With all the excellent cross country threads currently running (Vlad and Scott), I thought I'd throw my hat in the ring. This was truly a special one! Hope you all enjoy the read.
?Eat, pee and fly?. A Cross- Canada flight with my 75 year old Pops.
?Minot Tower, this is RV-7 Golf, Charlie, Victor Whiskey. There is tremendous wind shear on the approach to runway 13, my Dad is behind me in an Ultralight, call sign Charlie, India, Lima, do not clear him for landing on runway 13, give him vectors for runway 26!?
And so it went as Dad and I approached Minot, North Dakota to clear US customs and begin the US legs of our great adventure.
I?ve recently completed one of the best cross country flights of my life. I had the privilege of flying from Calgary, AB to Kitchener, Ontario with my Dad. I flew my Van?s RV-7 (GCVW) and he flew his Titan Tornado ultralight (ICIL). He is the real hero of this adventure. I?m both impressed and incredibly proud of how he handled his machine in the adverse weather and the winds, all the while hand- flying it for over 40 hours!
The destination of our trip was Lubitz Field (CLB2) in Plattsville, Ontario. We were to attend the UPAC (Ultralight Pilot?s Association of Canada) Annual Convention which was held August 19, 20 and 21st of this year. Kathy and Ed Lubitz are the owners and they operate an Ultralight Flying school from their property.
I built an Ultralight years ago and I?ve have always had a soft spot in my heart for the ?low and slow? type of flying. The annual convention coincided quite well with Dad?s 75th birthday so in the Fall of 2015 the idea for the trip was birthed.
I?ve done several cross country flights to the US in the RV and Dad has always wanted to experience flying his plane through US airspace on a long cross country. In preparation for the trip he had some work to do. First he upgraded his Titan by installing a transponder, then he put on a belly pod for luggage, bought some noise cancelling headsets and finally he installed an upgraded ICOM radio.
Also, to be legal to fly an Ultralight in the US, Dad has to upgrade his Basic pilot permit to an Instructors license. No easy feat as there was a written portion to pass as well as complete another flight exam.
In the weeks leading up to our departure date of August 16, 2016, we did some rough flight planning but as those who have flown long distances will attest, we can only plan so much because the weather has the final say as to where and how far we travel on any given day.
Before we knew it the big departure day was upon us and we launched out of Chestermere?s Kirby Field (CFX8) enroute to Swift Current (CYYN) our first fuel stop.
Departure day. August 16, 2016
Now, those who are familiar with the RV series of aircraft will immediately ask how a plane that normally cruises at 150 knots can fly with an Ultralight that cruises at 90 knots. Well, the quick answer is that it?s possible but not intuitive. After trying several different set up profiles for the plane, I settled on one that worked for the duration of the trip. Running at 40% power I would fly a Track that was 45 degrees off of the ?magenta? GPS line that ran from the departure airport to the destination airport. Once I was about 15 miles off course I?d turn and fly back at a 45 degree angle until I touched the magenta line. I?d repeat this as many times as necessary to ensure my arrival at the destination was within 10 minutes of Dad.
If trouble arose for either of us, we needed to be within close proximity of each other. Also, once clear of the departure airport by about 5 miles, Dad and I would switch to a discrete frequency so that we could talk freely over the radio without interfering with local traffic. This turned out to be a great way to stay in touch as we were constantly checking with each other on ground speed, altitude and distance from destination.
Swift Current airport (CYYN) is a nice field with a new airport terminal/pilot lounge. They offer a free courtesy car to be used by those who fly in. After a quick snack and ?.er?..pee, we were airborne for Weyburn, Saskatchewan (CJE3) for our first night.
This began a routine that we?d repeat over and over for the next 10 days.
Fly, land, get transportation, get a room, eat dinner, hit the hot tub, check weather for the next day, sleep, get up, check weather for the day, eat breakfast, back to the airport, preflight, gas up and take off.
Our East Indian cabbie took us to a motel in Weyburn. It was a dump and the $50 round trip cab ride was the highest of the trip! Forget this! Let?s get to the States. In the US almost every small General Aviation airport has a free courtesy car to use.
Throughout the trip we were blessed with exceptional weather. A big high pressure system was following us from West to East and all we had to do was sit right under it.
Day 2 dawned beautiful and our goals for the day were to clear US customs and to hit Litchfield, Minnesota to visit some friends.
There are several hoops to jump through to clear US customs and I won?t bore you with them here but there were no issues getting into our US Port of Entry in Minot, North Dakota, other than the guy in the Tower who was half asleep and cleared me to
land on a downwind runway!. I was glad I went in first and was able to help Dad get oriented on a runway that was INTO the wind.
In Minot, as with several stops along the way, Dad was greeted with the usual raised eyebrows. ?You are from where? Heading where? Flying in that!?? Yup, we?re a couple of cowboys from the Wild West prairies of Alberta!
The Customs officer in Minot was just beside himself that such a small plane could travel such a distance, and with a 75 year old dude behind the controls. I understand the amazement.
Bewildered Customs Officer in Minot, North Dakota. Geiger counter in hand.
Minot to Gwinner, North Dakota for fuel and then off to Litchfield, Minnesota (KLJF). No issues. Day 2 in the books. You guessed it. Land, get car, get room, eat, hot tub, sleep, check weather etc?. Yawn.
Fuel stop Day 2.
Day 3 was a big day for us. To get from where we were, to where we needed to be, we had to deal with this big swimming pool, also known as Lake Michigan. We had a couple of options. Go around it or go over it, just DON?T go through it!
We left Litchfield with threatening skies behind us but blue skies ahead of us. We?d fly the VFR Eastbound altitudes for the most part but if there was cloud trouble we?d just go over top them all and enjoy the smooth ride.
Our first stop of the day was Merrill, Wisconsin (KRRL), hands down the nicest FBO I?ve EVER seen in my life! There is a black grand piano in there and the airport manager was nice enough to not only help fuel us up, he also serenaded us to, ?Smoke Gets in Your Eyes? on the piano while we ate lunch! No kidding. There?s a nice pilot?s lounge in there and a fireplace too. After lunch and chit chat it was time to go.
Yup a Grand Piano in there!
We decided that because the weather was looking so good and the planes were running equally well, we?d just fly direct over Lake Michigan and be done with it.
We stopped at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin (KSUE) which is on the West coast of Lake Michigan to top up tanks. Then it was time to pour on the throttles, aim the noses to the East and don?t look down. The water crossing was only 30 minutes airtime and was a non event. I won?t discuss the specifics of the water crossing here. As the lyrics in one of my favorite Jamaican songs says, ?Ask me no questions, I tell you no lies?. I?ll leave it at that.
Gased up in Sturgeon Bay (KSUE)
Charlie, India Lima over Lake Michigan
Clare, Michigan (48D) was where we rested our heads on Day 3. You know the routine by now.
Day 4 was the day we were to arrive at Lubitz for the start of the UPAC convention but first we had to clear customs to get back into Canada. This was via Sarnia?s Chris Hatfield airport.
Departing Clare on the morning of Day 4 the cloud base was low but lifting so we blasted off. We punched up through a broken layer of clouds and enjoyed a sunny, clear, smooth ride all the way to Sarnia. There was once again a crazy crosswind coming in to land but Dad handled the Titan like a pro.
Once on the ground a quick call to Canadian Customs to verify a few facts and we were Canadians once again.
I will comment on how disappointed I was with the Sarnia airport. Chris Hatfield, if you happen to be reading this, (not likely) PLEASE invest some money into the airport that bears your name. The runway ashphalt is broken up in places, the taxiways are equally broken up with weeds growing between the cracks, the grass hasn?t been mowed since the Apollo days (ok a bit of exaggeration) but it?s long and full of weeds and the FBO. Well it ain?t great. I think my disappointment was heightened by the fact that just across the river in Michigan, even the smallest of towns have beautiful black top runways, clean airfields, easy self serve AVGAS and of course free courtesy pilot cars. Enough said.
From Sarnia we made a beeline for Lubitz field and the conclusion of the outbound legs of our trip.
We arrived a bit early on Friday but were greeted by the friendly staff that was setting up for the convention. I had pre arranged a birthday cake for Dad to celebrate his 75th birthday, so we enjoyed that. We met Kathy and Ed and got oriented for the talk that we were scheduled to give the next day.
?Eat, pee and fly?. A Cross- Canada flight with my 75 year old Pops.
?Minot Tower, this is RV-7 Golf, Charlie, Victor Whiskey. There is tremendous wind shear on the approach to runway 13, my Dad is behind me in an Ultralight, call sign Charlie, India, Lima, do not clear him for landing on runway 13, give him vectors for runway 26!?
And so it went as Dad and I approached Minot, North Dakota to clear US customs and begin the US legs of our great adventure.
I?ve recently completed one of the best cross country flights of my life. I had the privilege of flying from Calgary, AB to Kitchener, Ontario with my Dad. I flew my Van?s RV-7 (GCVW) and he flew his Titan Tornado ultralight (ICIL). He is the real hero of this adventure. I?m both impressed and incredibly proud of how he handled his machine in the adverse weather and the winds, all the while hand- flying it for over 40 hours!
The destination of our trip was Lubitz Field (CLB2) in Plattsville, Ontario. We were to attend the UPAC (Ultralight Pilot?s Association of Canada) Annual Convention which was held August 19, 20 and 21st of this year. Kathy and Ed Lubitz are the owners and they operate an Ultralight Flying school from their property.
I built an Ultralight years ago and I?ve have always had a soft spot in my heart for the ?low and slow? type of flying. The annual convention coincided quite well with Dad?s 75th birthday so in the Fall of 2015 the idea for the trip was birthed.
I?ve done several cross country flights to the US in the RV and Dad has always wanted to experience flying his plane through US airspace on a long cross country. In preparation for the trip he had some work to do. First he upgraded his Titan by installing a transponder, then he put on a belly pod for luggage, bought some noise cancelling headsets and finally he installed an upgraded ICOM radio.
Also, to be legal to fly an Ultralight in the US, Dad has to upgrade his Basic pilot permit to an Instructors license. No easy feat as there was a written portion to pass as well as complete another flight exam.
In the weeks leading up to our departure date of August 16, 2016, we did some rough flight planning but as those who have flown long distances will attest, we can only plan so much because the weather has the final say as to where and how far we travel on any given day.
Before we knew it the big departure day was upon us and we launched out of Chestermere?s Kirby Field (CFX8) enroute to Swift Current (CYYN) our first fuel stop.
Departure day. August 16, 2016
Now, those who are familiar with the RV series of aircraft will immediately ask how a plane that normally cruises at 150 knots can fly with an Ultralight that cruises at 90 knots. Well, the quick answer is that it?s possible but not intuitive. After trying several different set up profiles for the plane, I settled on one that worked for the duration of the trip. Running at 40% power I would fly a Track that was 45 degrees off of the ?magenta? GPS line that ran from the departure airport to the destination airport. Once I was about 15 miles off course I?d turn and fly back at a 45 degree angle until I touched the magenta line. I?d repeat this as many times as necessary to ensure my arrival at the destination was within 10 minutes of Dad.
If trouble arose for either of us, we needed to be within close proximity of each other. Also, once clear of the departure airport by about 5 miles, Dad and I would switch to a discrete frequency so that we could talk freely over the radio without interfering with local traffic. This turned out to be a great way to stay in touch as we were constantly checking with each other on ground speed, altitude and distance from destination.
Swift Current airport (CYYN) is a nice field with a new airport terminal/pilot lounge. They offer a free courtesy car to be used by those who fly in. After a quick snack and ?.er?..pee, we were airborne for Weyburn, Saskatchewan (CJE3) for our first night.
This began a routine that we?d repeat over and over for the next 10 days.
Fly, land, get transportation, get a room, eat dinner, hit the hot tub, check weather for the next day, sleep, get up, check weather for the day, eat breakfast, back to the airport, preflight, gas up and take off.
Our East Indian cabbie took us to a motel in Weyburn. It was a dump and the $50 round trip cab ride was the highest of the trip! Forget this! Let?s get to the States. In the US almost every small General Aviation airport has a free courtesy car to use.
Throughout the trip we were blessed with exceptional weather. A big high pressure system was following us from West to East and all we had to do was sit right under it.
Day 2 dawned beautiful and our goals for the day were to clear US customs and to hit Litchfield, Minnesota to visit some friends.
There are several hoops to jump through to clear US customs and I won?t bore you with them here but there were no issues getting into our US Port of Entry in Minot, North Dakota, other than the guy in the Tower who was half asleep and cleared me to
land on a downwind runway!. I was glad I went in first and was able to help Dad get oriented on a runway that was INTO the wind.
In Minot, as with several stops along the way, Dad was greeted with the usual raised eyebrows. ?You are from where? Heading where? Flying in that!?? Yup, we?re a couple of cowboys from the Wild West prairies of Alberta!
The Customs officer in Minot was just beside himself that such a small plane could travel such a distance, and with a 75 year old dude behind the controls. I understand the amazement.
Bewildered Customs Officer in Minot, North Dakota. Geiger counter in hand.
Minot to Gwinner, North Dakota for fuel and then off to Litchfield, Minnesota (KLJF). No issues. Day 2 in the books. You guessed it. Land, get car, get room, eat, hot tub, sleep, check weather etc?. Yawn.
Fuel stop Day 2.
Day 3 was a big day for us. To get from where we were, to where we needed to be, we had to deal with this big swimming pool, also known as Lake Michigan. We had a couple of options. Go around it or go over it, just DON?T go through it!
We left Litchfield with threatening skies behind us but blue skies ahead of us. We?d fly the VFR Eastbound altitudes for the most part but if there was cloud trouble we?d just go over top them all and enjoy the smooth ride.
Our first stop of the day was Merrill, Wisconsin (KRRL), hands down the nicest FBO I?ve EVER seen in my life! There is a black grand piano in there and the airport manager was nice enough to not only help fuel us up, he also serenaded us to, ?Smoke Gets in Your Eyes? on the piano while we ate lunch! No kidding. There?s a nice pilot?s lounge in there and a fireplace too. After lunch and chit chat it was time to go.
Yup a Grand Piano in there!
We decided that because the weather was looking so good and the planes were running equally well, we?d just fly direct over Lake Michigan and be done with it.
We stopped at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin (KSUE) which is on the West coast of Lake Michigan to top up tanks. Then it was time to pour on the throttles, aim the noses to the East and don?t look down. The water crossing was only 30 minutes airtime and was a non event. I won?t discuss the specifics of the water crossing here. As the lyrics in one of my favorite Jamaican songs says, ?Ask me no questions, I tell you no lies?. I?ll leave it at that.
Gased up in Sturgeon Bay (KSUE)
Charlie, India Lima over Lake Michigan
Clare, Michigan (48D) was where we rested our heads on Day 3. You know the routine by now.
Day 4 was the day we were to arrive at Lubitz for the start of the UPAC convention but first we had to clear customs to get back into Canada. This was via Sarnia?s Chris Hatfield airport.
Departing Clare on the morning of Day 4 the cloud base was low but lifting so we blasted off. We punched up through a broken layer of clouds and enjoyed a sunny, clear, smooth ride all the way to Sarnia. There was once again a crazy crosswind coming in to land but Dad handled the Titan like a pro.
Once on the ground a quick call to Canadian Customs to verify a few facts and we were Canadians once again.
I will comment on how disappointed I was with the Sarnia airport. Chris Hatfield, if you happen to be reading this, (not likely) PLEASE invest some money into the airport that bears your name. The runway ashphalt is broken up in places, the taxiways are equally broken up with weeds growing between the cracks, the grass hasn?t been mowed since the Apollo days (ok a bit of exaggeration) but it?s long and full of weeds and the FBO. Well it ain?t great. I think my disappointment was heightened by the fact that just across the river in Michigan, even the smallest of towns have beautiful black top runways, clean airfields, easy self serve AVGAS and of course free courtesy pilot cars. Enough said.
From Sarnia we made a beeline for Lubitz field and the conclusion of the outbound legs of our trip.
We arrived a bit early on Friday but were greeted by the friendly staff that was setting up for the convention. I had pre arranged a birthday cake for Dad to celebrate his 75th birthday, so we enjoyed that. We met Kathy and Ed and got oriented for the talk that we were scheduled to give the next day.
That?s my RV canopy cover bottom right.
