKinney Tower.

Uneventful flight from this point to Sulphur Springs. I let Jerry fly it for a while and take over to begin descent and approach. We turn final over the lake in bright sunlight on a very smooth and normal approach. At touchdown, everything goes haywire. We bounce and crowhop. I add power and resettle on the runway slightly misaligned and left of center. As we slow by the windsock, it is straight out and pointing to the west. That wasn't in the advisory!

No harm, no foul. We park, shut down and go inside. After potty and coffee, we join the welcome session in progress. This is followed by a wings session and then a fine barbecue lunch. After lunch, Jerry attends the new pilot orientation while I wander around. After 45 minutes or so, I fire up and taxi over to the old ramp for gas. After futzing around with a cantankerous card reader, non-standard pump operating procedures and so on, by the time I am done, I can see the people beginning to come out of the FBO so the briefing is over.
The Mouse won't start! I get out and start walking back towards the FBO, looking for Jerry. I finally spot him scrounging a ride, thinking I have left without him. I yell, wave, jump up and down and he finally sees me and starts over. We get in as a Cherokee taxis up behind me for gas. Still no start! We pull it out of the way and go over to Caldwell's hangar for a drink and sit-down. After leisurely drinking a soda and a discussion with the airport cat, we walk back to the Mouse and it starts right up.

We take off for home with a right turnout to the west. I have just rolled out on course when something hits me on the arm and the cabin is filled with noise. Fly the airplane! Nothing unusual in the handling or engine. Look around. Jerry is struggling with the door which has popped open, and the slap on the arm was the vent window popping open and falling on my arm.

The latch on a Mouse is similar in operation to the doorknob on your house. You can just pull it shut. Close the airvents and leave the vent window open and pull the door shut (in the slipstream, it will only open about 2"). Close the vent window and re-open the air vents and all is back to normal.

As I am turning final at Aero Country, I remark that I am hoping for a better landing that I made at SLR. I get it, a slight skip and right on the centerline.

Getting ready for the Reunion flight


This year's Crocker Family Reunion is in Knoxville, TN, June 11-12. Weather permitting, we will fly! Straight line is 656nm or one long hard day of flying. If She Who Must Be Obeyed drives, it is 950sm or 2 hard days. Sandra will take 3 days off, Thursday, Monday, Tuesday (summertime schedule for her is 4 day weeks). If we can fly we will make a curiosity stop Thursday going and another Monday coming back. After considering many places near the proposed route, we decide on Fort Payne AL for overnight Thursday and Tullahoma, TN for Monday with the overnight Monday at Tunica, MS. Now to wait on the weather.

Fort Payne is the home of Alabama (the singing group) and thus hallowed ground to the Redhead. Tullahoma is home to the Staggerwing Museum and thus hallowed ground to all Beechcraft owners.

We get rain and storms all weekend the 5-6th, but the long range forecast says that the weather here will be good on Thursday. Tuesday, I go out to do an oil change. Simple routine procedure. Take Ed around the pattern twice to warm oil up, push plane back in the hangar, attach hose to drain plug, insert hose in hole in lid of 5 gallon plastic pail, open drain, loosen filter and take a break while oil drains. Come back in 20 minutes and remove filter, disassemble and replace element, re-assemble and install hand tight, close drain, start first quart, tighten filter bolt, start 2nd quart, tighten filter hold down bolt, start 3rd quart, run safety wire, start 4th quart, rig and trim safety wire, start 5th quart, pick up leftovers, start 6th quart, put bucket and hose back, start 7th quart.

Clean hands and check level, put in 8th quart, close up and pull out in the sunshine for leak check. Start engine, oil pressure comes right up. Run at fast idle for several minutes and shut down. No leaks found. Push back in, close hangar and go home.

I check the Thursday forecasts for Dallas, Greenville, MS (Lunch) and Fort Payne. No apparent problems. Not perfect, but apparently doable. Wednesday I spend most of the day working out nav logs and airport data. I make reservations in Fort Payne and Knoxville and pack clothes.

Bad weather, revisions, and off we go


Wednesday night, more thunderstorms come in, but they are supposed to be gone by morning. The forecasts for Greenville and Fort Payne are still acceptable. Weather forecasts are but horoscopes with numbers at best as Thursday morning is celebrated with much light and sound. I rose at 6:30 and waded to the newspaper which I quickly scanned while the coffee brewed. Then to the computer. The news was that if we could start from Texarkana, it would be an easy trip FSS opined that the IFR only would be past by 10. Sandra opined that she was leaving before noon whether we went to the airport or she drove.

If we couldn't leave by 9:00, we couldn't hope to make Fort Payne before the FBO closed. I started looking at other routing. By 9, the clouds had stopped weeping and the ceilings were slowly lifting to the east. I quickly modified and reprinted nav logs to Monticello, AR for a quick lunch and on to Mussel Shoals for the overnight. Then I showered and dressed. At 10, FSS said VFR to TKX was doable but not recommended. The conditions were improving, so we head for the airport at 10:45.

We take off in scattered to broken at 2000' with the tops supposedly at 3 and the solid overcast between 6 and 8. We find a hole and learn that the tops of the ground layer are in the overcast. We work our way up to 5500' but can't stay there VFR. Somewhere east of Paris-Sulphur Springs, we go back down under through a hole and pick our way along around 2000'. Just as we identify New Boston, we judge that the top overcast has broken up and we should climb back on top. I tell Dallas Center that I am going back up and they ask me to report tops and coverage when I get there. At 3500' we are over the tops with 50% coverage and by the time we pass Texarkana, The coverage is scattered to few.

We drone on comfortably now in cool smooth air, deviating only slightly south of our desired course to avoid some buildups between TXK and CDH. Soon it is time to begin descent to Monticello. I ask for the airport diagram while I scan for the likely spot. I find the likely spot, but the diagram don't match the layout I see. The sectional only shows a single runway, oriented NE-SW and the diagram I am looking shows 2 runways. The diagram for MSL is the one on the back of the NAV log, LLQ is on a separate sheet. Sandra digs it out and we announce for 27 and set up for pattern entry.

A more than acceptable landing and we taxi up to the main hangar. There are two men standing by a car half in the hangar door. Sandra gets out and heads for them while I clean up the cockpit and note the Hobbs time. Then I get out, make a picture and walk over to them. After potty, we go back out to them and ask about a late lunch (It is 2:00). After negotiation, they suggest a barbecue place and give us the car.

Very good food and service. Back to the airport and Sandra sits in the FBO with her to go tea while I taxi the Mouse to the other side of the hangar for gas. After filling the tanks (Not full, as the DA is now running 2000' over field elevation), I go back in to collect the Redhead. She and an old gray gentleman are deep in conversation. He has been flying for over 50 years and is full of good tales.

His first wife died after 40 years of marriage. She seldom flew with him. After a couple of years, he called this woman he had known for 30 years and asked her out for dinner. She said "Fine, where?".
"It'll be a secret."
He picked her up, took her to the airport and flew her to Little Rock for dinner and back on a clear, moonlit night. She told him that if he had proposed to her on the way back, she would have accepted on the spot.
Saddle up and take off for Alabama. We climb out to the east until we pick up the outbound radial for Tupelo, MS from the LLQ VOR. Level at 5500', it is again scattered clouds beneath us with occasional buildups that we have to dodge around. But the visibility is excellent. We pass about 10 miles south of Pontotoc, the site of last years Reunion and I can see the lake where Aunt Syble lives.

Heading ENE from TUP, we can see a "wall" of haze east of the Tennessee-Tombigbee waterway. We are soon over Alabama and the visibility has dropped to maybe 5 miles ahead and to the sides with zilch behind us. Cedar Creek Lake and the Tennessee River are less than 15 miles apart and we can barely see both of them as we pass between them and start our descent. After one false identification, we find the airport and announce.

Unicom asks, "Four Lima Bravo, are you Bo Boggs?".
"Roger, Shoals. That would be me."
"Uh, we have your room at the Holiday and will call the courtesy van as soon as you get in the pattern."

We approach 29 a little high and land long but very nicely. No problem, 29 is 6700' and the FBO is on the west end of the field. Taxi in, shut down and take the bags we need into the FBO. After a potty and water break, the motel van pulls up and we pile in.

The one drawback of using courtesy transportation is that it limits the choices for dinner/breakfast to what you can walk to. Here, it is the motel restaurant or the Outback Steakhouse 2 doors down. The menu at the motel is not promising, so we head for Outback around 7:30.

Rocket to Choo-Choo to Volunteer


The flight time to Knoxville is about 20 minutes if you consider the change from Central to Eastern time zones. There is no hurry to get off on Friday morning. We get up, shower, dress and pack. Eat a leisurely breakfast at the motel buffet and check out.

After all the preparations, briefings, etc., we are off at 10:30. The haze is still with us and now we are going into the sun. At 5500', we have maybe 3 miles of detail visibility on the ground through scattered clouds. This is not a serious problem, as we will go the 40 miles to the Huntsville VOR, 74 miles to the Chattanooga VOR, then 84 miles to the Knoxville VOR.

When we give our route to Huntsville Approach for flight following, it is "Rocket, direct Choo-Choo, direct Volunteer at 5500". Don't you just love the VOR names? (Huntsville, home of Redstone Arsenal, rocket propulsion test center. Chattanooga Choo Choo, Knoxville, home of the UT Volunteers). Many of them have names that are like that. Razorback, just north of Fayetteville. Cowboy, between DFW and Love Field. Maverick at DFW, Ranger, between DFW and Meacham.

In the increasingly rugged terrain below us we learn that the visual cues that we use for identifying landmarks are slightly altered. At low angles, a ridge line with haze behind it will look like a lake shore. The farm fields and pastures in the valleys with the wooded hillsides look like rivers. We adjust and move on.
Passing the south side of Chattanooga, we turn NE and with the sun more behind us, the visibility improves. Over Athens, we are handed to Knoxville Approach and over Madisonville, brought down to 3500 and given a more northerly course to take us clear to the west of McGee-Tyson the main airport for Knoxville. Over Fort Loudon Dam, we are brought down to 2500 and given a vector to take us direct to Downtown Island Airport, parallel to the runways at TYS, five miles to our right. Very quickly, I can see the downtown skyline and report that I have the DKX AWOS and field in sight.

Released from Flight Following, we finish our descent to pattern altitude, passing over the Baptist Hospital and into the downwind for 26. This has to be the most beautiful airport I have ever seen. It is on an island in Fort Loudon Lake (Tennessee River). As I enter the downwind, we are over the south bank which contains some 50-70' bluffs at the hospital before dropping to nearly river level by the west end of the island. Beyond the island, we can see a mile or more straight ahead, up river before it turns back to the north. The main channel goes around the east and north side of the island, and we are over the much smaller south channel which is almost completely hidden by large trees. We turn base across the river and over a large, just mown hayfield. Turning over the hayfield, we are on final to a newly paved and marked 3500' asphalt runway with resurfaced taxiways all surrounded by lush green grass. The 2 channels come back together just beyond the far end and we can see the downtown skyline on down the river.


Again, we're a little high, so a slightly long but smooth landing. Taxi in, park and shut down a little after 11:00 EDT. After the obligatory potty breaks, Sandra checks out the rental car while I go put the Mouse to bed.

Down Memory Lane


This may be a Reunion for Sandra's family, but for me it is homecoming. I was born in the Baptist Hospital we passed over entering the downwind. We lived in a house about 2 miles south of the hospital until I was in the first grade, when we moved to a house on the NE side of town. In the fifth grade, we moved to SC, returning to live in a house about 1/2 mile from the first house when I was in the 8th grade. The following summer, we moved to a house just east of downtown where I attended the 9th grade. We then moved to Dayton, OH where I graduated from high school. Since moving to Ohio in 1956, I had only passed through Knoxville once in 1962.
I could remember the street names for homes 1, 2 and 4, and the general locations from major streets or other landmarks. I had gone to the web and started looking on a map site. The street pattern for 1 and 3 was just as I remembered it. Home 2 was drastically changed, but 4 was close to my memory. I printed off the street maps for all four and filed them with my Nav logs.

During the last years of WWII, my father learned to fly under the Civilian Aviator Program. Guess where? Island Home Airport, now known as Knoxville Downtown Island Airport. He took me up once while we were still living in the first home. I still remember sitting in his lap while he flew. As far as I know, that was the last time he ever flew. The bridge across the south channel was just as I remembered it.

Two turns (one missed and we went around the block) and we were on the street to the first place. Going past the big red brick church headed to the dogleg into the block where we lived. There was a store there and we were now facing directly at it. The building is now boarded up, and smaller than I remember, but still there. Across the street from it, I remember what I guessed was 2 lots of wilderness. It is now a nice little park and there next to the railroad tracks is the house! I remembered it as white, but it is now a pale yellow with a brown roof.

We pulled into the driveway and I went to the door. It was answered by a man slightly older than I.
"Sir, my name is Bo Boggs. My family lived in this house when I was a child and I was wondering if I could take some pictures of it."
"You lived here? When? My wife has lived here for 50 years."
"My parents moved here in the spring of 41 and we moved out in 46 or 47. This is the first time I have been in Knoxville since 56."
"My, My. Sure, take as many pictures as you like." This said through the open screen door with the heavenly aroma of fresh baked cake nearly overwhelming me.
After taking 3 pictures, I was getting back in the car when the woman stepped out on the porch.
"Do you remember what the inside looked like when you lived here?"
"Yes ma'am"
"Would you like to come in and see what it looks like now?"
"I sure would!"

Inside, it seems smaller than my memory, but it was a large house for the time it was built. The current owners have moved the hall door from the living room to the dining room and added the sun room and deck on the south side. But the kitchen, other than new faces on the cabinets is just as I remember it.

Moving on to the third place, we go down to the end of the street, turn left to the end of that street, then dogleg under the railroad trestle and up the steep hill. Turn left and up past the next street. The people in the old house had said that this area had gotten rough and they were right. I think the house was there, but where it used to be the last house on the street, there are now small tacky houses side by side on small lots. It used to be the second and last house on the block. The first two houses are very small and close together and the third house is larger and much older.

Oh well, back out of this old part of Knoxville, through the old gateway, past South Knoxville Elementary School (now apparently abandoned, but the name was still on it), across the Gay Street Bridge and through downtown.

Turning right at the end of downtown, we come out on the street we are looking for. This neighborhood, the last we lived in was not very good in 56 and now is even less hospitable. We find the block where the house had been, but all the houses are much newer, low rent housing. Back down to the street where the Junior High was and after crossing Magnolia, we find it as I remember, at the bottom of the hill. The building looks sad, but is still in use.

Oh, well. On out on Magnolia which used to be the main commercial street, but is now one fast food place after another. We negotiate the split of 11E and W into Rutledge Pike and Asheville Highway. Out Rutledge Pike, turning on to Timothy Street which is now more like a frontage road for I40. The house and shop building are both gone, but on down the street, we find The Timothy Street Baptist Church. This church was started as a mission around 1950 in our dining room, holding Sunday services in our house for nearly 2 years before a building was started.

The Reunion(s)


My nostalgia tour complete, we now head for the motel as far out the west side of town as we were out the east side. Wilton and Marie have just checked in when we get there after having left Canton in Marie's car on Wednesday afternoon. Trying to decide what to do next, the sisters discover that several people are already at Dick and Irene's and lunch is being served. On to the reunion.

Just like last year, it is one long meal and gossip fest. It is well attended with relatives from Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Florida and California in attendance. Saturday morning, we all gather for the motel's complimentary breakfast wearing our matching Crocker Reunion T-shirts. Wilton, Marie, Aunt May and Sandra go to an Antique mall and others scatter to other destinations. About 10, Russell comes by the room and says that they are headed for the Townsend's, do I want to go? Sure. More non-stop eating and gossip. Photo taking and back to the motel about 11.

Sunday morning, we all, including the Townsend's, meet for a farewell breakfast at the motel. It begins breaking up around 10 as people have long drives to make and/or planes to catch. Wilton and Marie are going to Kingston to spend a few days with Aunt Betty and Uncle John. We will go for the day in our car as there is no airport near Kingston and we have a full day planned for Monday. John and Betty live on a small farm south of Kingston and Marie is the only one who knows the way. Marie is directionally challenged in the extreme. We make several wrong turns, call for directions and a couple more wrong turns before we get there. Betty and John are glad to see that I am not a rumor and finally meet me. They are good folks and have planned an outing to the Crossville Community Theater to see a production of "Smoke on the Mountain". It is excellently done by mostly locals and we all eat dinner in Crossville before driving back to Kingston. We head back for Knoxville around 10.

More marginal weather and some beautiful airplanes


The first leg Monday is Knoxville to Tullahoma, TN, a total distance of 125nm. The field elevation at Knoxville is 833' and the field elevation at Tullahoma is 1082'. In between lies the Cumberland mountain range. The highest point along our route will be just south of the Hinch Mountain VOR at 3048'. The morning is cloudy with light haze and scattered rain showers. All stations are reporting at least 3500' ceilings except in the scattered showers. The temperature dew point spreads are 1-3 degrees. No one is reporting where the tops are, but the patches of sunshine are clear above the stratiform clouds we are seeing. Ceilings (or at least the cloud bottoms) are forecast to rise during the day. All right, let's go take a look.

We take off around 9:30EDT, flying a long downwind departure from 8 to take pictures of downtown. West of downtown, we request flight following and begin to pick up HCH on the VOR. We continue the climb towards 4500, dodging some clouds and are soon above them. But they rise as the terrain rises and west of Kingston, we can no longer go above or around them. I tell Knoxville that I will be maneuvering to avoid the clouds and they simply say "Maintain VFR, altitude at your discretion."

We are now around 5000', and turn northwest looking for a hole in the walls of clouds. This choice is because the ridgeline that includes Hinch Mountain runs Northeast and this course will get us across it into descending terrain quicker. We dodge back and forth, making progress in that direction until from the south end of a clear area, I see the ridgeline in bright sunshine with at least 1000' clear above it. Circle down and cross it at about 3400'. Beyond it, we have to drop down to 3000' to stay under the clouds before finding a hole that will allow us to climb back above.

When we get back above at 4500' we can see that the buildups over the ridgeline went well above 6000'. But the tops in front of us are at about 3500' and scattered to broken. OK, fine. Get back to the outbound radial from HCH to Tullahoma as we are about 10 miles north of it. Drone on, using the Shelbyville VOR to keep track of our position.

Finally, "Nashville, Four Lima Bravo. I think we are about 15 miles east of THA and am going to descend through an appropriate hole in a few minutes."

"Roger, Four Lima Bravo. You are 5 miles east of Manchester. After descent, you will be below out coverage. Radar services terminated. Squawk VFR" "Four Lima Bravo."

I picked the second hole for descent and we came out under the clouds at 2100' just east of Manchester, 9 miles from THA. Coming out from under a cloud, we can see Tullahoma ahead in the sunlight. Identify the runways, get in the pattern and make a good landing. Taxi in and shut down.

The reason for this stop is at the south end of the field. Too far to walk comfortably, and we also want to eat lunch before moving on. I go to the desk and ask about the Museum and transportation for lunch. The guy behind the desk says, "Fill out the sheet and take the key. It'll either fit the red Porsche or the blue Caravan."
Right! The key has a Chrysler logo, which do you think is out there? Anyway, he gives us directions through the hangars to the museum and off we go. The Museum as indicated by the name was originally dedicated to the Beech Staggerwing models. It eventually accepted 2 Travel Airs and then expanded to include the type 18 twins. It now contains 6-7 Staggerwings, 2 Travel Airs, 5-6 B18s and is being expanded to include the bonanza and Baron lines. They have Staggerwing SN1 and the first production Bonanza. 3 large hangars full of some of the most beautiful flying machines ever manufactured. Along with memorabilia from pilots who have flown them. No mention of the Aero Center line which encompasses the Sport, Musketeer, Sundowner and Sierra lines.

We ogle and wander for an hour and a half and then head into town to eat at the recommended Downtown Cafe. The lunch special includes drink and dessert. I had seen the strawberry shortcake served to the table behind us as we sat down and sure enough, my club sandwich came with a serving of the shortcake.
The club sandwich was good, but...... It was never frozen, sliced strawberries in their own juice, piled over homemade yellow cake, topped with real whipped cream. Diet, schmiet, let me at it!

On to Tunica


We planned to go on to Tunica, MS this afternoon but the updated weather briefing is not good. There are thunderstorms building along a line from Tupelo to Huntsville, a line that is only 25-40 miles south of our route, and they are moving north. We elect to go more westerly to the Jacks Creek VOR and then to Holly Springs.
The low clouds we dodged coming in are somewhat higher and more scattered than they were 2 hours ago, and we easily get above them. We can easily see the buildups to the south, but out course will be well clear of them. We ride inbound, more or less on the 85 degree radial towards Jacks Creek. Crossing the Tennessee River, we locate our exact position as being somewhat south of the VOR, so I set up the outbound radial to Holly Springs and continue due west waiting for the needle to center. I wait and I wait.

At our two o'clock, we see a large town and a T shaped airport. Where the heck are we? Quick look at the sectional says that has to be Jackson, TN. We are at least 10 miles past where the needle should have centered. Oh well, turn to about 200 and set for the Holly Springs VOR. It comes in almost immediately.
"Four Lima Bravo, Memphis Approach. Are you direct to Tunica?"

"Negative, Memphis. I had the outbound from Jacks Creek to Holly Springs set in and the needle never centered."
"Hate it when that happens. We've got a line of buildups just west of Holly Springs. We will keep you updated."
"Thanks."

At this time, we are about 60nm from Holly Springs and we can see high cumulus clouds just slightly to our right. We watch them for about 15 minutes, reminiscing about the strawberry shortcake.
"Four Lima Bravo, Memphis. Recommend you come left to 180 to pass by those buildups."
"Four Lima Bravo to one eight zero."

We drone on watching the buildups moving to our right. The buildups from Tupelo are way off to the left now and we see clear skies and sunshine ahead.

As the darkest area gets off our right wing, "Four Lima Bravo, Memphis. How's the ride where you are?"
"Only a few bumps here, Memphis"
"Good, you can turn west in about five minutes."
Sure enough, "Four Lima Bravo, Memphis. 260 should take you direct to Mike Niner Seven from here."
"Thanks, Memphis. Four Lima Bravo going to 260"

We are now cruising along 7-10 miles south of a line of rain showers with some lightning. The ride is smooth at 3500', and soon we see Lake Arkabutla ahead. All of Memphis is obscured by the clouds or the rain showers, but we can see only scattered clouds all the way to the river 40 miles away. Some of them closer to the river are showing signs of lift, meaning that they will soon become rain showers if not actual thunderstorms. Passing the lake, I see 2 areas between us and the river that may be the airport and thank Memphis as I begin a slow descent.

It is only slightly hazy, but we cannot positively identify the airport until we are about 3 miles from it. It has only one building that does not look like a hangar at midfield and a cluster of buildings north of that. The pavement in this light blends with the ground and the only thing that tipped me off was the patterns of white bars at each end. We are still at 2000' and I announce that we are doing a 360, 3 miles east, to get into the pattern. Coming out, We can see that one of the clouds SW of the runway is now raining.


The runway is 5000' long with the north 800' blocked off while they add 2000' more to it. There is already pavement on half of it, so we drag along over almost 2000' of pavement to reach the legitimate part of the runway. I bounce and abort. The second try is only marginally better, but we manage to make it stick the third time. Taxi in and shut down as the storm passes just to the west of the airport and we can see another one building further west. (Note the clouds over us in the picture.)

We get bags, etc from the plane. Sandra checks out the car and we head for Tunica, catching up with the first shower between the airport and Casino Row. We check into a fine room in a nearly new hotel and after resting up for a spell light out to explore. We drive through the entire Casino area, and the Riverpark. On the way back out of the Riverpark, we see an armadillo walking across one of the bridges. Sandra swears that this is the first one she has ever seen that wasn't a roadkill pancake. Unfortunately, the digital camera is in the hotel room and the film camera is in Sandra's tote bag in the trunk.

Anyway, we proceed on down the back roads along the levee to the old town of Tunica. We are now looking for a place to eat. Arriving in Tunica, we enter another downpour. The only restaurant there is crowded and we don't wish to walk across a parking lot in this rain, so back to the casinos.

There are four choices in the Grand: a steak house where the cheapest thing on the menu is $20, an Italian spot where the wait for a table will be 1 hour, a "sports" bar and grille and the buffet. Neither of us are fans of steam table food, so...

We join the line for Replay. After about 10 minutes, the headwaitress tells us that if we will eat at the bar, we can "jump" the line. By this time, I am gnawing on the Redhead's arm, so we go to the bar. We sit there for 15 minutes and the bartender won't even make eye contact. So much for jumping the line, the people in front of us there are already seated. Sandra goes back to the headwaitress and complains and we are immediately seated at a table served by a trainee on her first day at work. The food is tasty, but high and the portions are small.

Atrocious weather


Tuesday arrives with broken low clouds and a solid cover above them. The tropical low in the gulf during the weekend has now moved into south east Texas and we are on the outer rain bands of it. The weather channel indicates that we will probably not be flying anywhere today. Sandra has to be back in school tomorrow, so we may have a serious problem.

The choice is to eat breakfast, check out and use the weather resources as well as the travel resources at the FBO to decide the course of action. We hit the Buffet about 8:30. You pay in advance, and they are temporarily out of silverware. They get silverware, but then run out of plates. They get plates, and run out of coffee. All this for $9 a head!

The weather stations at the FBO confirm our worst expectations. We not only won't fly to Dallas today, we can't even fly to someplace closer. The rain bands from the low are covering most of MS, all of LA and most or AR, and Dallas is completely covered.

Basic plan: get Sandra back to Dallas and I will baby-sit with the mouse waiting for better weather. Avis has a car at the Memphis airport that needs to be in Dallas. She can drive it for the subcompact rental fee. So we drive to MEM in the local rental and Sandra heads for Dallas about 11. I stop at a Target and buy some underwear and socks and a shirt and jeans, just in case. Then back to the FBO to study my options. Most of MS is now only partly cloudy by now, but there are still narrow bands of heavy rain crossing here on a 2 hour schedule. The idea of flying down to Jackson to spend tonight with Thelma and Terrell is attractive, but will really get me no closer to Dallas and might be a worse position for tomorrow.

Go into Tunica for lunch at Church's. Back out to the airport, I drive over to the buildings on the north edge of the field. Among the runway construction stuff, is a hangar with several planes tied outside. Behind the hangar is a humongous cropduster. I go inside the office and am greeted by a very vocal dachshund. The airport cat barely stirs from his task of acting as paperweight for the inbox on the desk. I am warmly greeted by the owner of the spraying operation and we spend a couple of hours swapping yarns. He shows me the entire operation, and now I know more about spraying ground ops than I ever thought I would know. Fascinating stuff!
Back to the FBO just in front of the scheduled 3:00 downpour. Shortly after it passes, a King Air comes in and 3 people get out. They were bound for West Memphis and the downpour is now over that airport like white on rice. After checking the weather from every angle, I determine that I will be spending the night here. The FBO gets me back into the hotel at the same low rate.

About 4:30, the King Air pilot comes screaming through the waiting room, gathering up his passengers and heads for the plane. West Memphis is clearing and another shower is approaching Tunica. They pile into the King Air and begin the startup. They are starting the starboard (right) engine when the desk jockey yells, "They forgot the chocks.". I dash out, madly waving my arms and when I am certain the pilot has seen me and understands my wild dance, carefully remove the nose wheel chocks. He taxis out and takes off with the next shower raining on the town.

Shortly before 6, I leave the FBO. I have no intention of suffering casino food service again, so after driving around Tunica, I stop at the Blue and White Diner. The place is typical old small town diner. Full menu, a rack of what appears to be homemade pies behind the counter. I have a delicious, tender, and too large chicken fried steak for $12. Then I take the scenic route back towards Casino Row.

As I have the digital camera with me, I detour over to the Riverpark, hoping that the armadillo may be on his rounds again this evening. No luck, but a deer almost collides with me before doing a U-turn back into the swamp. The park is nearly empty (The exhibit hall is closed after 5:00) and the Tunica Queen is out on a cruise.

I take the camera and walk out on one of the observation points. When I look downriver, I see a rain squall with the riverboat just in front of it coming upriver. Like the riverboat is trying to beat the rainsquall upriver. It is just before sunset, and I took several pictures of the clouds and river. Then back to the hotel and bed.

Flying home solo


Wednesday morning is gray, but there is plenty of light when I get up. The weather channel indicates that the low circulation is now on a path north along the TX-LA border and the outer portion is nearing Shreveport. It looks like I can go straight west, turning south west near Hot Springs. There is some rain east of the Dallas area, but it is light and the temperature/dew point spreads are 5-7 degrees.

When I get to the airport, Flight Service concurs with my assessment. There are batches of low clouds along the river, moving north and if I can get out between them and climb to 4500, I should be over most of them. Central AR is reporting scattered low clouds increasing in western AR and eastern OK. The shower area east of Dallas comes and goes, but all stations report at least 2500' outside of the showers. Order additional gas for the Mouse and make a quick run into Tunica to fill the rental car. Buy some cookies and crackers for in-flight snacks and head back.

Preflight finds some water in the right tank, but the third sample is clean. Fire up in sunlight with blue sky to the east. By the time I take the runway, another band of low clouds have moved in. I take off, watching the crop duster working just southeast of the runway and bounce along at 1000', looking for a hole.
I know there are lighter skies to the east, but I travel mostly south, trying several holes and k
eep winding up back at 1000'. I find a hole that is a little bit short (NW-SE) of the length I need to climb above, but there is bright blue sky above it. Full throttle and Vx climb. As I approach the end of this "valley", it looks like I will be only a 100' or so short of the top, and if I tried to turn, I would go into the soup anyway. Press on, looking for the lighter area. Head craning in soup is a no-no. The sound changes and I look at the attitude indicator. Although I think I am still level and climbing, it shows a steep right bank and descent. Reflex takes over and I make the yoke match the horizon and as the AI begins to level, pull back until the AI shows level flight. Check the DG and turn gently to the NE. I almost lose it again, but now I am aware of the situation and correct immediately. I pop out into a large clear spot where I can see ground and blue sky. This clear area also runs NW-SE and I am towards the SE end of it at about 2500'. The tops are closer than the bottom, and I already have the speed built up. Turn NE and pitch up to Vx again.

This time I easily get above the clouds at 3200', well before I reach the end of the hole. Push over to Vy and continue the climb towards 4500. Now, where am I? The West Helena VOR is slightly NE, so I begin to work my way west through the few clouds that still reach above me. Report in to Memphis Approach and pick up Flight Following. By the time I pass the VOR, I am out of the buildups and have only spotty scattered clouds below me.

Relax, open the package of cookies and reflect on what has just happened. I had been struck by a rampaging case of vertigo, now more commonly known as spatial disorientation. The same thing that killed John Kennedy. His plane went into the water at full speed with no apparent corrective action. He either did not recognize the change in sounds as the plane began building up speed or he never looked at or didn't trust his AI. I had reacted to the aural cues and taken the correct action. The thought never crossed my mind that the AI was wrong.

Now the purists will say that I should never have been there to begin with. True, I am not instrument rated. I had taken off for the third time this trip in conditions where Flight Service had said that it was marginal VFR. This time it had bitten me big time. There are old pilots and bold pilots, but very few old bold pilots. Am I becoming a too bold pilot?

We intend to travel in our little bird. We do travel in our little bird. If we intend to continue, we cannot be limited to days when the sky is cloudless and the visibility is unlimited. Get an Instrument rating? I've been through that debate many times. Sandra will not fly in IMC. She cannot sit in "the front seat" when she cannot see the ground and where we are going. But still, it remains that we will have to take off in less than ideal conditions if we are to travel this way at all. But if she is going to be sitting next to me, I will always have to "maintain VFR". Had she been with me this morning, we would have probably delayed the takeoff until the next opening came by, or turned east out of the pattern to find a hole to climb through.

Nearing Pine Bluff, I can see the tops to the southeast. These are the big buildups from the area moving north along the TX-AR border. The last picture I had of them before leaving Tunica showed them between Shreveport and Texarkana. Better take a break and get a fresh look. Drop down and land at PBF. No one to greet me or guide me to a parking place. This is unusual for an airport as busy as this. I get out, make the picture and go inside. No one behind the desk, but there is a woman in an office off the lobby. I cannot see any signage for restrooms, and ask the lady. She directs me to the "terminal" lobby.

After checking the radar and satellite pictures, adding more gas, I take off again. The head west to Hot Springs, then turn southwest plan still looks good and the showers are still lingering north from around Paris into SE Oklahoma. At 4500' and almost within sight of Little Rock, Approach drops me as "being too low for their coverage". I am on my own for the rest of this trip. I cross north of Arkadelphia and over De Gray Lake, picking up the Hot Springs VOR radial for Paris TX. I am nearly clear of the stuff now over Texarkana but have to climb to 6500 to remain above the tops. I identify Lake Greeson and then Dierks Reservoir, But there are more and higher buildups ahead. The only path I can see now leads southeast and I don't want to go there. Helms Sevier (De Queen) is reporting 2500 broken, so I find a nice big hole and descend. I come out at about 2400' and right over the lake just north of De Queen. I need another potty break and a weather check anyway, so stop here.


The airport is deserted. The FBO is a small building with restrooms and a coffee pot. After the break, I make the picture, study the sectionals and then take my crackers and water bottle for a lunch on the porch. Still nobody around. I phone FSS and we discuss options for the remainder of the trip. To be completely out of the shower area, I would have to go north some 40 miles to the Rich Mountain VOR then west to McAlester before turning south. But the showers are local and widely scattered and all stations along the route are reporting 2500 or better except in the showers. The most palatable option is to push on towards Paris, now less than 60 miles away, Deviating south as needed to avoid the heavier showers with their lower ceilings.

The Runway is 8-26 and as the wind seemed to favor 26, I took off to the west. There is a large shower just south of the departure path, and I veer slightly right to clear it. At 2000', I am just under this cloud, but through the virga on the windshield, I can see what appears to be sunlight on the ground ahead. Coming out of the virga, the spot is highlighting the town of Broken Bow, OK. The cloud rises behind me, but there is much clear ahead and to the left. I climb on up to 3500' and can easily see Idabel and I am now receiving the Paris VOR. I pass just west of Idabel and see sunlight on the Red River valley.

There are clouds to my right that are obviously rain showers, but I can soon see all the way to Cooper Lake just SSW of Paris. The airport at Paris is actually 5 miles east of town, and it is visible at the edge of a shower, but the town is hidden. Just south of the airport, I spy a hole that will allow me to turn west now, and I take it. I duck to 3000' under a cloud bridge and on the other side can see all the way to the horizon under scattered clouds at 5000'. I am home!

Cruise on in, past Commerce, well north of Greenville, over Wolfe City, Melissa, past the McKinney airspace and into the pattern at Aero Country.