Passion for Flight

  Lakeway Airport 3R9 The COVID-19 virus has thrown a wrench into family gatherings. For Thanksgiving, this was really sad. But there is a cure: Hop into your airplane, fly to an airport near family, and meet them at the airport with social distancing. Did just that: Flew from Dallas to the Lakeway airport (3R9) near Austin and met with son Martin. It was a perfect day: Clear sky, reasonable temperatures in the 60s, modest tailwind going to Lakeway flying at 2,500 ft, and then another tailwind going back in the afternoon at 5,500 ft. Lakeway airport terminal Distance about 200 nm one-way, took a bit more than two hours for each trip. Son Martin brought two lawn chairs. We sat next to the terminal building in the shade, out of the wind, and had a great time together. Am writing about this since that airport is a lovely place to meet. The runway is in excellent condition, though there is a rise in the middle and you cannot see the other end. Hence radio communication about entering a...

  The Dolores River near Dove Creek The COVID-19 has forced an unwelcome simplification of life style. For example, it has ruled out commercial air travel for the entire family. As an antidote, daughter Ingrid and I went on a full-day excursion trip with our Zenith 601HDS, with homemade sandwiches for lunch. That way, we traveled quite some distance, but avoided hotel stays and restaurant visits. All photos of this trip were taken by Ingrid. We mixed in three photos from an earlier trip to add some vistas. The Route We start in my daughter's hometown, Albuquerque, NM and head north. The first refueling stop is in Cortez, CO.  Continuing north, we trace the Dolores River all the way to the Colorado River. Then flying west along the Colorado, we land at Canyonlands airport near Moab, UT for a second refueling. A final, long leg brings us back to Albuquerque. Below is the portion of the route from Cortez to Canyonlands airport. Route from Cortez, CO to Canyonlands airport near Mo...

FBO of Hale County airport, Plainview, TX If there ever was an understatement for the year 2020, it is "The COVID-19 virus is affecting our lives." Yeah, like staying home almost continuously for weeks and weeks. So, we decided to do something about it: A flight to visit daughter Ingrid in Albuquerque, NM. We called the FBO in Plainview, TX to inquire how they handled refueling. Then contacted Albuquerque about refueling and hangar storage. Both answers satisfactory: Masks in use, a promise to keep distance. But that really isn't good enough. What happens when we enter the FBO building? The air in the building, surfaces in the office, and restrooms? So we decided to work out a system that eliminates potential virus transmission as much as possible. The key is: Do not enter the FBO building during refueling. That requires some care. Fuel Input As we were about to land in Plainview, we requested refueling with the fuel truck, as opposed to self service. ...