The Cards are home safe from LOE '09. We're feeling vindicated from our travels home from the same event last year which was the final catalyst to us both getting instrument tickets...
We launched from home on Friday into light rain and overcast weather for the short climb a couple thousand feet above to sunshine and a smooth trip all the way to Pecos for fuel. We had the usual great time at LOE. Turn out was a little light, but was no less on the fun factor. Still plenty of entertaining characters to talk to.
Today, we launched into beautiful skies pointed toward central Texas (home). We picked up our IFR clearance just after exiting the pattern at Donna Anna and were happily above the low crud at 13000' which started at the Guadalupe mtns. The next three hours were smooth sailing above. We watched reporting stations below the whole way with reports of ugly stuff like 200' ceiling, 1/2mi., light rain... Yuck.
As we were sailing by Pecos, we heard Paul and Louise in Mikey having a little issue getting their clearance in the air from ABQ Center. Bummer... We tracked them down a few minutes later on the radio pausing at Fort Stockton to try again. Little did they know, ABQ Center was trying to raise them for over 15min. after Center essentially told them we don't have your flight plan. Oh well, I guess stuff happens. They sounded safe down there 10k' below. We continued our happy camper routine all the way to the beginning of our decent into home. We descended through 10k' of solid clouds, mist, and rain for a beautiful GPS Runway 36 approach at Georgetown. We broke out 100' above minimums at 600' with a couple miles of visibility in light rain and mist. It worked just like advertised. The runway was very wet and completely slippery. The roll out was the most exciting part of the whole flight home.
Last year this time, the weather was very similar and it posed a real problem for us. In the interim, as Tanya put it, "We solved that problem, not once, but twice."
Much fun, great to see everybody, and if you don't have it, go get an instrument ticket or get current. Picture time:
Ice cream after the Banquet
The solid cloud line just east of El Paso.
Our standard cruise state performance. We totaled 6.6gph and 3+20 total flight time (with the gps approach). Arrived at home with 14gal, single hop.
Shut down on the ground at home. There were no pictures of the approach, everybody was busy.
The results of being shut down in front of the hangar after LOE '09 and the realization that all that hard work allowed us to get home easily TODAY.
We launched from home on Friday into light rain and overcast weather for the short climb a couple thousand feet above to sunshine and a smooth trip all the way to Pecos for fuel. We had the usual great time at LOE. Turn out was a little light, but was no less on the fun factor. Still plenty of entertaining characters to talk to.
Today, we launched into beautiful skies pointed toward central Texas (home). We picked up our IFR clearance just after exiting the pattern at Donna Anna and were happily above the low crud at 13000' which started at the Guadalupe mtns. The next three hours were smooth sailing above. We watched reporting stations below the whole way with reports of ugly stuff like 200' ceiling, 1/2mi., light rain... Yuck.
As we were sailing by Pecos, we heard Paul and Louise in Mikey having a little issue getting their clearance in the air from ABQ Center. Bummer... We tracked them down a few minutes later on the radio pausing at Fort Stockton to try again. Little did they know, ABQ Center was trying to raise them for over 15min. after Center essentially told them we don't have your flight plan. Oh well, I guess stuff happens. They sounded safe down there 10k' below. We continued our happy camper routine all the way to the beginning of our decent into home. We descended through 10k' of solid clouds, mist, and rain for a beautiful GPS Runway 36 approach at Georgetown. We broke out 100' above minimums at 600' with a couple miles of visibility in light rain and mist. It worked just like advertised. The runway was very wet and completely slippery. The roll out was the most exciting part of the whole flight home.
Last year this time, the weather was very similar and it posed a real problem for us. In the interim, as Tanya put it, "We solved that problem, not once, but twice."
Much fun, great to see everybody, and if you don't have it, go get an instrument ticket or get current. Picture time:
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Commercial airlines? 
