PIREP - Huron, SD (KHON)
paging @Sinistar since he will be interested in this report.
Flew to Huron for the heck of it this Saturday. This was about the flight, not the destination. Here is a full report:
weather wise it was pretty awesome day to fly as per METAR and TAF. took off around 1115 and encountered a scattered layer at 5000 about 10 miles south of KFAR, after bumping around in the sky pretty good, found a hole and climbed to 6500 and found some respite. mostly clear sky with occasional clouds and large areas of haze (or cloud, don't really know). thermals over un-ploughed field in spring is NOT a time I like to fly. it was fairly bumpy below 5000 and for a change I am not being melodramatic (yah right!!), had several un-commanded 10-15 degree or more roll.
During all the bouncing around didn't realize I had the CTAF at 123.3 instead of 123.0 … so essentially landed NORDO.
Radar Coverage - there is a area right after KFAR TRSA for about 30-40 miles where there is no radar coverage and even the radio coverage is fairly crappy.
About the FBO
Nice FBO. there was no one around, I had to call about 3 people to get gas. but here is the kicker - they have a landing fee of $10 waived with 10 gal or top off gas purchase. I am all in to support FBO's and small businesses and whenever possible I use them to buy gas (yah I am lazy), but I certainly do not appreciate when i dont need to buy gas and pay a landing fee on a public airport. from what I could tell, the only access to the ramp is via that FBO. someone feel free to correct me if I am wrong. very clean and very nice FBO. no computer for checking wx, but has free wifi.
@Sinistar they also have tie down fees
this town runs on AT&T and I found it out the hard way. I have travelled to some really secluded places in US and this is the only place I have been where Verizon doesn't have good service. forget good, I had no service most of the time. so I had to drive around by Pilotage.... o man you should have seen the terror in my eyes when my phone GPS said "no connection"
I was trying to find Ryan's Hangar - great food I hear but without a GPS or a paper map I just didn't fee like roaming around so decided to have Italian in a Mexican restaurant. seriously. see the pic below.
after lunch, came back, the airport lady came over and filled up my tanks to the brim (grrrr). Took off and climbed at 1500 FPM (yah updrafts baby) and then at 100 fpm
() till about 5000 where it smoothed out again. dodged a few layers here and there.
ohh… both TAF and GFA guys had it wrong (forecasted initially calm and then max of 7kts). Windy.com had it right (8G19 at KHON and 11G19 at KFAR)
here is what chicken carbonara looks like next to nacho chips (or whatever they are called)
Edit: while having nacho, connected to the local wifi and figured out Ryan's hangar restaurant doesn't open before 4 PM … so there is that
