Gaston's Return Trip Thread

Im glad we left when we did. Looking at the stuff that moved through there not too long after we left didn't look fun.
 
Jesse just called me, him and tristan are in Macon, MO. he was happy to have the 396 to negotiate rain in missouri. had to go quick though as they were lost in the crew car trying to find lunch...
 
I just talked with Nick and Shari; they are in Paris, TX (KPRX), and it looks like they should have smooth sailing through at least the Texas Panhandle, flying high and cool in the prettiest old 182 I ever did see.
 
ok just heard from Matt. The 140 is tucked away in its hangar all cleaned off with oil changed. had to wait a while this morning until ceilings cleared in order to get in but he made it.
 
tonycondon said:
Jesse just called me, him and tristan are in Macon, MO. he was happy to have the 396 to negotiate rain in missouri. had to go quick though as they were lost in the crew car trying to find lunch...
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You mean they didn't use the auto option of the 396 to avoid getting lost on the ground! :)

I too am glad we got out when we did. I haven't zoomed in on N. AR, but that whole general area looks pretty crummy. At least y'all are with friends!
 
well jesse was on the phone w/me when the guy at the FBO was trying to give him directions. I dont think effective communication was taking place.
 
We're in Borger, TX (KBGD) at the moment. Things look pretty nasty in New Mexico right now, so we're gonna fight our way as far as we can get and then hunker down till it passes. I think we might be able to get to Albuquerque, and that's about it.

Seems I always get stuck there.
 
glad to hear it Nick. havent heard anything from Jesse yet but I think he had good weather the rest of the way.
 
jesse just called. they made it. he's calling diana as we speak.
 
Kent and Kate left BPK IFR to the southeast. Clouds were at 1600MSL.

The ASOS just changed to 1100 few.
Tom and Diana are off and Greg and Sharon are off.



I get to be the cleanup hitter for the second year in a row. :p
Tomorrow looks good.
 
SkyHog said:
We're in Borger, TX (KBGD) at the moment. Things look pretty nasty in New Mexico right now, so we're gonna fight our way as far as we can get and then hunker down till it passes. I think we might be able to get to Albuquerque, and that's about it.

Seems I always get stuck there.
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Not sure ABQ is doable either, you guys stay safe
 

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Well, we made it out yesterday just in time after we missed the big brunch crowd (although brunch by ourselves was nice). Thanks to those who advised the guy with the baby (that's me) to bug out around 1:20 PM or so. Weather-wise, the trip back was far less eventful than the trip down; we managed to stay ahead of the advancing line of storms even while heading more or less due north.

The biggest problem I had was getting an IFR clearance on the ground; I called LM's dedicated CD number and the guy I talked to futzed around for about 5 minutes (thunder getting closer...) then informed me he would have to transfer my call to Fort Worth, at which point I told him to forget it and took off toward BPK. We circled above Norfolk Lake around 3000 MSL for a while and waited for Memphis Center to clear us into the clag so we could climb into radar coverage. Once north of Lebanon things cleared out fairly nicely.

The first briefer I talked to at LM was trying to convince me to head from Gaston's back to the west toward Razorback and then stay behind the storms. Didn't sound very promising to me, so we headed east, but a 396 or 496 would have been nice to have for some situational awareness (although the stormscope came in handy).

Hopefully next year the weather will be better and I'll actually get to meet some of you.

<--- New avatar, taken on the trip back
 
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Frank
I was the one who told you to beat it out of there or wait with the rest of us. Nice to meet you, know that I know! :D
 
We finally got home, landed at HPN at 20:00Z 6 more flight hours plus 2 hrs in 2 rest/food/fuel stops.
 
Just talked with Greg, he said he is safe at home and he talked with Diana and she is safe on the ground also.

Mark B
 
markb5900 said:
Just talked with Greg, he said he is safe at home and he talked with Diana and she is safe on the ground also.

Mark B
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What he said. Was a little tight leaving Mountain Home, but the broken turned to scattered pretty quick. Anyway, it was time to leave and I am glad we are home.
 
glad to hear it greg
who else? just kent/kate??
 
We are home safe.

I plan on writing about the trip within the next couple of days. We have a lot of video and pictures that I'll make into some type of...video? It'll be cool, or at least that's the idea.

We departed Mountain Home this morning and shot a gap through the storm with little to no problem using 396 with XM Radar, along with continuous monitoring of METARS via ASOS and the GPS.. We were able to maintain VFR in rain while avoiding the problem cells. Here is a radar image of what we flew threw in Missouri. Yeehaw.

n0r_20070611_1450.png
 
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mikea said:
I get to be the cleanup hitter for the second year in a row. :p
Tomorrow looks good.
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Mike, you really need to get your IR..... now that you live close to the airport...
 
Kent/Kate are home safe, they just landed.

They also stopped at Macon, MO. Said a Twinkie landed there with a nice sized hole blown out the top of the crankcase, fun times.
 
Holy cow. Making Albuquerque was a stretch. Thank GOD for flight following, as Albuquerque Center was able to give suggested headings to avoid some of the absolutely nasty weather that was blocking our way. We got to a point where we were practically s-turning around cells to avoid penetration. When we got to Albuquerque, there was one GIANT cell over the center of the city, and we picked around it to land at KAEG. Our plan was to grab some food and wait for the stuff to the west to clear out, and when it started getting better, the scud dropped down to about 500ft overcast with heavy rain.

So - now we're stuck overnight in Albuquerque. We're hoping for an early morning departure, but unfortunately, the weather channel is calling for nastiness all day tomorrow. I really want to get back to Arizona and to my job, but I want to make sure I'm alive when I get there.

Worst part: Even an instrument rating wouldn't have helped us get through the thunderstorms. Sigh.
 
good work Nick/Sheri. just watch out for shrapnel please...
 
SkyHog said:
...

So - now we're stuck overnight in Albuquerque. We're hoping for an early morning departure, but unfortunately, the weather channel is calling for nastiness all day tomorrow. I really want to get back to Arizona and to my job, but I want to make sure I'm alive when I get there.

Worst part: Even an instrument rating wouldn't have helped us get through the thunderstorms. Sigh.
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Best part: you didn't try to do what you couldn't do. No rating makes you invincible!

Be safe, the job'll be there.
 
SkyHog said:
Holy cow. Making Albuquerque was a stretch. Thank GOD for flight following, as Albuquerque Center was able to give suggested headings to avoid some of the absolutely nasty weather that was blocking our way. We got to a point where we were practically s-turning around cells to avoid penetration. When we got to Albuquerque, there was one GIANT cell over the center of the city, and we picked around it to land at KAEG. Our plan was to grab some food and wait for the stuff to the west to clear out, and when it started getting better, the scud dropped down to about 500ft overcast with heavy rain.

So - now we're stuck overnight in Albuquerque. We're hoping for an early morning departure, but unfortunately, the weather channel is calling for nastiness all day tomorrow. I really want to get back to Arizona and to my job, but I want to make sure I'm alive when I get there.

Worst part: Even an instrument rating wouldn't have helped us get through the thunderstorms. Sigh.
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I've picked my way through storms in the ABQ area. Not a lot of fun, but at least out west the bases are higher and you can see the rain shafts for some distance.

At least you didn't get "An American MD80 just went through there, and it was OK" from approach as I did one day (and I watched the hole close ahead)....
 
Just got this photo from the line boy at BPK. He shot it as we departed. There was a 140-size gap between the storms, which we threaded all the way back to Iowa.

The 530W and stormscope performed flawlessly, though all we could hear for most of the trip was Dr. Bruce's stuck mike.

Matthew
 

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foka4 said:
Just got this photo from the line boy at BPK. He shot it as we departed. There was a 140-size gap between the storms, which we threaded all the way back to Iowa.

The 530W and stormscope performed flawlessly, though all we could hear for most of the trip was Dr. Bruce's stuck mike.

Matthew
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Wow, is that picture for real?
 
sorry mike...good weather for trip home today?
 
foka4 said:
...
The 530W and stormscope performed flawlessly, though all we could hear for most of the trip was Dr. Bruce's stuck mike.
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Was Bruce's mic really stuck? I thought the 430 just thought it was.
 
tonycondon said:
sorry mike...good weather for trip home today?
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Once I clear whatever widely scattered guff that insists on hanging over me in AR...it'll be CAVU or few at 5000 the whole trip. Of course, as is required by law, I'll have a slight headwind from the east.

I'll have to mess around for a few hours before I launch from BPK. Hafta make sure all of that water is out of the fuel system at Gaston's and then refuel and pack the way too much stuff at BPK.

BTW, Danny at BPK is a great guy. He signed me off to get the fuel discount even Tuesday. We need to make an effort to give them fuel business vs. using the self-serve pump.

BTW2, he says that airline service is coming to BPK. (That's why the terminal area is a secure area.) They're promising direct Chicago-BPK flights for an alleged $400 round trip. Weeeeellll seeeee.
 
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foka4 said:
Just got this photo from the line boy at BPK. He shot it as we departed. There was a 140-size gap between the storms, which we threaded all the way back to Iowa.

The 530W and stormscope performed flawlessly, though all we could hear for most of the trip was Dr. Bruce's stuck mike.

Matthew
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Impressive pic; glad it wasn't me that was flyin that plane!!

Best,

Dave
 
i think we decided it was his squelch that was wide open so the 430 thought the mic was stuck, so it annunciated that on the screen, when in fact the mic wasnt stuck..

matt was trying to be funny and this is what he gets :D
 
mikea said:
Was Bruce's mic really stuck? I thought the 430 just thought it was.
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No-o-o-o-

The picture, and the comment, are Matt's way of showing that he'll fit in here just fine. :yes::D
 
There would have to be a very compelling reason to choose $4.27/gal FS vs. $3.35/gal SS (and that's with the 30 cent "gaston's discount" for FS, normally $4.57). I asked the linemen about the fuel prices while they fueled the 195. There was no mention of the previously reported $3.45 "fly-in" price. They made very disparaging remarks regarding the self serve pump. They wouldn't even state what the self serve price was when directly asked. I don't think they appreciate the traffic count that self serve pump promotes for BPK, and the impact that has on airport improvement funding. If you're going to charge a premium, you should provide premium service and a professional attitude. I didn't really see it, personally.

mikea said:
.

BTW, Danny at BPK is a great guy. He signed me off to get the fuel discount even Tuesday. We need to make an effort to give them fuel business vs. using the self-serve pump.

.
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