Chapter 34 Spring Break '05

Going to the Hangar Hotel

Ah, the weather...


On the 20th, the weather is good enough for flying again and I haven't flown since we returned from Galveston. Fuel is low, so this will be straight to Sherman first. Checking the left tank gets more trash on the first 2 samples, but the third comes out clean. Fire up and head straight for Sherman. I blow the first attempt by being way too high on final. Second try is pretty decent. Taxi in and put nearly 50 gallons in the dry bird. Re-sample the left tank and it comes out clean. We are truly good to go.

Take off and putt around some then over to Grayson County and some T&Gs. Not too bad for that long a layoff. Back to T31 with the first 1.2 hours of 2005.

The next week, Tuesday is decent. I have been wanting to get some real "practice" in, so I go get Dave with the promise of paying for a ride. I want to practice forward slips and do a grass field landing.

We take off and head northwest, climbing to 3500'. Dave lets me try a slip and when I screw it up badly (see why I wanted him aboard?), he takes over and demos a nice one. I do 2 more and get the second one under reasonable control. By this time, we are up to US82 just east of Whitesboro. There are grass strips all over the place between here and Lake Texoma and there is Cedar Mills at Lake Texoma. Pick one, any one. Except for Cedar Mills, they are private, but Dave knows the owner of one of them. We find it and set up for a downwind. Oops, them dots on the ground are sheep and some of them are on the south end of the runway.

On up to Cedar Mills. Enter a downwind too high and too fast. Get down and slow down by the time I am on final. The landing is a good one and the field is much smoother than I had expected. Roll out, turn around and taxi back avoiding the ruts in the lower spots beside the runway. Roll into position and go. Acceleration is a little slower than on pavement, but I horse it into the air at about 65. Hold it in ground effect, accelerate to 80 and climb while nursing the flap handle to the floor.

Fly around a little more, check out the new runway being built just southeast of Preston and TX56. Back into Aero Country and make a decent landing with the instructor on board.

From here until the second week in February is the usual rush before and after the annual Special Olympics auction. I manage IT for them as well as several other things, so I get real busy 2 weeks before and at least a week after. No matter, beginning with the last weekend in January, we have 6 consecutive bad weekends. Cold, wet, windy, overcast or some combination of 2 or more of the above. On the 10th, I am desperate to fly and it ain't too bad, so I go out and arm wrestle the guy in the hangar across the taxiway into going for a short ride. Only .7 hours, but better than sitting on the ground.

There is a Musketeer fly-in scheduled for 2/19 in Temple with more than a dozen mice lined up. I go out on Tuesday and give our trusty bird a good bath so it will look nice. But the weather turns bad again. The "event" was held anyway, but we didn't go. Those who did and didn't leave for home by noon spent the night.

Spring Break 05.


The AISD spring break is March 5-13. We plan a big trip that requires us to make the first day no later than Monday. By Friday, it is obvious that the 6th consecutive bad weekend will continue through Monday. But it will be nice from Tuesday through the next weekend.

In order to bank some comp time for the end of the school year, Sandra decides to work Monday and Tuesday. And we plan to go to Fredericksburg on Wednesday or Thursday.

Monday, I e-mail Jeff asking if they want to meet us there and also call the current top name on the list of people wanting airplane rides and set up a lunch date for Tuesday. Monday evening, Jeff calls and we set up arrangements.

Tuesday morning while I am in the shower, Roben calls. Her son woke up with some sort of infection and his right eye swollen completely shut. She is going to take him to the doctor and will have to stay with him until his outlook improves.

Call the next name on the list. Since most of the people on the list are AISD people, they will all be off this week. Jerry has a doctor's appointment for 11:00 and has to decline. Call candidate #3. Her daughter is bringing her sick child over so she (the daughter) can go to work. She also mentions that candidate #4 had surgery yesterday and she (#3) is going to try to get over to the hospital to see her today.

On to Candidate #5. He is free and willing. We set takeoff for 10:30.

Part of the reason for this flight is to get enough gas in the bird to make the flight to Fredricksburg without a fuel stop. We take off around 11:00 and clear across McKinney. It is clear and comfortably cool. The Mouse climbs like a homesick angel and we are level at 3500' before we get to US75. Past McKinney, I turn Northeast towards Paris. I can already see Cooper Lake, more than 40 miles away. Passing just north of it will take us directly to Paris.

We sail along in almost perfectly smooth air with excellent visibility. There is no traffic at Greenville-Majors to our south. Over Celeste, Wolfe City and Ladonia. No traffic at Commerce, and none at Sulphur Springs. As we approach Paris, there are 2 planes coming into Cox field, but they will be on the ground long before we get over town. I go up the west side of town and a long slow turn around the north side. Heading south between town and Cox, we can already see the small lake on the north end of the runway at SLR.

Nearing SLR, there is one plane doing T&Gs. We pass just east of town and enter the downwind behind him. He does a go-around as we turn base over the lake. Easy landing and taxi into the north ramp to the self serve fuel pump. Fill the bird to a little over 50 gallons, pull it to a parking spot and walk over to the Red Barn. After the usual filling lunch, we waddle back to the plane and take off. This time, due to the wind being more northerly, we use 36 and climb out over the lake, turning left towards home.

The only traffic is a Bonanza coming in behind us. No traffic at Commerce or Greenville, and we sail smoothly along with the radios strangely quiet. Why is no one flying on such a busy day? Surely Monarch and American flyers will have the pattern full at McKinney by now. Just past Greenville, I switch to the McKinney Tower and hear the sounds of absolute silence.

Finally, just above Farmersville: "McKinney Tower, Musketeer Five Niner Four Lima Bravo. VFR, 3500 to Tango three one."
"Good Afternoon Four Lima Bravo. Transition approved. No traffic here or Aero Country."
"Sure is quiet up here."
"You are the only call I've had for fifteen minutes."
"Uh, I'd like to start a slow descent. I'll stay above 2500 until across 75."
"Altitude your discretion, go as low as you want."
"Uh, below 2500 across your centerline isn't something I want to make a habit of."
"Understood."

Gentle descent brings us to pattern altitude about 2 miles east of Aero Country. A Cessna is taking off and turns downwind as we enter the 45. On around the pattern and in to landing. Taxi in and put the bird away. Paul heads off for his son's baseball game and I head for the house.

I have an e-mail from Jeff. The grandson is sick and Kitten is just leaving for Corpus to help out, so our companions in Fredricksburg will be AWOL. The weather still looks great, so I firm up reservations and rental car and flight planning for Thursday.

Off to Fredericksburg.


Depending on just how much wandering we have to do in the Dallas Class Bravo, the flight will be about 210nm or just over 2 hours plus or minus winds aloft. The plan is takeoff before 10:00 and lunch in Fredricksburg.

So, packed, showered, dressed, transported, loaded up and preflighted, we close up the hangar and fire up about 9:50. We take off and straight out to the south. At 2000', we call Dallas approach and are immediately cleared to 3500 and into Bravo, direct Love, direct Tango Eight Two. We are level at 3500 by the time we get over George Bush with Addison and Love Field ahead.

Nearing Addison, a brightly colored SWA 737 passes below and in front of us on downwind to Love. He sweeps out to the north and making his turn, seems to just hang out there before starting back. Out her side, Sandra says that he is just about to touch his shadow on 13R when he goes out of sight under us.
Just west of Dallas Executive, we are cleared to 4500 and we go between Joe Pool and the Cedar Hill antenna farm. We have just settled in in smooth air and good visibility when, "Four Lima Bravo, traffic, ten o'clock, 4 miles, maneuvering, currently showing 4100."

"Four Lima Bravo, looking."
I find him quickly. Light twin apparently practicing stalls, etc.
"Four Lima Bravo has traffic in sight."
"Roger. Deviate up or down, your discretion."
I start a climb and when I look back out, he is well below me and headed off to the east. I head back to 4500 and he turns back towards me at my altitude again.
"Four Lima Bravo, he's coming back. You are cleared to 5500 if you like."
"Four Lima Bravo is going to 5500."

At 5500', we leave him below and behind us, pondering someone maneuvering in that area without at least monitoring traffic. The forecast winds aloft seem to be there as we are making about the speed forecast and I am having to keep a right crab to maintain our ground track. We pass over Lake Whitney and Clifton. Gatesville passes off our left wing and we can see Lampasas.

From there, it is new territory. The outbound radial from Lampasas is the same as the inbound and we can see Lake Buchanan directly ahead. I switch tanks and we marvel at how built up the area south and up the west bank of the lake is while Llano passes to the west. We pass over the not dry, dry wash, shown on the sectional as Sandy Creek and now see Fredricksburg just over a ridge that stretches to the west.

I tell Houston Center that I have Fredricksburg in sight and am beginning my descent. They release me to VFR and we contact Gillespie County Unicom for an airport advisory. 32 is in use and we enter the pattern on the crosswind just as a Mooney touches down. Winds are almost directly across the runway and gusty, but I manage a good landing. We taxi onto a crowded ramp in front of the Airport Diner and shut down.


Why Fredericksburg?


We spent several hours there on a driving vacation in 94. We walked downtown and visited the Nimitz Museum. Other than that and a fabulous lunch, we are unacquainted with the area. However, last year something was added to Gillespie County Airport. A totally new concept for small towns.

Given the WWII tie with the Nimitz Museum, and the Hill Country tourism industry to attract travelers, two buildings were erected midfield that were deliberately built to look like WWII hangars. One of is a first class, 50 room hotel and the other is a diner and conference center. The hotel is done exclusively in 40s decor, down to the tile and fixtures in the bathrooms. All of the furniture is of that period, in wood and style. The bar/lounge is called the Officer's Club and continues the theme.

The diner is done reminiscent of dining car conversions that were widespread in the late 40s and the Conference Center carries the Hangar theme down to the hangar door entry and the briefing rooms.

When the buildings were done, they also re-did and extended the taxiways and paved a large ramp in front of the hotel and diner buildings. If you are planning a visit soon, be aware that the AOPA airport diagram does not reflect the new buildings or ramp.

The facility opened last May and has garnered nothing but raves since. The diner makes T82 an ideal $100 hamburger stop and the ramp was full when we landed at noon on a Thursday. The Hotel is reportedly sold out nearly every weekend and the Conference Center is doing steady business.

That's why Fredericksburg.

Anyway, we made the obligatory pit stops, unloaded the plane while Sandra checked out the rental car. Then came lunch in the diner. The menu was standard diner fare disguised with aviation names. Hot, large and good. Tummies full, we checked into the Hotel and found our room much more than acceptable. Out our window, we can see the Mouse tied down on the ramp, now virtually all alone. The lunch crowd has gone. Relax, clean up and study the local literature then head out.

First stop, Luckenbach, "Willie and Waylon and the boys." Texas, 7 miles down the road. Ain't much there, but we checked it out anyway. The woman behind the bar picked up her guitar and sang a couple of songs. The store cat spent some time in Sandra's lap and then we moved on.

Next stop was Fort Martin Scott, a frontier army post from the 1850s. The office was closed, but we were welcome to walk the grounds the sign said. So we did. The layout was similar to Reno west of OK City, but these grounds were 30 years older. Only a few of the original buildings remained, but the foundation stones of several others were visible.

Back into town and discover that town ends abruptly on the other side. Back in and visit the Pioneer Museum Complex. This area contains 10 structures, of which 5 are original to this site. The original Kammlah home was started in 1849 and occupied by the family until the 1940s having had 3 additions built on. The smokehouse, barn and wagon shed are all part of the original site. As well as the Fassel-Roeder house which was originally the butcher shop. The other structures are authentic and moved to this site. They include a "Sunday" house, a one room schoolhouse and a bathhouse.

Back to the room. Sandra takes a nap while I watch the sunset over the runway. We narrow the choices for dinner to 2. One at 312 W Main, the other at 312 E Main. Sandra chooses West and we head back to town. West is no longer in evidence, so we go east to Der Lindenbaum. I have as good a Wiener Schnitzel as I have had since my time in Germany nearly 40 years ago. The raspberry cake was also good.

Back to the hotel and the Officer's Club. The combo is good as well as the drinks. And finally, off to bed.

The Hotel does not serve breakfast. They do provide coffee and juice until the Diner opens. On weekdays, that is 11:00. Oh, well, Sandra wanted to visit Rather Sweet, an old bakery anyway. Armed with the street address, we head back to town. The street address does no good. 209 E. Main doesn't seem to exist. We know it is down an alley off of Main, but as far down as 245, there is no alley. Ask a man who is watering the plants at 205. The alley is at the far end of the block.

We eat well, walk several blocks of main street (both sides), browse several shops and after 11:00, head for the airport. Sandra goes over to the conference Center to ogle the cars being auctioned this evening while I preflight, taxi to the pumps, gas up and get a weather briefing. Flight Service says severe clear with occasional mild to moderate turbulence below 10,000. And the obligatory headwind.

Take off on 32 and turnout to the northeast. By the time we get to 5500, we are on the Lampasas VOR and Houston Center has given us a squawk code. The turbulence is there, but it is more of a rolling motion than bumps. I have to continuously feed left rudder to maintain course, but we make reasonable time back over Lampasas and onward.

We do have more periods of no turbulence as we get further north, but turbulence is still the rule, not the exception. Handed over to Dallas Approach, we are cleared to 3500 at 080. We watch 2 chunks of big iron go over us as we pass south of Dallas just outside of I20. We finally turn north again and aim for just east of the downtown buildings. Hearing other pilots complain about the rough air is capped when someone asks Approach twice for higher as soon as possible. We plod on between downtown and Fair Park.

In spite of it all, I cannot help but think as I look for something that Sandra is pointing out on the ground how different to see those wings out of the corner of my eye. This is an experience that few people can have. Flying a plane is rare. Flying in your own plane is rarer still. It gives you a travel option that only a very few can have even though many can dream of it. It is not a matter of being rich, God knows we aren't. It is a matter of desire and priorities.

A little bit of confusion between us and a Musketeer going from Terrell to Addison (Denise was that you?), but we finally come out of the traffic over LBJ. I am headed for the ground storage tanks off the SW corner of Custer and 121 when I realize that I could easily do a straight in to Aero Country. McKinney ASOS says 290@16G26. This is not good. It is nearly 2:30, so that report is 30 minutes old. I contact McKinney Tower and ask for the current winds. 300@16G22. Not much better.

Out over the 380 Preston road interchange and turn back to the downwind for 35. I turn final lined up with the taxiway and let the wind blow us back to the runway. Nice flare and touchdown. Sandra says "good....", just as another gust hits us. We didn't quite get to the gravel, but it was close. I have the yoke all the way to the left on rollout just to keep that wing on the ground.

A gathering of Mice


One of the people who attended the aborted fly-in at Temple 3 weeks ago is coming back to retrieve his bird on the 19th. He arranges for a meeting at Sulphur Springs for lunch while he and his wife transship from the Sierra bringing him from Searcy Arkansas to the Mouse taking them the rest of the way to Temple. Saturday morning the weather is passable and forecast to get better before turning sour after dark. We head for the airport aiming for a pre 10:00 takeoff.

Well, not quite. We are off the ground at 10:00 and turn east. Visibility is more than adequate and at 3500 the air is smooth. Preflight had said 40 minutes in the right tank and then 1.5 hours in the left, so on climbout we switch to the right tank with a mental reminder to check about Greenville and switch before landing. Passing Greenville, the check indicates about 15 minutes remaining in the right tank. Switching before entering the pattern at Sulphur Springs is indicated.

Just past Commerce, I switch to the SLR traffic frequency and hear Musketeer Six Niner Quebec in the pattern. I announce 15 miles to the west and continue on descending towards 1500'. Five miles out, I announce that I will make a standard entry to the downwind for 36 and a Sierra announces 7 miles northeast. As I reduce power abeam the numbers, he announces entering the downwind. Turning base. I look over my shoulder and see him far enough back for good spacing.

Finish trim and throttle adjustment and start the turn to final. The engine sputters and quits. Boggs, you dunce, you didn't switch tanks! Switch tanks, throttle full in. No immediate catch. Boost pump on, no joy. Reassess the runway. We have ample altitude to make it from here. Re-pitch for best glide speed and pull the throttle back. The engine starts to fire and I push it back in. Turn off boost pump, throttle back to idle, re-pitch for final approach speed and start fighting the crosswind. I manage to get caught back up with the airplane as we cross the numbers. We bounce a little and I ease it back onto the ground. We go further to the left than I like but it holds.

Onto the taxiway and watch the Sierra as we taxi back towards the ramp. He bounces also. Taxi in and swing around to park beside Rod and Denise's sky blue and tan Mouse. Rod brings chocks over and we clean up and pile out. We had met them for dinner in Rockwall (halfway point) several years ago and had tried to get together with planes several times. Weather, obligations and maintenance had always interfered, so this was the first time we had seen anything other than pictures of each other's plane.

The Sierra taxis in and parks nearer the FBO, so we all walk over to meet, look and talk. After comparing landings, we mutually agree that none of us can brag today. We stop talking long enough to watch someone bring a J3 Cub in. Nice smooth approach, right wing low into the crosswind. Right wheel onto the runway and ease the left and tail wheels down. Someone says, "Now there is a REAL pilot!"

The Sierra crew wants to get back home, so they refuel and head for the runway. We all go in the FBO and take care of potty, etc and stand around and talk some. Then the remaining 6 of us walk over to the Red Barn for lunch. We have just ordered when 3 more come in. It is Mark Miller, John Zapp and Wesley, Mark's grandson. We now have a table for 8 slightly overstuffed, but there is a lot of hot air (much of it mine) going around. Man, how a bunch of pilots can talk.

We cover adventures, Old Wives Tales regarding our birds, and maintenance concerns that we have addressed and how/what we did. Then walk back to the ramp as a larger group to inspect each other's pride and joys. Mark is talking about a Cessna he sold last year to buy his Mouse and as we come up the driveway to the FBO, there sits that very Cessna on the ramp.

Inside the FBO, we all meet the new owner of it and her companion. After the obligatory restroom breaks, we all go out to the ramp to gawk, starting with the Boyd's Boid and moving clockwise from there.
The Boyd Boid is a 68 model, nicely equipped and clean inside and out.

Mark has a bright red mouse and it is one of the very few acrobatic Mice. To me (and anyone familiar with our birds), the outward differences are immediately apparent from across the ramp. It is a 69 model with a high quality paint job but a Spartan interior. Mark is currently rebuilding the panel and will have a nice plane when it is finished.

I spent a lot of time checking the other planes for items that are subjective judgements in preflight. How are the donuts holding up? How much play is there in the control surface rods and cables as well as the hinges? These are things that deteriorate over time and it helps to have something other than your own plane to compare with. For planes ranging from 36 to 41 years in age, these are three good sound airplanes. I do like our paint scheme best.

Finally came time to leave. We saddled up briefly and taxied over to the self serve pumps. We watched the Boyds and Bruces take off and turn out to the southwest towards Temple. Then Mark and gang took off turning west towards Fort Worth. The ground cable at the pump jumped the wheel and wrapped around the ratchet mechanism. It took me 10 minutes or so to untangle it and rewind it correctly. Then we fired up.

Take off out over the lake and turn northwest. The idea is to take the long way back by going just south of Sherman and checking on the progress of the new airport being built southwest of there. Pass just north of Leonard and south of Bonham then directly west, passing about 3 miles south of the runway at Sherman. After crossing US75 over the TI plant, I can identify the highways 56 and 289 intersection and from there know where to begin looking for it. I locate it to the left just before passing over it. We go on past it and then a right 270 to fly down the east side.

The remaining base for the runway is down now and grass covers most of it. It is going to be a grass strip. The ends of the runway now have big Xs on them to warn people that it is not in service. There is much evidence of construction of buildings etc beginning to get underway. Our guess at this point is that it will be an airport community as there appears to be "Lots" laid out between the runway and the road.

Turn south towards home and I note that the wind seems to still be pretty fresh from the east. McKinney ASOS says 010@11G18, but that was at 1:53. It is now closer to 2:30. As I start my descent 7 miles out of Aero Country, I ask McKinney what the current numbers are. 030@11G16, peak gusts 26. Looks like another exciting landing.

Into the downwind for 35 and all seems normal (like anything is normal about this crosswind) until touchdown. We set down a little hard and bounce pretty good. I give it a little gas and I guess it was too much because we stay up long enough for the wind to begin pushing us towards the marbles. The second bounce is also pretty good, so I give it full power, straighten it out and go around. As we come over the golf course on final the second time, I note that the flag on the hole next to Rock Hill Road is standing straight out right to left. I make it stick this time and we taxi in.

Oh well, a bad day flying beats a good day at the office.

What I need now is a calm warm day to practice some. After 3 months of little flying and most of the landings in wicked crosswinds, I need to re-implant the picture of a good approach in my mind.