Not fun flying

Lance F

Lance F

En-Route
Joined
Apr 9, 2005
Messages
2,947
Location
GA
Display Name
Display name:
Lance F
I have a business meeting tomorrow in Zeeland, MI, so this afternoon I flew the Mooney to KBIV Tulip City (aka Holland), MI. It flight plans for about 4 hours. I had to drop down to 6000 before getting near Cininnati which put me below the inversion layer. For the next 2 hours I got absolutely BEAT UP by blue thermals.
OK, I didn't ask to go back up to 8 or 10K becasue I picked up 14 kts ground speed at the lower altitude.
So I've got a headache, I'm tired and the weather is looking absolutely terrible for a departure out of here tomorrow afternoon. I do this for fun:P:P?
 
How long you in town for, you are in my back yard!!!

Oh, skipping out tomorrow. I am just heading out for softball league or we could have grabbed a bite to eat.
 
That may not have been the most fun flight of your life, but how much time did you save vs. flying commercial, not to mention all the headaches associated with it?

You came out ahead. :)
 
Lance F said:
I have a business meeting tomorrow in Zeeland, MI, so this afternoon I flew the Mooney to KBIV Tulip City (aka Holland), MI. It flight plans for about 4 hours. I had to drop down to 6000 before getting near Cininnati which put me below the inversion layer. For the next 2 hours I got absolutely BEAT UP by blue thermals.
OK, I didn't ask to go back up to 8 or 10K becasue I picked up 14 kts ground speed at the lower altitude.
So I've got a headache, I'm tired and the weather is looking absolutely terrible for a departure out of here tomorrow afternoon. I do this for fun:P:P?
Click to expand...

Wouldn't have been so bad in your old Standard Cirrus though :smilewinkgrin:
 
They didn't let you take the Falcon or the Lear?
 
Holland is nice.

Stop by the tulip farm and bring me a few bags of bulbs. :D
 
Lance, that is what the turbocharger is for. The 14 knot headwind would have been made up for the added speed efficiency above 14,000. I try to have a MAXIMUM of 10 minutes per trip below the lift line....though sometimes we get 15 minutes.

We NEVER stay below the lift line. Even in the winter, we take the headwind penalty unless it's the Jet stream (BTDT).
 
Last edited:
Everskyward said:
They didn't let you take the Falcon or the Lear?
Click to expand...
dang it, no. and one of the 24D's would have been perfect.

I wish I could hang around, see some tulips, meet up with PoAers, etc. If the weather isn't to the point of dangerous though, I'll be out of here tomorrow.
 
bbchien said:
Lance, that is what the turbocharger is for. The 14 knot headwind would have been made up for the added speed efficiency above 14,000.

We NEVER stay below the lift line. Even in the winter, we take the headwind penalty unless it's the Jet stream (BTDT).
Click to expand...
I just HATE to give up ground speed. Hate it. In retrospect though I should have gone back up once out of CVGs airspace area because I also hate hitting my head on the roof. Ouch.
 
I did make it back this afternoon but it was a slog! Big storms coming into Western MI, Indiana and Ohio looked ugly. I tried the VFR underneath the stuff and left Tulip City (KBIV) around 1pm. Very quickly I realized that wouldn't work and landed in Battle Creek (KBTR) barely VFR:rolleyes:.
Looked at the weather radar and figured if I went far enough east I could avoid the worst of it. Got really wet and had one lightning flash in front of me, but never had any turbulence to speak of. Headwinds s#*&ked.
http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N57039/history/20090513/1825Z/KBTL/9A1
Good day to have a rating and a Mooney.
 
You'r elucky you got through.

We have tornado warnings, amazingly enough, from Waukegan Harbor to "Northerly Island, IL" (they must still have CGX as a reporting point) to Gary.
 
Glad you made the trip. Sounds like a good challenge. Of course, some days we just want to get the trip done and challenges are annoying. :)
 
Lance F said:
I have a business meeting tomorrow in Zeeland, MI, so this afternoon I flew the Mooney to KBIV Tulip City (aka Holland), MI. It flight plans for about 4 hours. I had to drop down to 6000 before getting near Cininnati which put me below the inversion layer. For the next 2 hours I got absolutely BEAT UP by blue thermals.
OK, I didn't ask to go back up to 8 or 10K becasue I picked up 14 kts ground speed at the lower altitude.
So I've got a headache, I'm tired and the weather is looking absolutely terrible for a departure out of here tomorrow afternoon. I do this for fun:P:P?
Click to expand...
So, at the speed you were flying, how much longer would it have taken to fly that 28 nautical miles? I can't hardly believe gettin' the crap beat outta ya was worth that little bit of time! :eek: :no: :eek:
 
Over 10 minutes! 5% of the total flight time! Too logical. I'm no Vulcan.

OTOH I did say in a later post that I should have climbed back up.:blush:
 
Just me, I am bouncing on the deck...
weenie pax on board, I go high and live with 'slow'!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top