One For The Record Books

It has been entirely way too long since I have posted anything.  I have received a few emails over this time and each time I replied that I would start blogging again soon, but I never seemed to get it done.  We haven't stopped flying at all!  We have continued to make our Spring Break treks to the Bahamas as well as realize the full utility of plane ownership to visit family and other places with far more ease than if we had to drive.  Although sometimes we still had to drive anyway!

Soon I will make an attempt to go back and post about some of these trips we have made over the last 2 1/2 years since my last post.  I had to look that up...wow!  Time does fly!

So why now?  Because for years I have wanted to make a true cross-country trip and this was the year!  We returned home safely yesterday after flying coast-to-coast and back again over 20 days.  The planning for this adventure started with two very simple objectives:

1.  Fly to Vancouver, WA to visit my Mom.
2.  Try to go experience some places that none of us ever have.

I am ecstatic to say we accomplished both!  Over the next series of posts, I will look to share this wonderful adventure and how it all came together.

For those still following after all this time, thank you!  I'm sorry for my absence and I sincerely hope you enjoy what is to follow.

Museum of Aviation at Robins AFB, GA

I was lucky enough to have this year's Veterans Day off so Kevin (my friend and pastor) and I made a day trip to Macon, GA.  I found the Museum of Aviation at Robins Air Force Base online a while ago and finally found the right opportunity to check it out.  The museum is located on the southwest side of the Robins AFB, but is outside the gate (so you don't need a DoD ID) and admission is free!  The museum also has a cafe, but it was unfortunately closed for our visit due to the holiday.  That didn't make sense, but oh well.

The weather was perfect with nearly clear skies and cool temps.  We took off around 8 am and landed at Middle Georgia Regional Airport (KMCN) an hour and a half later.  Be bucked a little bit of a headwind, but the ride was smooth.  KMCN lies a few miles north of Robins AFB and since it was a federal holiday and base tower was closed, we got to make our approach right over the middle of it!  That 12,000 foot runway is huge!

The controllers at KMCN were easy to work with and in no time we were securely parked on the ramp of the only FBO, Lowe Aviation.  They were kind enough to call us a taxi.  The one way fare to the museum was $18 so I just gave the driver $20 to include a tip.  I asked about a cheap rental car, but was told their rates from Hertz puts the car a little over $40 per day plus taxes and fees.  In hindsight I should have just rented a car since it would have been only a couple dollars more in the end, but we would have had a little bit more freedom.  Remember, we didn't find out the cafe was closed until after we got there!

Anyway, we started our perusing in the main building where we found displays on the Flying Tigers complete with a P-40 Warhawk, exhibits from the Korean War, and a few items from the Cold War/Modern Era of flight.  Also in the main building, on the third floor with an amazing overlook of the static displays outside, is the museum cafe, but it was closed ;) !

From there we went to the next hangar which housed aircraft and exhibits from the Vietnam War.  You can sit in a UH-1 Huey and a cockpit from the the F-105.  I really liked that this museum had quite a few cockpit exhibits you can sit in and even play with all the buttons and switches.  I did consistently notice that at 6' 1" I was uncomfortably tall for most of them.  I could not imagine spending hours in those planes.  I definitely have it better in my plane and at least no one is shooting at me either!

Next we went to a hangar that had some great displays from the Cold War and Modern times.  They have a USAF Thunderbirds F-16, a U-2, a SR-71 Blackbird, and more.

The last hangar housed a great display & exhibit on WWII that focused on D-Day and the battle for Europe.  There was also a B-29 Superfortress.  The museum also uses this hangar to work on future displays.  Even though you couldn't get close to everything, there was definitely a lot to see and get excited about.

Finally we ventured outside to see the massive aircraft out on static display on the museum grounds.  I was surprised to see some of the planes outside.  There were a few that looked like they had just recently been decommissioned.

Tired and famished, we called to get a taxi back to the airport.  The only fast food options on the way back was a Krystal.  I'm not a fan of their tiny burgers, but I was starving.  To both of our surprise, Krystal has added full size, Angus burgers to their menu so we quickly got ours to go and enjoyed them in the lobby of the FBO.  And let me just say, we both thought those were some pretty tasty burgers!  We finished up and took off for home.  We enjoyed a little tailwind and in no time we were back in Jacksonville.  I'll have to make that trip again as there is plenty to see and enjoy.  Next time I'll call ahead and make sure the cafe is open though!

A little of this and a little of that....

It has been too long since I made any update to this blog and unfortunately even longer since we have made a trip anywhere.  That's not to say I haven't been flying!  The annual inspection went well.  Nothing major was found and everything appeared to be in good working order.  The only two big items that were accomplished were the spark plugs were changed out and the universal joints on the control yoke shafts were replaced.  Both items were due to wear and I was able to plan and budget for them.  I will say the plane "feels" much better with the new universal joints.

Anyway, I try to fly at least once a week to keep the plane exercised.  I always try to find something to do with each flight to explore, play with, fiddle, or whatever to give it a little more purpose.  For instance, I found out the automatic gear extension system in the plane does work!  I tried it when I first bought it, but no joy.  During the annual I stopped by the shop after they did the gear swing checks and they told me everything was good including the automatic system.  It is?  Sure enough! I tried it out and down they dropped.  I guess I'll have to adjust my routine and checklist to disengage the override during descent & landing.  Hey, you never know!

So here are a few pictures to share of my recent wanderings:

Yeah......they were worn out.

Came in to get an update and found this pretty gal getting some TLC too!

This Lockheed 12A is owned locally by the Marco family.  They have some amazing planes in their collection.  I've also seen their De Havilland Beaver and P-51 Mustang.  You can read more about the family and their planes here:  Generations In Aviation  I need to find out if they give tours!  Anyway, I came out the next day and I briefly met David Marco during the post maintenance checks.  Watching and listening to her start-up was awesome!

And I thought polishing the spinner on my plane was laborious!  This gal really shines!

I really like the iPad mini on the yoke with ADS-B weather from the Stratus 2 receiver.  I played with it a lot and felt very comfortable about cancelling my XM Weather subscription.  Here you can see what was received on the iPad and what it looked like out the window.

Every once in a while, I'd chase little areas of rain to rinse off the plane.  Sometimes I'd even drop the landing gear to give them a good rinse too!  I'm lazy at times, but with the heat indexes well over 100 degrees this summer, I'm waiting for cooler weather to give the plane a proper bath.

Climbed up to cooler air one afternoon and found a few sprinkles.  Saw this rainbow behind me after I went through.  It went around a lot further than the picture could capture.

That's about it.  Unfortunately our next scheduled Family Flying adventure is a little ways off.  We are looking forward to visiting family in Arkansas and Texas over Christmas and New Years.

But.......before that is the next Bahamas Habitat Fly In to Serve Others event and I'm blessed to be able to go!  It will be from October 23 -26.  If you are interested in experiencing this journey too, please contact the Bahamas Habitat and find out how!