that is: beyond perfect... and perfectly beyond... ...Thank You for your written bliss...
> Date: Sun, 24 Oct 2010 14:24:57 -0700 > From: ttcsem...@yahoo.com > To: kr...@mylist.net > Subject: KR> Flying last-night with the full-moon > > > I went up last night to take log some full-moon time. I haven't done night > flying in many years and can't remember ever flying with a full-moon (in a > civilian aircraft). I tried a couple nights ago but between the time I > started my preflight and was ready to climb in for the start the weather went > from beautiful moon-light skies to overcast. And I'm not slow! > > Last night was perfect. Skies mostly clear and light and variable surface > winds. At around 10pm on this Saturday evening the radio traffic on tower > frequency was very light. My airport destination on the eastern plains of > Colorado was approx 55 N.miles at 101 degrees Mag Heading. It was very > smooth and found I had a 20mph tailwind at about 2000agl. The skies seemed > to belong to me with almost no air traffic to be seen. It seemed there was > plenty of highway traffic far off into the distance. I had the desire to > keep flying far into the night and would've if I could only tune into AM > radio to keep me company. > > Nearing my destination I keyed 122.9 a few times and the runway lights > illuminated. Coming overhead I could see the nearby Wendy's - convenience > store and trinket shop complex was already closed but there was another > convience store - gas station open across the street. Descending into the > pattern I could see my moonshine shadow on the empty fields below. I greased > the landing, as usual, but at the ramp I could find no tiedown ropes or > chains whatsoever! I taxied around in circles looking but found none. > With the lack of surface winds and apparent stable weather I decided I could > chance it without tying-down. I parked next to the the only other aircraft > on the ramp which was chained down. HIs windscreen was covered with dew and > I wondered if that would happen to my little bird. It was approaching > midnight. > > I walked that 1/2mile in the cold darkness to the convenience store, bought > goodies and coffee and headed back. As I walked along the road some > country-guy stopped to offer me a ride in his pickup truck but I told him > "I'm just going over to the airport", pointing. > > I climbed aboard, settled things in, fired it up and continued. I could > kiss my motor as it runs so nicely. Taxiing toward a place for runup I > passed a tiedown spot with chains. Curse. I was concerned about having > enough runway to get off so on the roll I gave it 10 degrees of flaps as the > book suggests. My cup of coffee was parked between my legs. My plane > (bluebird) floated off nicely and climbed out over the dark treeless > countryside. Turning left toward home I passed a truck-packed truck-stop > after a mile. I broke out the sandwich and enjoyed the ride and view, > steering with my rudder pedals. > > I kept it a lower altitude to avoid the winds aloft. I practiced some > instrument flying and may as well have been in a simulator as it was so > smooth. I passed by some car with headlights on in the middle of a large > field and wondered what was going on there. > > Fast-forward, arrived at my destination, squeeked it on again made the first > turnoff onto the ramp and my nearby parking spot. The tower didn't even > bother to say 'taxi to parking this frequency'. I forgot to say 'goodnight > tower' but maybe that would've made them sleepy. > > I'll go somewhere else next time the moon comes around. > > > > > > > > _______________________________________ > Search the KRnet Archives at http://www.maddyhome.com/krsrch/index.jsp > to UNsubscribe from KRnet, send a message to krnet-le...@mylist.net > please see other KRnet info at http://www.krnet.org/info.html
