Washington to Florida Day 3

Today was a two leg day since we lost time waiting for the starter to be repaired in Missoula. The day started with a 5:30 am wake up call so that we could get breakfast and be ready for takeoff by 8:00 am. Since we had originally planned to stop in Kirksville, MO on Thursday night, we were able to still stop for lunch today between legs.
The flight to Kirksville took four hours and the highlights along the way were the opportunity to circle Mount Rushmore and view the Black Hills and Bad Lands from 9500 feet.

After lunch, we departed for Bowling Green Kentucky and landed just after sunset. In Bowling Green the FBO crew was very friendly and arranged a hotel when we landed and shuttled us to the hotel. Out of all the FBO's on the trip, CO-MAR at KBWG gets the best in service award. 

Washington to Florida Day 2

With status of the Commander up in the air, we got up leisurely, ate a big breakfast and walked the river front near downtown Missoula. About 10:00am we got the call from the mechanic at Minuteman that the starter could possibly be serviced, and if that didn't fix it, a new one would have to be over-nighted, which would mean that we'd spend another day in Missoula. Fortunately, a little after 11:00 am, the good news came in that all was good and the airplane was ready to fly again.

With the starter operational, we boarded the shuttle back to the airport, did some flight planning and departed KMSO for Gillette, WY. (KGCC). The route today was MSO->CPN->HIA->BZN->LVM->BIL->SHR->GCC. The flight was smooth all the way to Gillette. After landing in Gillette, the crew at Flightline set us up with a room at the Fairfield Inn and Suites for almost half off the internet rate.

Washington to Florida Day 1

With the plane loaded and the pre-flight complete, we picked up our IFR clearance and departed KRNT at 12:00. After a short climb Northbound we turned on course towards Ellensburg. It was a picture perfect Washington day with unlimited visibility and views of Mt. Rainier, Adams, and St. Helens. After passing Moses Lake it was time for the inflight beverage and snack service. Spokane was the next waypoint in the flight plan, but ATC gave us a vector East towards Mullan Pass to save a few minutes of flight time.

After a fuel stop in Missoula, we departed for Billings and climbing out of Missoula we noticed a small amount of fuel eminating from the right tank cap. This was probably excess fuel from the top- off that had been trapped between the tank opening and where the fuel cap sits. But as a precaution we returned to Missoula to check it out. We requested to stop on the taxiway and get out and check the fuel caps. With fuel caps secure we proceeded to start the engine and get under way. The key word here is start the engine and after a few turns of the key, nothing happened. So without a running engine to move, we radioed the FBO for a tug back to the ramp. 

Since the mechanics were already gone for the day, we had the FBO arrange a hotel and now we wait until tomorrow for the mechanics to troubleshoot. With any luck, the repair will be a simple one and we'll be on our way again.

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From The Right Seat

Even while teaching, I get to sometimes just assume a passenger role and look outside and enjoy the scenery and snap a few photos. Here's a collection of some random shots taken from "The Right Seat".

From The Right Seat

Orcas Fly-In 2011

We've missed the last few Orcas fly-in's either due to weather or the timing didn't work out. That wasn't the case this year, so we loaded up the airplane with camping gear and took off for Eastsound. We packed lite as we didn't need to bring meals since the EAA hosts a potluck dinner and the Eastsound fire department puts on a pancake breakfast each morning. The plan was to fly up late Friday afternoon and return to KRNT before noon on Saturday due to the TFR(s) in place for the Blue Angels and Sea Fair aerial activities.



On top enroute to KORS

Camp '907'

Mt. Baker

Dinner at Friday Harbor

We've flown to Friday Harbor for dinner numerous times over the years and I never get tired of this destination. This evening was a comfortable 70 degrees and very little wind, so sitting out on the deck over looking the ferry dock was quite enjoyable. I've started taking my pocket camera along and this time I thought I'd document the variety of places to eat on the Island.

Lots of Flying

The past 30 days have been keeping my writing hand occupied with making logbook entries. I have a new private student and a new instrument student that have been keeping me busy for several days during the week and weekends. Plus I've had to reacquaint myself with the C172S and the C172S with the G1000. Seems that timing is everything and when my then potential new student asked about training with me, I was interested in the opportunity but still needed to find an airplane to train in. I was fortunate to find a local flight school that allowed me to come on board as a part time instructor. Interestingly, a few recent flights have been in and around rain showers and I've seen numerous rainbows and during a solo flight in the G1000 I swore that I flew right through a rainbow since the colors seemed to pass right through the cockpit. Not sure if the rainbow is an allegoric or metaphoric symbol, but sure is nice to have the opportunity to pass on some flying knowledge and bring another pilot or two into the dwindling pilot population.

On another topic, I'm really liking the ForeFlight app for the iPad. With version 4, they've added digital A/FD pages and improved performance. All I need now is a decent knee board for the tablet to make it more accessible in the cockpit.