Western Flight Tour

Flew down to Lebanon (S30) and picked up my Western Flight Tour passport book. (This day was also the third anniversary of my checkride)

The goal is to fly to each of the 13 airports located around Oregon listed on the flight tour, take a picture of yourself and airplane with an identifying feature in the background. Land at at least 6 airports on the list and you are entered in a prize drawing.

The flight tour ends with a barbecue and the prize drawing Sept 22nd at Lebanon airport. A few of the airports we've been to, most we have not. 

I'm looking forward to getting started!

www.westernft.com

Open Cockpit Day

The Pearson Air Museum, located at Pearson Field Airport (VUO), hosted its annual Open Cockpit Day.

The airfield has an interesting history, dating back to 1905 when Lincoln Beachey flew from Portland in a lighter than air craft, and landed on the polo field at the Vancouver Army Barracks.

Several aircraft were open to climb into the cockpit, including the North American T-28 pictured with Heatherle and Audrey at the controls.  Seemed to swallow them up when they climbed into the cockpit
  

The EAA had a Young Eagles event planned, which offers a short ride to kids ages 8 through 17 free of charge. The weather had stalled this activity until early afternoon when the ceilings became high enough for a few planes to get in.

Pearson is not a large or fancy museum compared to Evergreen or WAAM, but it is unique in it's early aviation airfield style, open restoration area, and other historical points of interest close by.

http://www.fortvan.org/pages/pearson-air-museum

Not Quite Bend and Sunriver...

Nearly a month ago, i had reserved a plane for the entire day. Our plan was to join the Mulino chapter of OPA for a fly-out to Bend for brunch. Audrey, Heatherle, and I would then fly south to Sunriver, returning in the evening.
Unfortunately, as Sunday approached, the weather forecast became more April showers than May flowers. But, if the weather didn't look especially promising for a trip over the Cascades, it was at least forecast to be sufficient for any number of destinations in the valley or Columbia Gorge.


Up early Sunday to pack up and get a weather briefing. Still looked like Bend would be possible by either going south before crossing the Cascades, or via the Columbia Gorge and The Dalles before turning south.

A few sprinkles began as I was pulling an assortment of airplanes out of the hanger to reach 4KU, then rain while prepping the plane, proving the effectiveness of a high wing as shelter.

After landing at a quiet Mulino airport, we intertained ourselves with an assortment of aviation magazine past issues, waiting to see who else would show.

Our small group ended up making the trek across the field for lunch at a local Mulino diner. 

Before leaving, we made a plan to fly over toward Troutdale (TTD) to enter the Columbia Gorge, then up to The Dalles (DLS).

Once airborne we could see that the ceilings were lower than forecast, and visibility had also decreased, so east of Oregon City, we decided to head back to Twin Oaks knowing the terrain from here would avoid the need to climb any higher.


While still VFR, it was probably the worst ceiling and visibility conditions I've flown, so I was happy with the decisions made, and to be back at Twin Oaks. It was kind of sad to leave a plane that I had for the entire day with only an hour of flight time though.



Audrey was not the least bit worried...

Love Spring Weather!

Breakfast at Twin Oaks on a beautiful spring Saturday.

Patterns at Twin Oaks...

... was not our original plan, but still good fun. Also worthwhile practice.

Our original plan for donuts and coffee at Lenhardt was clearly in delay status due to fog when we arrived at the airport.

Fortunately the South End Store is only about two miles away, where coffee and pastries await. Just the place to hold up with a little optimism for improved conditions.

Back an hour later, and the conditions had improved, save for the large patch of fog set stubbornly over the departure and final approach path. A slow preflight, bathroom stop, and walk around, and finally the departure path was clear.

 

We wouldn't be able to get much beyond the pattern, but that was fine, we'd be flying.

 

We spent the next hour with only a pre-check ride student in the pattern to keep us company, practicing takeoff and landing, enjoying the spring farmland below in between.

While taking our time in the pattern, I asked Audrey what it is that likes about flying. "I like the view from high up, but not too high, so everything on ground looks like toys and you can see far away". Yep, kinda the same for me. 

Taxiing onto the runway for the eighth and final time, Audrey's announcement of "here we go!" was conspicuously absent. Sound asleep.

Adventure Through Air and Space, The Evergreen Way

Sunday we met up with several others from the Mulino OPA for breakfast in Newberg at Finnigan's (spinach, mushroom, bacon, Swiss, and avocado omelet... very good)

After breakfast and hanger talk, we left as a group for the Evergreen Aviation and Space museum in McMinnville - http://www.evergreenmuseum.org/

The museum is divided into two buildings (four if you include the water park and IMAX theater).

One building covers space exploration from the earliest rockets, through the international space station, plus modern military aircraft.

Audrey was very excited to get a close up look at a real SR71.

The other building houses the centerpiece of the museum, the HK-1 Spruce Goose, so large it's hard to get a clear idea of it's size inside the building. Around and under the massive wings and tail of the Spruce Goose is a large collection of aircraft spanning very early aviation, military, commercial, and general aviation.

We had a tour guide for this portion of the museum that provided additional insight into the aircraft and displays. Turns out that our guide was assigned to Marine One during the Reagan administration.

Best part of the museum? Sitting under the museum's B17 was Bill, who at the age of 20, had completed 30 combat missions over Germany and occupied France as the pilot of a Flying Fortress. Over 300 hrs of combat flight time, Bill spoke in a quite voice of his first mission, the only from which he returned with no damage, the following missions, his crew, his best mission (the last), and the B17 itself. Bill thought it was a wonderful flying aircraft. Bill also shared some of his more humorous experiences training pilots back home for the remainder of the war in the AT-6 Texan. I could have spent the remainder of the day with Bill, but our tour moved on, and left with deep gratitude to a man that fought in a war a quarter century before I was born.





After 5 hours, and more than one previous visit, there was still more to see. Fortunately we opted for a membership this time.

Daddy It's an SR71 Blackbird

Audrey has become quite interested in airplanes lately (a mystery right?) and the SR71 has risen above the others as the clear favorite.

We were at Coyote Hobby (our local hobby shop), and around from the other isle comes a beaming Audrey, with a box in her hand. "daddy, it's an SR71 Blackbird!".

So after dinner and bath, we set out like the best and brightest at Lockheed to assemble an SR71.  So theirs was bigger, ours took less time.

Good times.