I don't know if he'll kick my ass for posting this, but I figured a few extra eyes on him wouldn't hurt. In my mind what he's doing this week for fun is as remarkable as what he does for a living. Anyway, he's closer to home but not quite there:

http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0LMgr6ALVyRz8gtVQ1JnrrmWUk8CX06AP

Remarkable trip indeed. I see he's flying IFR (I follow roads) for most of the trip. And knowing Vick, I know he'll have a few good pics to share.

Fly safe and enjoy it while it lasts.

Who's he with, do you know?

Who's he with, do you know?

I think he had someone riding along until the Chicago area, but from there I think he's solo.

Ferrying the plane or did he buy a Stearman??

That's it Bill, I'm kicking your ass Since there wasn't anything backcountry about the trip I wasn't going to go off-topic with it here but it is a tailwheel and I did land on every grass runway I could find so what the hell.

Just made it home today and I'm whipped. Just over 38 hours of flying in the last 7 seven days to go from NJ to Ca. The original plan was to go from NJ to Illinois to spend a day at the Natl Stearman Fly In and then cut southwest toward El Paso to stay on the lowest route. While in Illinois though that hurricane tracked up from the gulf and started dumping on my intended track. After talking with a few guys who had done it before I decided to press straight west generally along I-80. I had a friend riding along but he jumped out in Lincoln, NE and took a sardine can home - good thing too since I don't think I could have gone through the mountains with both of us in there. It's a stock engine, so it takes patience and finesse to claw it up over 10k to clear a couple of the passes and to generally operate out of the high fields in Wy.

MM - I just plugged in my camera and it says I have 484 pics from the trip Editing will commence after I restock the fridge with beer, posted pics to follow.

Emmet - My parents and a couple of their friends restored this plane about seven years ago. My father passed away earlier this year and I bought out his partner. Hoping to keep it in the family for a while.

Wow, sorry to hear about your father. But too cool on the trip. People write books about trips like that. It would make for a cool magazine article (restoration, your family, and your trip).

Can't wait to see the pics. You keeping it in Lincoln? Maybe we'll have to hook up an air-to-air photo shoot. I'll take my doors off and stick the camera guy in the back!

Vick wrote:Since there wasn't anything backcountry about the trip I wasn't going to go off-topic with it here but it is a tailwheel and I did land on every grass runway I could find so what the hell.

Tailwheels and grass are always welcome here, definitely not considered off-topic.

I'm still waiting for the call to catch a smoker flight to Phoenix.

That's it Bill, I'm kicking your ass Since there wasn't anything backcountry about the trip I wasn't going to go off-topic with it here but it is a tailwheel and I did land on every grass runway I could find so what the hell.

If Z's rules were that strict he would've kicked me out of here a long time ago. I've learned enough about the folks on here to know that a great adventure like yours is well appreciated. I was surprised you didn't post when you launched.

I'm sure this will be one chapter in the book you're sure to write one day. Just put me on the list for a copy of the first edition!

Glad you mad it home safe...

-BIll

RDUStinson wrote:I was surprised you didn't post when you launched.

I didn't want to jinx myself, there was too much that could have gone wrong. Morale fluctuated directly with ground speed - a periodic headwind can be tolerated, I had a headwind the entire trip! The low point was a sustained gs of 50kts from Laramie to Rawlins. When I landed I called it quits for the day.

A basic summary of the way it worked out:

Day 1 - Hackettstown, NJ to Youngstown Metro, Oh with my buddy Jeff
Day 2 - Youngstown Metro to Galesburg, Il for the Natl Stearman Fly In
Day 3 - Winds blowing to 40kts, stayed on the ground with a lot of fine folks at Galesburg
Day 4 - Galesburg, Il to Crete, Ne - Jeff jumped out here to catch a sardine can back to the east coast
Day 5 - Crete, Ne to Laramie, Wy
Day 6 - Laramie, Wy to Rawlins, Wy - short day due to crazy winds
Day 7 - Rawlins, Wy to Elko, Nv - RON with the Heber Field CAF guys
Day 8 - Elko, Nv to Grass Valley, Ca

Chronological pics from the trip here... http://picasaweb.google.com/Andrew.McVi ... eat=email#

Some highlights...

Awesome

Great pics as always!! So awesome...when do I get a flight in the Stearman?

Vick wrote:

The top one is my favorite!

Where was the bottom picture taken?

Very nice pictures!!

I recognize the airport with the MIG, Liplock Nevada, about seventy miles from home. Great trip!

The moon in a Stearman......WOW!

Again, Andy's my hero!

Aw shucks Bill

Emmet & Joey - we need to do a weekend flyout for breakfast (Auburn/Willows/etc). Get a few planes airborne for pics and hop some rides.

Y4 - I hit Winnemucca for gas too - Buster was super friendly, nice, easy stop.

58Skylane wrote:

Vick wrote:

The top one is my favorite!

Where was the bottom picture taken?

Very nice pictures!!

Thanks, the bottom one was looking south over the north end of the Great Salt Lake.