Congragulations, Tick! A banner day!

Way to go Tick. We all know how you feel.

1SeventyZ wrote:

Oregon180 wrote:BTW, I was sad to see that they've done quite a bit of logging around the McKenzie Bridge strip. I don't know if it was to widen the space for the fire choppers or what, but it looks pretty ugly compared to last year.

I'm saddened to hear that. Did they just clear around the helipad? Or the entire runway? Maybe they heard we were coming again this year and figured we need extra parking.

The only good tree around an airfield is a stump.

gb

Greg has another video. 20 minutes of flying and never leaving the farm, boiled down to 7 minutes of movie..

http://vimeo.com/4620979

Tick wrote:Passed my ASEL private pilot checkride on Friday!!!!! Afew years too late but I got it done. Went and celebrated with my cute redhead passenger over Mat-Su valley afterwards. Feels good to officially join the ranks after spending so many years involved in everything else aviation.

Congratulations Tick!!!!!! Way to go. I'll watch for you in the anc area and expect to see you at the Palmer pancake flyin when it's announced.

Yesterday I decided to process a bit of fuel to make sure the exhaust wasn't clogged. Didn't do anything special....just buzzed from PAMR to the Palmer area, then over to Big Lake and back to PAMR via point noname. That's when it became totally COOL!!!!! As I was flying over the inlet at 2300', I looked down and to my right to see some fast movers on long final to Elmendorf AFB. ( In that area we have to be below 600' or above 2100' as the air force has an approach in the middle. Anyway, as I look down and to the right just as I am directly off the west end of EAFB at mid channel, I see two F22 Raptors glide under me from my 3:00 to my 9:00 and about 250 to 300 feet below me. I can see the pilots and they can see me as we wave at each other. They went straight on in to land at EAFB and I went on in to land at PAMR.

TOTALLY COOL!!!!!!! alas, no camera........

Flew from SNY to the Smith ranch near Chapion NE with a Cardinal and a PT-19. Took some good air to air shots of the PT-19. Then back to SNY. Pictures at a later time.
HC

We had a good time friday flying. Left S05 (Bandon) about 11:30am and hopped over the coastal range to Powers. The grass looked to have been cut a week or so earlier and was about 6'' tall. We ate our Subway sandwiches and walked down to the river.
Leaving Powers, we headed over to the Rogue River and followed it to Grants Pass and then over to Beagles to visit w/Brian at Steve's Aircraft. We also took a look at a cessna 180 for sale on the field. The Daringer, a highly modified exp. Pacer landed for fuel while we were there.....beautiful airplane.
We then loaded up and headed for table rock. My dad tells me stories of getting a rented cessna 182 stuck in the mud on his lunch brake on top of table rock. As the story goes, he made his passenger get out and push on the strut while he poured the coal to it...... we just had to go check it out.
More of a hiking trail across the top now then a runway. Dragged it a few times and landed on the south end. It is in pretty good shape if you stay on the obvious trail/road. We then flew low over the river back to Grants Pass and started climbing to head home. Did a quick in and out at Calvert Peak and then on home to Bandon. Dropped off my wife and daughter and then headed up the coast to North Bend to get fuel. It was blowing 22/27 out of the north so spent a little time "slope soaring" above the Bandon Dunes golf course. Got fuel and then headed back to the private strip we use in Coquille.

About 4hrs on the hobbs, several cool airplanes and 2 new backcountry strips in the log book!

Beautiful Colorado day. Ran into a couple friends who wanted me to go to Pueblo with them for breakfast. Left Meadowlake and did a quick touch and go into Springs East. While having breakfast got a call from HiCountry. He was up at the Platte Valley Fly-in, which I forgot I told him I would try to meet him there. Dohp!!! Finished breakfast and tried to give him a ring back to see how much longer he would be there, but went to his service. Wasn't sure if he was headed back to Sidney so I didn't want to miss out on a beautiful day so I headed into the mountains. Did touch and goes at Salida, Buena Vista. Full stop for a break at Leadville and then back home to Meadowlake. Six airports and 3.3 hrs later. What an awesome day. Sorry about that HiCountry.

Good day to fly...went to Platte Valley for breakfast and saw a few airplanes. Called bmurrish..he was at Pueblo. Stayed a little while and headed home. Looks like bm went on to higher places (Leadville)..shoulda' gone with him.
HC

Gotta love 18V. I had my old C-140 there for a year and they were some of the nicest people I've ever met. I was bummed I had to work today or I would have joined in on the fun.

Up at 5 AM. Silkily smooth air for the 20 minute flight from S33 to Chukar. Four other pilots there. They were very friendly, gave me coffee and had a camp fire. The strip is about 800" 600" real decent. There is another 100' each end but you will be mowing sage brush with the prop and it is BUMPY! 15' wide. The strip is close to level so I would land into the wind.

There is a BLM sign that says it is involved in a WSA Wilderness Study Area. Bull Shit!!!! There is no way this place is Wilderness, backcountry yes. Dirt road comes into the area.
Chukar Flats






Departed at 9 AM to Troutdale, picked up the wife and daughter and gassed the M7. At 10:20 we departed for Florence, Oregon on the south central coast. The fog was hanging on the beach 5 miles north. We didn't know it but the town was in the height of the Rhododendron Festival. There was a parade, carnival, and hundreds of Harleys. We walked about 4 miles and had lunch.



We departed at 4:30 PM dodging fog

Yeah, that's what they're doing now. They don't need to do much paperwork to call it a "study" area. So instead they call it that and it still effectively closes that area to all motorized vehicles. Then the real kicker is they can pass it into a wilderness area easier because it's already been a effective "study" area for months/years.

This crap is happening all over UT/CO too.

Spent the weekend camping at Moose Creek. Man, oh man... What a beautiful place! It's really spectacular this time of year. I spent most of Saturday hiking all over, and the weather couldn't have been better.

I'm making an early summer trip to Moose Creek an annual event, for sure.

There were four planes total camped Saturday night, and we all had a great time: Fellow BCP'er Blackrock was there with son in his beautiful Bearhawk, a gentleman from Helena, Montana with a Supercub, a family from Walla Walla in a 170B and me. What a great trip!

Great pictures Oregon180! So, does that first picture depict short final?

Skystrider wrote:So, does that first picture depict short final?

No, I was about 500 feet above pattern altitude there. I was about to overfly the field to check for deer, etc. Didn't feel like taking pictures on the actual approach...

Oregon180 wrote:

Skystrider wrote:So, does that first picture depict short final?

No, I was about 500 feet above pattern altitude there. I was about to overfly the field to check for deer, etc. Didn't feel like taking pictures on the actual approach...

Just kidding you there Oregon180. The pictures really are good and it looks like a great place to camp. I am jealous!

Joseph, Oregon to Alaska Bush Wheel. Wup fixed me up with a new pair of 29x11x10 and dual calapar brakes. Big tires look tough!! I feel like a better pilot already ha ha.

There was a storm exiting the state. Got tossed around all the way over and back, but it was worth it. I'm not home but when I get there I'll post the pictures.

Cheers...Rob

Rob,
Make sure you post pictures!

I was so excited I forgot to take more pictures of the tires. 29 and 8.50 They are sweet and so smooth. Very happy.
More pictures. http://picasaweb.google.com/robburson/A ... directlink
Rob