Finally Flying!

Oct 2011 Finally Flying!

Hi everybody. I am so glad the last 2 weeks are behind me.  It’s been a rare 2 weeks because my feet never once left the ground. My body just wasn’t cooperating and my “pump” decided to get into the act too. I’ve had an awful cold and for a while could barely talk; the box of kleenex was my new best friend. Somewhere in the blur of feeling crappy, I had a lumpectomy and sneezed away 7 days waiting for the results. I wear an insulin pump and it decided to have a complete motor failure just before the surgery. Thank heaven for next day UPS who rushed me a replacement pump! But I’m so happy to report that things have finally taken a turn for the better –  much better! My cold’s nearly gone, they tell me normal follow up is all that’s needed after the lumpectomy – no treatment, and me and my new insulin pump are getting along just dandy. Life’s good again!

I was totally happy to get up Saturday morning, see the sun shining and know this was going to be a “flying” day. Boyd & I had an invitation to take a ride to breakfast in friend Jon Hubbell’s award winning RV10 – I was ready to go!

It was a beautiful morning to fly in the recently completed RV10.

My back seat companion for the leg down was Jon’s adorable daughter, 3 year old Aerin.

My fun flying companion, Aerin Hubbell & "Pig'O"!

This fine looking Van’s RV-10 was an award winner at this year’s Air Venture. Jon won Kit Champion, Bronze Lindy.

Builder/Pilot Jon Hubbell

On on ground at BAK.

Here's Aerin & I posing in front of her dad's amazing RV10

I may have had the back seat on the ride down but turns out it was a good choice. Sitting right seat on the ride home got me an extra landing at I34 to top off with some low dollar 100 LL (is $5.25 really low dollar??!) and an ILS practice approach back at MQJ.

Full 3 screen Garmin glass panel suite. We did a full ILS approach using the highway in the sky, fly through the boxes system.

The panel in this aircraft is worth more than my entire airplane!

Very cool Whirlwind prop, beautifully painted

If there’s one thing I’ve discovered about flying, its that whatever airplane you happen to be in, flying is ALWAYS fun. When we got back my Rans S7 was sitting patiently waiting for some time aloft and it was not disappointed.  Shortly after arriving back to my home base, I was as happy as I could be climbing out with the throttle in one hand and the stick in the other.

Just past peak from the Rans S7

The trees are still gorgeous around here and with all the colors continually changing there’s always a beautiful view.

One of the many local corn mazes. Yes, it says "Colts". We may be having a sad, sad season but that's not going to stop anybody from buying pumpkins and wondering around the giant maze.

Later in the evening it was more flying –  hangar flying – around a huge pot of chili and a giant campfire at Steve Given’s grass strip.

Steve's well groomed grass strip

Ed Escalon brought his PT-19 & his J-5 over and Steve’s rag wing 170 was drawing some attention too.

An in-line engine deserves to be noticed

You J-5 girls would have liked a ride in this one. Don’t worry, I didn’t get one either! 🙁

J-5

And Steve’s Waco RNF was busy till sunset hopping rides.

Steve Given's Waco RNF

Ahhhh, I feel so much better!!