Finger Lakes RVer
Member
Had a pleasant trip Sunday courtesy of Mr. Tiger Woods. I was the recipient of tickets to his golf tournament at the Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md. He gave 30,000 to military members for the event. A weary 6 hr drive was averted due to good weather and the RV-6 time machine.
Weather was forecasted to be hazy, hot and humid with some afternoon build-ups. With my new 496 in hand, I was prepared for the trip, especially the evening return. As it turned out and as others have reported, the weather subscription paid dividends.
The morning trip to Montgomery County Airpark in Gaithersburg, Md was uneventful. I had learned the ADIZ penetration procedures on a previous trip to DC a year earlier. Procedures are simple to follow and everyone should not be afraid to use them if you have business around the DC area. AOPA has a good training aids and pamphlets on their web site. Just like the Oshkosh procedures, if you review them, have them in hand for reference and follow them, there should be no issues.
After a $40 taxi ride to the tournament, my brother-in-law and I enjoyed watching some great golf for 6 hours in the sweltering heat. We actually found a great spot in the shade on the ninth hole where we could see a couple shots up close and two different greens. Mr. Woods drew huge crowds around him but had some challenges on the course.
Back on the ramp at Gaithersburg, we called for weather and filed the ADIZ flight plan. After start-up, another golfer, Vijay Singh pulls up next to us and shuffles his clubs, caddie and wife into their jet for their trip home. We taxi by them and call Potomac clearance to get our squawk code before take-off and off we go.
We made our way out of the ADIZ with no problem, vectored around P-40 which has since shrunk from the 10 nm TFR to the 5 mile standard area since the President flew home (and over the golf course) about 1300. Direct Harrisburg then over Williamsport with no weather issues. I scroll the 496 northward to our destination, Finger Lakes Regional Airport (0G7) and find several build ups lurking to the West. I push up the throttle to try to beat them in and start seeing 180 knots ground speed with 40 minutes to our destination. The XM updates show a large cell with lots of bright red and yellow diving Southeast toward our path. I vector our course further East to get around this big cell to skirt around it. I had a bail-out plan further to the East where it was clear. Once we were enough East of the big cell, we turned northward and followed Cayuga Lake up to home base through some light rain. After getting the RV safely tucked away in the hangar and a 2 minute ride home, heavier rain showers began as I fell asleep after a good day.
This was great preparation for the trip to Oshkosh later this month. Hope to see you all there!
John Balbierer
Seneca Falls, NY
RV-6 N30JB
Weather was forecasted to be hazy, hot and humid with some afternoon build-ups. With my new 496 in hand, I was prepared for the trip, especially the evening return. As it turned out and as others have reported, the weather subscription paid dividends.
The morning trip to Montgomery County Airpark in Gaithersburg, Md was uneventful. I had learned the ADIZ penetration procedures on a previous trip to DC a year earlier. Procedures are simple to follow and everyone should not be afraid to use them if you have business around the DC area. AOPA has a good training aids and pamphlets on their web site. Just like the Oshkosh procedures, if you review them, have them in hand for reference and follow them, there should be no issues.
After a $40 taxi ride to the tournament, my brother-in-law and I enjoyed watching some great golf for 6 hours in the sweltering heat. We actually found a great spot in the shade on the ninth hole where we could see a couple shots up close and two different greens. Mr. Woods drew huge crowds around him but had some challenges on the course.
Back on the ramp at Gaithersburg, we called for weather and filed the ADIZ flight plan. After start-up, another golfer, Vijay Singh pulls up next to us and shuffles his clubs, caddie and wife into their jet for their trip home. We taxi by them and call Potomac clearance to get our squawk code before take-off and off we go.
We made our way out of the ADIZ with no problem, vectored around P-40 which has since shrunk from the 10 nm TFR to the 5 mile standard area since the President flew home (and over the golf course) about 1300. Direct Harrisburg then over Williamsport with no weather issues. I scroll the 496 northward to our destination, Finger Lakes Regional Airport (0G7) and find several build ups lurking to the West. I push up the throttle to try to beat them in and start seeing 180 knots ground speed with 40 minutes to our destination. The XM updates show a large cell with lots of bright red and yellow diving Southeast toward our path. I vector our course further East to get around this big cell to skirt around it. I had a bail-out plan further to the East where it was clear. Once we were enough East of the big cell, we turned northward and followed Cayuga Lake up to home base through some light rain. After getting the RV safely tucked away in the hangar and a 2 minute ride home, heavier rain showers began as I fell asleep after a good day.
This was great preparation for the trip to Oshkosh later this month. Hope to see you all there!
John Balbierer
Seneca Falls, NY
RV-6 N30JB
