Well, the weather got hot. That usually slows down our flying, but doesn’t stop it completely. The big stoppers were family reunions, Special Olympics and family troubles.
Sandra’s volleyball team has been picked to represent Texas in the National Olympics to be held in Nebraska in July. Practice and preparations take a lot of time. But it is all rewarded when the team brings home gold medals.
The Crocker Family reunion will be in Fresno, California in late June. We don’t want to fly in summer, so Sandra arranges to go with her brother and sister and spend some time in LA along the way. Then Marie gets too sick to travel. Cousin Joyce steps into the empty reservations as the person to keep Sandra and Wilton from killing each other. They all have a great time, even appearing on the Tonight Show shaking hands with Jay.
By mid August, Marie’s condition is serious and then Wilton has a heart attack. He recovers nicely, but the first try at chemo for Marie only made things worse.
Getting there.
In the meantime, the Mouse sits in the hangar, gathering dust. By late July, I am no longer current. The heat breaks in late August and right after Labor Day, we get some time to go see if the bird still knows how to fly.
Preflight is normal and startup is easier than I had feared after more than four months in the hangar. I taxi slowly to the run-up area to allow time for the oil to warm and circulate. Finally, I start down the runway. RPM is normal, oil pressure is good, directional control is good, airspeed is zero. Airspeed is ZERO! We are nearly to flying speed. Tap the gauge. Airspeed is zero. Pull the throttle and roll to the south end of the runway.
Taxi back to the run-up area and shut down. Get out and closely inspect the pitot tube for obstructions. It had looked OK on preflight and it still does. Sandra was sitting in the car under the trees, and I ask her to watch the ASI while I blow into the pitot tube. No movement on the needle.
Get in the car and drive down to AeroMark. They will look at it if I bring it down, so back to the run-up area and get back in. The combination of the long layoff and a hot start runs the battery down. After a quick consult, we push it back out of the way and run over to Sonic for a quick lunch. When we come back, it starts right up. Taxi down to AeroMark and park it.
On September 11th, it is ready and I go out alone to give it a test flight. Pay the bill and fire it up. Ease it out between the facing hangar and a 310 with its tail sticking out of the AeroMark hangar . Down to the run-up area and run carefully through the pre-takeoff checks, then onto the runway. Off we go to do some touch and goes. I don’t have the airspeed Indicator in my normal scan until after I check engine rpm and oil pressure as it doesn’t move until we are nearing 40mph. When I get there, it is 50something, approaching 60. I look back down the runway and suddenly, the Mouse literally leaps off the ground, wallowing into the air. The airspeed is 65-70 and it wants to fly! Force the nose back down to a normal attitude and do a quick run through of possible reasons for this strange behavior. Probable answer and best solution; the trim is way out of whack. Start cranking it down as I pass over Rock hill Road and out over the golf course.
It was an interesting time for a short while, but everything was back under control before I turned crosswind. The airspeed indicator is a little bouncy the first time around the pattern, but I make a decent landing anyway. By downwind the second time, it is stable and I finish up getting current again.
On the 28th, we plan to go to Muskogee, OK for lunch. Out to the airport, preflight and fire up.The right brake is almost non-existent. I try everything while taxing between the hangars, but when we get to the taxiway, I turn left towards AeroMark instead of right towards the run-up area. Carefully pull into their ramp and shut down. They will look at it right now, so we settle down to watch. The repair requires new pads and an o-ring on the right side and is done in about an hour. It is too late to go to Oklahoma, so we head for Lancaster instead.
When we get there, the café is closed for remodeling. This has not been a very good day. Oh, well, back to Aero Country, top off the tanks for next week’s run to San Antonio and go eat lunch at Dickey’s.
What we did at BACFest
Wednesday morning, we backed out of the driveway with the usual mantra; “If we don’t have it with us, we’ll do without or buy it when we need it.”. It has worked every time before, it should work again.
We were in the air right at 9:00AM in clear sky and smooth air. Over Dallas, we stair stepped up to 4500’ by Dallas Executive and settled into cruise mode. We sat for 2 hours with our hands in our laps, then into San Antonio airspace. We taxied in to San Antonio Aviation at 11:30, right behind Rick and Chris Koch.
After unloading the planes and checking the arrangements with the FBO, we headed for town. At the La Quinta, we met up with the Mitchells and Steve Cote for a lunch on the Riverwalk. For the remainder of the afternoon, we goofed around, checking on the other arrangements and assembling the goody bags. This was followed by dinner at Saltgrass and some time in the 501 Club with the other early arrivals.
Around 5:30, the festivities kicked off in the lobby reception area. We were gathered in the breakfast area with an open bar and some very good munchies. It was well attended with some new arrivals during the event. The highlight among the fun was the awarding of a door prize. One lucky attendee won a helicopter tour for two over Downtown San Antonio. After the reception, we broke into smaller groups for a stroll on the Riverwalk and late dinner. More fun and Tex-Mex food.
Friday morning, after breakfast, all the members headed for the airport for the day’s activities. San Antonio Aviation had done a magnificent job of moving all of our planes into a single area. We could stroll among the Baby Beeches to our hearts content without having to walk by any other type of plane. A number of members strolled over to the terminal and got a tour of the tower and just before noon, the food arrived. Soon, we were eating our fill of good Texas barbecue, catered by Snoga’s, on the patio looking over the flight line.
Getting us all back downtown was a minor logistical problem, but we were all back by 4:30. The girls had been shopping and sightseeing all day and during their marathon card games had planned the evening. A large group of us headed for the Tower of the Americas for dinner. The view was spectacular and the food was good.
The women were brought in for the announcement of the Mike Rellihan Distinguished Service Award. A teleconference call was setup and after the background explanations and award criteria were talked about, the first award was presented with appropriate comments by Paula Rellihan to Bill Mannhein. This couldn’t have happened to a more deserving guy.
The afternoon was passed by the girls conducting marathon games, men watching football games, groups sitting around talking and people going sightseeing. Most of us participated in several of these activities. Then began the evening banquet. A huge southwest themed buffet (man, that chipotle dressing bit back!). After we were all suitably stuffed, the festivities commenced. First, some obligatory announcements and recognitions. Then we gave out a bunch of door prizes. Then we introduced the guest speaker.
Tim O’Krongley is a graduate of Embry-Riddle, in other words, one of us. He has worked with the San Antonio Aviation department for nearly 15 years, serving as airport manager at Stinson for nearly 9 years before moving to his current post at KSAT.
He began by getting out his camera phone and asking the audience to stand up. As he sighted the phone, he asked for half the people to hold their hands out and the the other half to put their hands together. He snapped the picture and said, “Now I can show my boss I got a standing ovation.”.
He then proceeded to give an illustrated history of Stinson Field, the Stinson family and the future of aviation in San Antonio. It was a well researched, interesting and at times funny story which was well received by the group.
After his speech, we gave away the rest of the door prize loot with young Hunter, Ed Gormley’s grandson drawing the winning numbers with an abundance of élan. After some closing remarks, we officially closed
BACFest 2010.
Sunday is departure day. The morning is always filled with long goodbyes and many hugs as people check out and head for home. We cleared the hotel with the Sikes about 10:00 and headed south. We did the tourist thingy at the aqueduct and Espada mission and returned to Stinson for lunch. The diner isn’t open on Sunday, so we found an Applebee’s on Military.
After paying the bills and loading the planes, we took off for home about 1:15. We stayed under the clouds and the air was just rough enough that we couldn’t sit with our hands in our laps. By four, the Mouse was put to bed and we were on our way to the house. It had been another great BACFest.
The weather was positively glorious. Light winds, mild temperatures and not a cloud in sight until Sunday morning. I even got a slight sunburn Friday morning.
Coming Down…
By Monday Afternoon, I am again aware that there is almost as much work to do after an event as there is before. I am up to my eyeballs, gathering data, lists, pictures and the other stuff needed to wrap it up. There are reports to write, the article for the club magazine and I shot a lot of video with the idea of producing a movie of the event. By the end of the week, I have the immediate items done and the other BAC items back under control. On the home front, Wilton is back to being Wilton again. Marie is now in a Care Center and the second type of chemo has also proved toxic. She is still feeling as good as the circumstances allow, but the end is now inevitable.
We had long standing plans to meet Glen and Becky in Granbury the Friday after Thanksgiving. The week before, I went to the airport to change the oil. Pull the plane out and taxi to the fuel farm. Fill the tanks to 45 gallons (normal load) and taxi back. Push the bird back in and start draining the nicely warm oil. Remove the filter, assemble the new one and put it back on. By the time it is tightened back down, the hose is showing no more oil draining, so close the quick drain and start putting oil back in. When I get it back up to the right place on the dipstick, pull it back out and fire it back up. No leaks, put the safety wire on the filter and clean up. A totally uneventful oil change. It is always that way when there is no one around watching.
Betty and Johnny came out from Tennessee to see Marie on Monday and Tuesday. We all took Wednesday off and had the Family gathering for Thanksgiving. Friday, Cindy and Dean took Marie to Canton for the night so that she could attend the Christmas party of her Sunday School class on Saturday.
Friday morning, we headed for the airport. The weather is clear with the forecast for low 40s to high 60 for the weekend with deteriorating conditions starting Sunday afternoon. The flight was reasonably smooth and very quick, and we are taxiing in just before noon. Sandra calls Becky to come get us and they soon drive up. We load us and the bags into their little car and head for town. We are all staying in a small duplex just a block and a half off the square, so that is where we go.
We ate a nice lunch in the Tearoom and walked back to the house to wait for the evening festivities to begin. Glenn and I sat on the porch gabbing while the girls sat inside and gabbed. We were to attend a play at Granbury Live at 6:00, and since we had had a hearty late lunch, we decided to eat dinner afterwards. Eventually, the girls headed downtown while we gabbed some more.
Shortly after 5:00, we ambled towards downtown to find the girls and head for the theater on the east side of the square. The presentation was Christmas themed and fairly well done, and afterwards, we had a good standing spot for the Christmas Parade around the square. We ate a fine dinner and slowly trundled our full tummies home. After a round of cards, we all retired for the night.
Saturday morning is clear and cool with almost no wind. That makes it comfortable for all of us to sit on the porch with our breakfast while waiting on the Duncan Daughter to arrive with her new Beau. They arrive shortly after 11:00, Stephanie (30, Pediatric Nurse, strikingly beautiful) and Ashley (Tall, slender, blonde, wearing an elaborate sling on his left wing).
This being his first appearance, he has to undergo the normal third degree from both Becky and Sandra. He is just out of the Army and just back from a tour in Iraq. (Glenn and I could have figured that out on our own from the short, neat haircut, erect posture and that he addressed all of us as sir and ma'am.) He is a sales rep for some sort of medical stuff which is how he met Stephanie. The sling is due to recent surgery to fix an injury sustained in Iraq.
Inquiries done for a while, we stroll over to Pearl Street Station for lunch. After lunch, it is decided that the boys will go flying while the girls shop. They head for the square while we walk back to the house for the car and flight bag.
Out at the airport, I quickly scrounge up a headset from the local ABS group and start a preflight. By the time I get past the left side of the engine, Ashley is following me closely asking very intelligent questions. After preflight, Glenn has to get in the back as Ashley’s bum wing makes it hard for him to maneuver. But soon we are settled in and ready to go. Start up and after instructions on mike placement, get all the headsets on line on the intercom. Taxi out and just as I complete the run ups, a plane announces entering the downwind. I tell the passengers where to look for him and announce, “Granbury Traffic, Musketeer Five Niner Four Lima Bravo, entering one four for immediate departure. We have downwind traffic in sight and will depart the pattern to the north from the downwind.”.
We go north until we cross the Brazos and then turn east. We follow the river back around town until we can see the place we are staying. Then we turn south and go until we can see the nuclear power plant at Glen Rose. We then turn east over Pecan Plantation and almost to Cleburne before turning north. Almost to Bourland, we turn back to the southwest and I offer the yoke to Ashley. He starts to refuse but then jumps at it. It takes him several cycles before he relaxes his death grip and we fly level.
As we get south of Granbury, I take over and turn towards the airport, beginning a descent to pattern altitude. Enter the pattern and pull off a good landing. Taxi back into our parking spot and shut down. I take the borrowed headset back and we head back to town. Just as we get back to the condo, I remember that I have left the flight bag in the plane, so we go back out and get it.
We boys sit around on the porch, gabbing, until it is time to go find the girls for dinner. We find them and eat a large dinner before heading for the Opera House for the Evening performance. It is done as a Red Skelton TV show and is very entertaining. Afterwards, we stroll back to the duplex for another round of cards and bedtime.
About 6:00AM, Sandra’s cell rings. It is Dean (Marie’s son). Marie got back to the Care Center OK yesterday afternoon, but is now convinced that her kidneys have failed and she is dying today. By the time we have gotten showered and dressed, Dean calls again to relate that the doctors say that her kidneys are still functioning, but the trip to Canton was another serious drain on her dwindling reserve of strength. We eat breakfast, see Steph and Ashley off and Glenn takes us to the airport while Becky finishes getting ready and packing them up. The only caution in the weather briefing is for the winds. They are out of the south and howling. We get airborn and immediately pick up Flight Following. They clear us across DFW at 3500’ with a 35-45knot crosswind. I’ve got a better than 30 degree crab angle cranked in, but we are still drifting north crossing the runways. We pass between Love and Addison and resume our own navigation to home. I fly directly into the downwind at Aero Country with McKinney advising 160@16G27. Here’s where I really earn my pay!
The approach to 17 is reasonably normal until just over the threshold where everything goes to hell in a hurry. The stall horn chirps and then we balloon what seemed like a mile into the air. The left wing comes up about 30 degrees while the nose swings to the left. Hard right rudder and left yoke gets us nearly straight again as we go over the grass between the runway and taxiway. Just as I am starting the throttle in for a go-around, everything comes back to normal. We are over the right side of the runway, level and just a little high. I leave a little throttle in to soften the impact and the landing is only a little hard. All’s well that ends well, I guess. But Sandra says that is the first time she has ever been scared on a landing.
We unload and put the bird to bed, then stop for lunch on the way home. Sandra heads for the Care Center to see Marie while I unpack the bags and start some laundry. Soon, she calls to say that although the doctors say that it is not that imminent, Marie thinks that today is her last. I clean up and head for the Care Center to join the whole family crowded into the little room.
Sandra spends more time at the Care Center than she does at home over the next 3 days, And I go to join the family for a few hours on Tuesday night. Thursday morning, Sandra goes back early in the Morning and about 10:00 calls to tell me that Marie has just stopped breathing in her sleep. I get there as fast as I can and help where I can with comfort and then cleaning out the room after the hearse has come to take her back to Canton the last time.
We spend Friday night in Canton to attend the visitation and the funeral on Saturday morning. The church is packed and the service is memorable for this good woman who has been so much to so many people in her life. After visiting the graveside, we head for home.
That pretty much closes out 2010. We wind up with only 50.8 hours for the year, our lowest time since 2001 when we had the engine overhaul. It seems like we spent most of our time in hospitals, nursing homes and funeral homes. Maybe next year will be better.
Life goes on.
Winter sets in in earnest. It is cold, it is wet, it is windy. We get caught up on rainfall and have a weeklong freeze with snow and ice. That messes up the super bowl at the Cowboy’s new Stadium, and we slip into February and the annual Special Olympics Auction crunch. And in this process, I slip out of currency for the second time in a year.
I finally make an opportunity on March 9 to go to the airport and see if I’ve forgotten how to fly. Well, the Mouse still knows how and I can follow along. I get behind a couple of times, but catch up quickly. All in all, not too bad. After I put the bird away, I go talk with Dave about annual and BFR, then back home.
Our new BAC Regional Director, Larkin Braxton, has scheduled a “get acquainted” fly-in at De Ridder, LA for March 26. We need to take him the South Central Banner, so we make plans to go. The flight to Leesville on Friday afternoon is smooth and uneventful, and Larkin meets us as we taxi in and park.
The FBO car is ours for the night, and Larkin follows/leads us to the motel. After we check in, we sit in the courtyard and talk until his wife calls to tell us she is ready for dinner. We ride with him to meet her and his parents and have a long enjoyable dinner. The back to the motel for the night.
Saturday morning is cloudy. Officially, it is “broken @ 900’”. But expected to clear off some. For the 20 mile hop to De Ridder, we can live with broken or better at 1500, so we clear out of the motel and head for the airport. We sit around the FBO, eyeballing the clouds and monitoring the De Ridder and Polk weather reports. When Polk gets to 1500 and Deridder is 1200, I taxi the Mouse over to the pumps and add fuel. By 10:15, De Ridder is At 1500, so we saddle up.
It is warm, muggy and bumpy at 1500’, but the flight is mercifully short. Larkin had made a comment at dinner last night about making the first turnoff, but as I turned final, I realized that the first turnoff was just beyond the numbers. The joke was on me, this ain’t gonna happen! We taxi in next to another Mouse and shut down. I get the banner out and Larkin gets some help getting it hung on the porch. Then we all go inside to await other arrivals.
The airport cat here has his own coffee cup (filled with water) on the airport managers desk. He comes in from the hangar, greets (and accepts adoration from) the people in the lounge. Then he goes to the desk, gets a drink and makes like a paperweight in the middle of the desk. As a matter of fact, it is his office!
More people arrive, including a couple in a swift that looks familiar. It is the Swift that was parked next to us at Alpine in September of 2007. Cloyd Van Hook and Cecil arrive just as we are eating the fine BBQ. and fixins.
By 1:00 we know there are more Mice inbound, but the clouds between here and home are threatening to become a band of rain. Gas up, brief and saddle up just as one more Mouse comes in. The cloud bands are fairly extensive and thick enough that 4500 won’t keep us under them and 6500 won’t get us over them. With Houston Center’s blessing, we bump along starting about 3300 and slowly easing up as the bases rise. About Lufkin, we finally get to 4500 for the rest of the trip.
We made it home with no difficulty, but a check of the weather that evening showed that the clouds did turn to a solid band of rain across our route about an hour after we went through.
“Honey, peel me a grape”
Sandra began having back problems about 3 years ago. They got progressively worse and each new “treatment” gave some relief that quickly faded. Patches, water aerobics and finally chiropractors were tried but the problem kept getting worse. In March, her GP sent her for an MRI and then to a neurosurgeon. He took one look at the MRI and asked when he could schedule surgery.
The surgery is scheduled for April 14, and we also have the Bird’s annual due in April as well as my BFR in May. Knowing that I will be tied close to home while the Redhead gets back on her feet (literally), this will be a complicated sequence. I get the bird prepped (disassembled) before the surgery, but can’t get a time set up for Dave to sprinkle the “Holy Water”. The rest will have to wait until I can leave Sandra alone again.
The worst part (for me) about the surgery is that Sandra has to check into the hospital before 6:00AM. For us, the world before 7:30 does not exist. Driving herself was out of the question for a number of reasons besides not being very chivalrous of me, so we both learned what the world looks like at 4:30A-freaking-M. Believe me, it IS freaky! It is dark then, I didn’t know that. Even the cats had trouble getting their eyes open enough to eat breakfast.
We got to the hospital about 5:45 and got her checked in and settled into the prep room. Dean arrives to join the vigil around 6:30 and shortly after 7:00 they wheel her out to the operating theater. Not being fond of sitting around hospitals, and knowing that the procedure will take nearly 4 hours, I opt to wait at home (only 10 minutes away). I get a call shortly after 8 that the surgery has started and I go about my normal (sort of) routine until 11:00 when I head back to Baylor.
Dean has been joined by Cindy, Wilton and Vickie are being regularly updated by Dean. About 12:30, the doctor comes out and briefs us. The surgery has gone just fine. He has fused L4 and L5, repaired the spinal cord channel and attached rods and pins. She is in recovery and should be going to her room in about 30 minutes. Anyone who doesn’t understand that that 30 minutes will be at least an hour hasn’t spent much time around hospitals.
By shortly after two, we had her settled into the room. She is alert and joking around with all of us and the nurses. That may have been the morphine drip talking, but she is amazed that for the first time in years, her hips don’t hurt. By five, everybody is there and having a good ol’ time. Her hospital supper arrives and the rest of us go to Joe’s Crab Shack for dinner. Everybody else heads for their respective homes and I go to the Volleyball game to update the team, then home to bed.
Friday morning, I get back to the hospital by 10:00 and discover that they have already had her up and walking. During the day, there is a nearly constant parade of friends and family in and out. The same pattern holds for Saturday and by Saturday evening, there is a good chance that she can go home Sunday. I wait at home Sunday morning for the definitive word (so I’ll know which car to drive) and about 11:00 she calls to say “come get me!”.
We got home around two and I got her settled in bed. Then I made the run to CVS for prescriptions and a shower chair. Now comes the hard part. She can sit, or lay down. She can walk from the bedroom to the bathroom or living room. But she cannot change from lying to sitting or standing without help.
Thank goodness for a thing called Care Calendar. They maintain a site where friends can “sign up” to provide meals and other necessary services to families in need of help. Over the years, we have taken meals to many other families in similar circumstances and now it is our turn to receive. Our evening meals are covered for the next two weeks, so we can concentrate on The Redhead’s recovery.
The first 24 hours at home became a baseline that set the patterns for her recovery. She couldn’t even think about reaching her feet, which made dressing and bathing awkward to say the least. But by the end of the week, she could change positions by herself and given something to prop on, she could stand from a sitting position.
After the 2 week checkup, her “rehab” is to walk. She asked her large group of friends (special Olympics and educators) if anyone had a treadmill they weren’t using and quickly got several offers. The next Saturday, Richard and Leah “cleared all the clothes off it” and brought it over. Then her recovery really took off.
The big anniversary!
May 9, 2001 was the date of the check ride that officially made me a Private Pilot. What a day that was! There was joy, excitement and some level of satisfaction in the accomplishment of a lifelong dream.
A lot has happened in the following decade. We have added 741hrs (843 total) to my logbook, visited 29 states, landed at 186 airports and taken 66 people for a ride.
In May 2001, I was about to turn 60 and said then that if I was lucky, I could probably continue flying for 10 more years. I just got a new medical, so I have at least one more year. Let's see if I can get a little closer to the 1000hr mark and landing in the lower 48.
