I got up this morning to BNSF alarm clock at just the right time, just before my
watch alarm sounded at 6:30am. Unlike last night, this was the first train I heard all night. The weather looked fine for today's flight to Tucson and for tomorrow's flight home from there, so I could finally relax weather-wise. Kristine picked me up an hour later and we headed to Belen. The airplane was unscathed following yesterday's thunderstorm that passed through the area. My travel chocks, snug tie-down chains, and secured gust lock did what they were supposed to. The plane was refueled and I was paid a visit by the new airport manager who wanted to know what I thought he could do to improve the facilities there. The previous managers had let the airport
"go", but he was interested in bringing more traffic in. I recounted some of my experiences from the last two weeks and what services were available at each airport. He took some notes, thanked me for the feedback, then hopped in an old Cessna 172 and took off. One of my suggestions was to make an Internet-accessible computer available, since the airport didn't have one available for public use. The owner of the propeller overhaul shop on the field let me use his, though (I forgot how SLOW dial-up is). The weather looked even better than forecast, so I packed up the
plane and took off to the south and headed back over T or C and Deming to avoid high terrain before hanging a right to fly west toward Tucson. There was light to moderate turbulence during the entire flight, so I was relieved to land at La Cholla Air Park, a private residential airport where my friends Doris and Gil live, just to the northeast of Tucson. This is one of those cute little airports where people own houses and hangars lining the runway... a pilot's dream come true. I got to know Doris and Gil a couple years ago at an
AYA convention and while both our planes were
being painted at
Flying Kolors in Riverside, CA. I got hangar-envy as Gil gave me a tour of his spacious, concrete floor, air-conditioned (swamp cooler, actually) hangar. Shortly thereafter, I was shown the guest room and caught a glimpse of one of the resident bobcat kittens next to the pool. Bobcats, rattlesnakes, and other critters are common sights around here, so you "learn to look down" as you walk around outside. Tonight, southwestern cuisine is on the menu for dinner, and I can finally sleep in, since home is only 2.5 hours away and the weather is forecast to be severe-clear all day. Today's flight totals: 3.0 hours, 325 miles. Trip totals: 41.9 hours, 5013 miles, 19 states.
watch alarm sounded at 6:30am. Unlike last night, this was the first train I heard all night. The weather looked fine for today's flight to Tucson and for tomorrow's flight home from there, so I could finally relax weather-wise. Kristine picked me up an hour later and we headed to Belen. The airplane was unscathed following yesterday's thunderstorm that passed through the area. My travel chocks, snug tie-down chains, and secured gust lock did what they were supposed to. The plane was refueled and I was paid a visit by the new airport manager who wanted to know what I thought he could do to improve the facilities there. The previous managers had let the airport 
"go", but he was interested in bringing more traffic in. I recounted some of my experiences from the last two weeks and what services were available at each airport. He took some notes, thanked me for the feedback, then hopped in an old Cessna 172 and took off. One of my suggestions was to make an Internet-accessible computer available, since the airport didn't have one available for public use. The owner of the propeller overhaul shop on the field let me use his, though (I forgot how SLOW dial-up is). The weather looked even better than forecast, so I packed up the
plane and took off to the south and headed back over T or C and Deming to avoid high terrain before hanging a right to fly west toward Tucson. There was light to moderate turbulence during the entire flight, so I was relieved to land at La Cholla Air Park, a private residential airport where my friends Doris and Gil live, just to the northeast of Tucson. This is one of those cute little airports where people own houses and hangars lining the runway... a pilot's dream come true. I got to know Doris and Gil a couple years ago at an AYA convention and while both our planes were 
being painted at Flying Kolors in Riverside, CA. I got hangar-envy as Gil gave me a tour of his spacious, concrete floor, air-conditioned (swamp cooler, actually) hangar. Shortly thereafter, I was shown the guest room and caught a glimpse of one of the resident bobcat kittens next to the pool. Bobcats, rattlesnakes, and other critters are common sights around here, so you "learn to look down" as you walk around outside. Tonight, southwestern cuisine is on the menu for dinner, and I can finally sleep in, since home is only 2.5 hours away and the weather is forecast to be severe-clear all day. Today's flight totals: 3.0 hours, 325 miles. Trip totals: 41.9 hours, 5013 miles, 19 states.
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