This photo is classic.

tgiencke wrote: The best plane is the one you're flying

Amen!

...and can afford.

Are you kidding me?!? Who has one of those?

once&futr_alaskaflyer wrote:

...and can afford.

Are you kidding me?!? Who has one of those?

I'm a rare flyer.

I have more invested in my car. (I have $22k into the Beech). The car's insurance costs more ($280/yr for the Beech). And the tie-down costs a dollar a day which is two miles from my house. From my front door, to in the air it takes me 25 minutes. And I get to fly Mon-Fri to work which is 6 minutes each way. I have proven to my wife that flying to the family, etc. is as reliable as driving.

I could say that I'm living the dream. But that would be a Federal US flying job like for the Forest service or US mail.

-Todd Giencke

tgiencke wrote:

once&futr_alaskaflyer wrote:

...and can afford.

Are you kidding me?!? Who has one of those?

I'm a rare flyer.

I have more invested in my car. (I have $22k into the Beech). The car's insurance costs more ($280/yr for the Beech). And the tie-down costs a dollar a day which is two miles from my house. From my front door, to in the air it takes me 25 minutes. And I get to fly Mon-Fri to work which is 6 minutes each way. I have proven to my wife that flying to the family, etc. is as reliable as driving.

I could say that I'm living the dream. But that would be a Federal US flying job like for the Forest service or US mail.

-Todd Giencke

Fly the mail jobs are a dime a dozen but they aren't Federal jobs. Around here Alpine Air flies the mail every night in Beech 99's and 1900's.

Why's that dog look so worried? I think he's trying to figure out how to write "help me" backwards on the window.
Todd, you might think about lashing that load in place- if you ever have a "stop short" incident, that top-loaded stuff looks lke it could take your head(s) right off.

Eric

women never pack light! I got the Maule cause when my wife does go along she packs half the house and "I feel cramped in the Tripacer" So I got the Maule and now it's "It uses more gas than the tripacer." " Ifeel so clostrophobic." So I put in Patroller doors, which she hasn't seen yet cause I don't want to get into the cost discussion. SHe'll learn about the patroller doors next weekend when I pick her up and fly her from Tahoe to Columbia. THen she can look out the doors and marvel at the scenery directly below her. Anyway, just don't argue over weight in the plane. They don't understand why they can't take the hairdryer and all the other girly stuff anyway. Just load it and take off.

zero.one.victor wrote:Why's that dog look so worried? I think he's trying to figure out how to write "help me" backwards on the window.
Todd, you might think about lashing that load in place- if you ever have a "stop short" incident, that top-loaded stuff looks lke it could take your head(s) right off.

Eric

Oscar (the dog) likes flying but he doesn't like being stuffed in a cubbyhole.

This was my first time packing the plane for fly-camping. I was very careful with the loading to make sure I didn't go over gross or get the CG too far aft. The problem is to carry this much baggage it has to go right behind the seats or the plane goes out of aft CG when the fuel is low.

I agree that the loading looks scarry and I only put low weight items on top. But that doesn't mean squwat if something goes wrong. At work we have a cargo net, gill liner, and flooring for a Navaho that we don't own anymore. I'm going to see if I can modify it for use in my Musketeer.

Because we really had a good time camping we are looking at a new lighter tent ( http://www.bigagnes.com/str_tents.php?id=em3 ) and sleeping pads. I proved that my 100LL burning stove ( http://www.msrcorp.com/stoves/xgk.asp ) works just as well as the large Coleman stove. The bikes are a must-have to go exploring but I really would like three of these Brompton folding bikes ( http://www.bromptonbicycle.co.uk/index. ... ange.mtype ) but they are a lot of money. Next time we are going to weed out some of the camping gear to get less volume.

The plane handled the load just great. It flew the same you just could feel that there was more mass. It just sucks having to use 2000' ground run at 3,000' density altitude afternoon. But the plane climbed out just fine.

But then again I would like to sell the wife on getting some VG's for the plane.

-Todd Giencke

My wife learned years ago, if your going with me your going light. I left her behind once. It could have been just before we bought the Baron.

Now we show up places and the other gals ask her (that's all you brought)
It pays to get them air trained early.

tgiencke wrote: ......................The bikes are a must-have to go exploring but I really would like three of these Brompton folding bikes
....... But then again I would like to sell the wife on getting some VG's for the plane. -Todd Giencke

Three bikes? Does Oscar need one of his own?
And if you sell your wife to buy some VG's, that's be one less bike you need.....

If you need 2000 ft to get off the ground when you are fully loaded that limits your camping strips pretty much. I wouldn't try JC at 5000 ft then. you might be staying there longer than you planned.

zero.one.victor wrote: Three bikes? Does Oscar need one of his own?
And if you sell your wife to buy some VG's, that's be one less bike you need.....

I want three bikes because I can fit three of them in my baggage area. That way wife, daughter, and I can get off the airport and bike around.

-Todd Giencke

mr scout wrote:My wife learned years ago, if your going with me your going light. I left her behind once. It could have been just before we bought the Baron.

Now we show up places and the other gals ask her (that's all you brought)
It pays to get them air trained early.

You left her behind and she made life so miserable you had to buy a baron to get back in her good graces. Sounds like marriage to me.

iceman wrote:If you need 2000 ft to get off the ground when you are fully loaded that limits your camping strips pretty much. I wouldn't try JC at 5000 ft then. you might be staying there longer than you planned.

That is my grand plan...

Get her hooked in fly camping, replace the old (heavy) camping gear with light backpacking gear. Get VG's on the plane. Get her tired of grass strip airport camping. Buy a floatplane.

But in the meantime I can always downsize the camping gear to get into smaller strips. But I wouldn't want the strip to be less than 2000'

-Todd Giencke