As mentioned earlier, we had planned to fly to Jackson, MS on Fall Break '01, but the lack of engine stopped us. Now, we were ready. The weather looked like it would cooperate, so we started planning. We would leave from Aero Country, fly to Sherman for fuel. Then to Shreveport Downtown for lunch. Then on to Raymond. We would spend that night and the next with Thelma and Terrell and fly to Nachitoches, LA the next day. After spending the night in Nachitoches, we would fly home the next afternoon.
Sunday, Mar 10, I get the weather briefing. Sunday is going to be gorgeous, Monday another front will move through, but it should clear Monday night or Tuesday morning. At 9:45 AM, we take off from Aero Country into a 50 degrees at 15K crosswind. On climbout, I notice that the EGT is pegged. I check all 4 cylinders and set the mixture to full rich, but no joy. We return to T31 and I blow the first landing since the day I got my license. On the go-around, the temp is back to normal, so I decide to go on to Sherman. After a few minutes, the temp goes back up so I return to T31 again. I blow it again and make it stick the third time. We taxi over to Dave's and shut down. We discuss it at some length and finally determine that the reading must be anomalous. We will ignore it to Sherman and if nothing else goes sour, go on. The landing at Sherman is a greaser.
After fueling up, we finally departed Sherman at noon. Full fuel and clear skies. Slight headwind, but good smooth air. Navigation by VOR and pilotage was easy and we arrived at Shreveport Downtown airport at 2:15. I am routed onto a long straight in to 5. The lower we go (from 3500 down), the rougher it gets. Considering the bumpiness, this landing is decent. Maybe this morning was a fluke. The diner was closed, but the FBO people were going out for hamburgers and volunteered to add our order to theirs.
There are signs all over the FBO warning about flying close to Barksdale. "They will shoot you down, no sh*t!". After firing up and getting ASOS, I contact ground, ready to taxi. I tell ground that I am bound for M16 and need to go east, how do I proceed. Ground gives me a squawk code and tells me to contact departure immediately after takeoff on 14. At 3:30, we take off. I contact departure and very quickly, they ask for my desired heading."Shreveport, Four Lima Bravo would like 090."
"Four Lima Bravo, turn now to 090 and continue your climb." I can see Barksdale off my left wing and my turn to 090 takes us right over the center of the base. That was neat! Passing over the B52s and KC135s on the flightline while climbing through 2000. Only a slight case of nerves about being over "restricted airspace". I suppose that things would have started popping if I had deviated from my course or rate of climb.
After passing through the Monroe TRSA, we began a descent from 5500 to 2500 at Tallulah, LA to sightsee along the Mississippi and across Vicksburg. It was only slightly bumpy at that altitude in spite of a 15-20 knot wind. We flew directly over the battlefield park and then followed a powerline from Vicksburg directly to the airport at Raymond.
There, the wind was blowing 60 degrees off runway 12 at about 15 knots. I had been flying now for almost 5 hours and boy, was I tired!. The sun was directly in my eyes looking towards the runway as I lined up for the downwind. I wasn't far enough out and didn't have enough crab set in. When I started my turn to base, the runway didn't appear in my windscreen. I found it already behind the plane. I aborted and started around again. This time was better, although the base leg was still short. And then on short final:
"Four Lima Bravo, where y'all from?"
"Four Lima Bravo. Texas. I'm kinda busy right now."
"Four Lima Bravo, there's two people here waiting for you."
I bounced it good. After the second bounce, gave it the gas and went around again. Much better approach this time, but that gusty crosswind was still bad. It wasn't the prettiest landing I have ever made, but no harm, no foul. We were down and this long day behind the yoke was over. I was so tired, I didn't take the now obligatory picture.
Thelma and Terrell took us to their place for dinner and talk. Thelma is the Redhead's cousin although 20 years older. Terrell is nearly 80, but still works 2 days a week. They live in an assisted living center just outside of Raymond. It is very nice, many activities for the seniors and they get one meal a day in the center dining room.
Our plan was to spend the day Monday there and then depart Tuesday for Nachitoches, LA. As forecast, it rained off and on all day Monday. We toured Jackson, MS from inside the car through dreary gray to hard shower. The weather report kept saying that there would be thunderstorms Monday night followed by clearing Tuesday morning.
Tuesday morning dawns dreary. The last of the rain passes by mid morning, but the clouds linger on. FSS says at 9:00 that it should clear by noon, so we file for Nachitoches. At noon, there is still no sun and FSS now says that it should clear overnight. We cancel and prepare to spend another night. We all go out to dinner (our treat) and play cards 'til bedtime. Weather still looks bad, there is now fog.
Wednesday dawns gray and foggy. Terrell works Wednesday, so we are all up when he leaves at 7:00. FSS says that it should be VFR by 10, so we file. When we arrive at the airport (9:30) it is still 90% overcast, but we fuel up and preflight anyway. At 10:15, the overcast is at 50%, clearing and lifting fast.
At 10:45, we take off. Scattered clouds at 2000 to 3000 and clear above. We stay under them for about 15-20 miles and they become less coverage. So we begin our climb to 4500. The band over Raymond ends, but we can see another band about 20 miles on. We are above them at 4500', and they look like the someone scattered a bag of mini marshmallows out. By the time we turn west, 25 miles NE of Alexandria the sky is absolutely, gloriously clear and the air is extremely smooth. Navigation is again exemplary. When I get close enough to pick up the Nachitoches NDB, the needle points straight up (dead ahead).
After topping off, we launch for home at 3:15. The forecast for Dallas at 6:00 is 20knot plus wind, so I want to be on the ground well before dark. Absolutely uneventful flight, although the air began getting bumpy over Lake Tawakoni. Wind at McKinney was 160 degrees at 20 knots at 5:00. Although the approach was rough (longest final I've ever flown. Took forever to cover that last half mile.), the landing was good enough that I saw the Redhead clapping as we rolled out.
The rest of March was relatively uneventful. I took Ginny Swearingen (Tim's sister) for a ride which she enjoyed immensely. The day was cold and windy and I blew the landing on 35. I executed a good go-around and Ginny didn't appear too upset.
We went to a pancake breakfast/flyin/Wings seminar in Granbury. Sandra linked up with some other women and went into town while the pilots were in the seminar. Afterwards, all 6 of us crammed into the FBO car and went into town for lunch.
We closed out March with 14.5 hours, the biggest monthly total yet. Of course, the 9.3 hours on our trip to MS was the biggest factor.
Brenham, TX
We are trying to keep a couple of trips in planning for the weekends when we are both free and the weather cooperates. I had started working on a trip to Muskogee, OK based on the Oklahoma events calendar for April 6-7. The weather forecast by Wednesday the 3rd indicated that it was a non-starter. We sat home and watched severe weather and significant rain all weekend.
On Monday (April 8), Muskogee was still a possibility, but part of the reasons for it were now past. Tuesday, I took one of the custodians from Allen up for a ride. He is "retired" and had never been up. Having no idea of "modern" airplanes, he expected to "prop" the plane to start it. I took him out north of McKinney and down the east side of Lake Lavon, Then back in over Plano and Allen to Aero Country. Sandra says that he bragged about his ride for days.
On Wednesday, Sandra came back from a meeting at the public library with the URL for Texas Highways. This is a magazine about and for Texas and part of it is an events calendar. The calendar shows a few doings at Burnet and Brenham. The Burnet events are a Bluebonnet festival and an airshow with a large CAF contingent. The first choice then has to be Burnet.
Thursday, I called the Burnet FBO for info. I am advised that the field will be closed to incoming traffic at noon on Saturday and remain closed until 5:00. Further, rental cars and lodgings are tight to non-existent. That leaves us with Brenham or Muskogee possible for this weekend. The weather Thursday night indicates that Oklahoma will be having bad weather all weekend, so south it is.
Friday morning, I call the Brenham FBO. There are some local doings this weekend, but Brenham's big blowout had been the previous weekend so lodging and rental cars are readily available. I get the name and number of the person at the local rental place and call and leave a message. Now, start planning. Airnav says the cheapest fuel southeast of Dallas is at Ennis, so that will be the first leg. With a bulge around the Dallas Class B, the leg will be 65nm. After topping up, the leg to Brenham will be 127nm. I call the rental place back at 4:00 after my message is not returned and am assured that a car will be at the airport when we get there. Now all is set and the 10PM weather still looks good So we plan to launch by 9AM.
Saturday morning, local weather looks like expected when I go out to get the paper at 6:30. We attend our toilette and pack up arriving at the hangar at 8:30. The left main is flat again, but I've got the compressor. Preflight, pull out, pack up and close up the hangar. We launch at 8:50. For the flight around Dallas, I will fly 2500'. Due to haze at Aero country, I couldn't have gone higher anyway. Ground visibility at that altitude is barely 10 miles. We land at Ennis a few minutes past 10:00 and pull up to the fuel pump. Sandra goes into the FBO and I check the level in the tanks. I want plenty of gas for the 90 minute flight (into a 12knot headwind) but room to add a reasonable amount Sunday as a courtesy to the Brenham FBO.
That crisis past, I go into the FBO to get a weather update. At 8AM, College Station was IFR only and Brenham was below minimums. Both had been expected to clear by 10. At this time (10:40) neither were. The reports at 11:05 now have College Station at minimal VFR and Brenham clearing slowly. The ceiling there is now up to 900 after going up 200 feet on each of the last 3 reports (20 minutes apart). We close the original flight plan and file a new one from Ennis to Brenham with a 11:30 departure. After another round to the bathrooms, we leisurely load up and launch on the dot at 11:30. The haze is still bad, so we stay at 3000 although the headwinds are 10knots less at 4500. We have to duck down to 2500 just before College station to stay under some puffy clouds. This altitude also requires us to clear through the College Station Class C. No problem there except Houston Approach forgets about us.
"Houston Approach, Five Niner Four Lima Bravo. Are we clear of CLL airspace?"
"Roger Four Lima Bravo. Uh, did you want to hear 'Squawk VFR, resume own navigation, no separation services supplied, frequency change approved.'?"
"That's what I wanted to hear, Houston. Thanks. Four Lima Bravo out."
By this time, we should be about 10 miles from Brenham, so I start looking for the field. First scan, it is right dead ahead and less than 10 miles. I contact Brenham Unicom and get the latest. I then ask if our car is there. No joy!
Everything goes well until we are turning final. A road grader pulls out onto the "Do not use" part of the runway and starts north (towards us). He is staying on the left edge and I can see a scraped area about 50 yards up, so I hope that is where he is going. In any event, I line up over the grass on the right side and stay a little high. He is pulling off the runway as I go past him still about 100 ft up and 100 ft over from him. I quickly pull the rest of the power and sideslip back over to the runway centerline and flare just over the numbers.
We taxi into the ramp, shutdown and tiedown. The FBO is still trying to locate a car. As we are walking into the office, they get a call back from the dealer. They are trying to reach the rental agent and will call right back. We potty and inhale a bunch of liquid. The one thing we left at home was the water bottles. Another call comes in. They will have a car out to us in a few minutes. Now we are ready.
Armed with a local brochure/map, we head for the town of Independence. We are starving, but have a picnic lunch and a 20oz Diet Coke to wash it down with and the "attraction" at Independence has picnic tables.
The Bluebonnets along the road are profuse! Along with Indian Paintbrush, Brown-eyed Susans and "pink things". Thank you, Lady Bird Johnson. We get to Independence and find the Baylor College ruins. Baylor is the oldest college in Texas operating under the original name. It's original site, established in the 1840's is here. All that remains is the ruins of the old kitchen/dining hall and the front façade of the women's building. But the site has been made into a historical park with the addition of some other old buildings moved to the site. These include a "dog run" log cabin and 2 other structures all built in the mid 1800s.
After eating lunch and exploring some, we head along the "Bluebonnet Trail" for Washington on the Brazos. This town was the birthplace of the Republic of Texas, and now includes an historic trail through the old town to the river and an interpretative center. We do the tourist bit and then move on towards Chappell Hill where there is a Bluebonnet Festival.
The entire town is roped off and there is no place to park. What we can see of the "festival" appears to be a large flea market, so we go on to Brenham. We stop at a convenience store for water and start looking for a motel. We find a room on the third try and drive around Brenham some then head for the motel.
After resting some, we then start out on the southern leg of the "Bluebonnet Trail" with the intent of ending up at Burton at dusk for dinner. The Burton Café is an authentic rustic downtown café, offering a simple menu and live entertainment on Saturday night. The Chicken Fried Steak is fabulous and a piece of pie later was also great. The entertainment was a couple playing an eclectic mix of music, old and new. A most enjoyable evening for less than $30 (including tip for the entertainment).
Sunday morning dawns with low clouds moving in. I check FSS and they are supposed to clear by late morning like yesterday and there is some rain between here and Dallas. Something of concern, but not a real worry. After the continental breakfast, we complete the remaining "Bluebonnet Trail" and an extensive walking tour of old downtown Brenham. Next, we visit a winery and Sandra indulges in a wine tasting (I had to settle for grape juice). Then back to Brenham for a hearty lunch and on to the airport. We had put 150 miles on the car.
It has mostly cleared by now and FSS says there is still a narrow band of apparent light rain running east-west just south of Dallas. I figure that if we run into it, I can get an in-flight update and either go east or west around it, so we file for a 3:30 departure. After preflight and top off, we depart at 3:15. I stay low until Independence to see the ruins from above, then climb to 3000. That is all that seems prudent due to the continuing haze. The flight is smooth and we zip right along with a 15k tailwind.
Sure enough, hanging over Corsicana/Richland Chambers Lake is a line of low clouds. I can see under them and there is no apparent rain to the surface, so we continue on. I am in them before I descend far enough to get under them, but simply steepen my descent and break out just under 2000'. We continue on at that altitude and they break up completely before Seagoville-Kaufman. The rest of the flight is uneventful, 1.8 hours on the Hobbs for the 190nm flight.
My approaches are getting a little erratic. I am not sure if I'm really having a problem or if it is just that I have been making them in double digit winds and generally Xwinds. So I need some practice. What I really need is some practice in low wind conditions, so I can re-fix in my mind the picture of a stable approach.
I give it a try on April 22. The wind is bad and I don't think that T&Gs are a good idea, but I do go to 3500 and practice descents in smoother air to re-fix the horizon picture.
