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- Sep 19, 2005
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Pilawt
Score one for general aviation!
Our grandson was to attend a high school conference in Santa Barbara last week, so we decided to fly the 172 out there to attend the opening banquet. We figured that on the way back we could spend a couple of days in nearby Ventura, where Mrs. P grew up and still has family, and where we met and got married.
Our grandson was dropped off at Phoenix Sky Harbor for his nonstop American Eagle flight to SBA, just about when we took off from Goodyear. His flight was delayed, so even with our fuel stop at OXR, our 172 got to SBA two hours before he did. We were 3.3 hours tach time to SBA. Google Maps says it would have been a 7-8 hour drive to Santa Barbara, maybe more depending on L.A. traffic.
After the banquet (our grandson arrived from the airport, frazzled, just as it was starting
) and a night at a beautiful beachfront hotel, we flew back along the coast to Oxnard for the hometown visit. OXR was my home field in 1970, and there was a big dose of déjà vu as we were on short final for runway 25.
After a couple of days of visiting the old haunts, and dinner with relatives, we saddled up for the flight back to Phoenix. Our 172's skimpy fuel tanks dictated an enroute fuel stop, so we picked Thermal. I hadn't landed there since a charter trip in 1972. It was a treat. Desert Jet Center treated us and the 172 like royalty (maybe the best FBO experience we've ever had - no exaggeration), and the ramp was full of Yaks, T-34s and Tucanos, evidently participating in warbird antics nearby. There was even a C-130 on hand, that took off while we were there. TRM, of course, is one of the few places where you can watch the altimeter unwind past zero on short final.
Another fun trip that would not have been possible without a GA airplane.
Watching the first pitch of the Milwaukee-L.A. NLCS game, while listening to it on the ADF:
On Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara:
Sidewalk marker on State Street in Santa Barbara:
Getting ready for the short flight back to Oxnard:
Clear day over the San Fernando Valley and VNY:
On the ground at TRM:
Pretty cloud shadows over BLH ... only problem was they were moving quickly west while we were trying to go east.
Our grandson was to attend a high school conference in Santa Barbara last week, so we decided to fly the 172 out there to attend the opening banquet. We figured that on the way back we could spend a couple of days in nearby Ventura, where Mrs. P grew up and still has family, and where we met and got married.
Our grandson was dropped off at Phoenix Sky Harbor for his nonstop American Eagle flight to SBA, just about when we took off from Goodyear. His flight was delayed, so even with our fuel stop at OXR, our 172 got to SBA two hours before he did. We were 3.3 hours tach time to SBA. Google Maps says it would have been a 7-8 hour drive to Santa Barbara, maybe more depending on L.A. traffic.
After the banquet (our grandson arrived from the airport, frazzled, just as it was starting
) and a night at a beautiful beachfront hotel, we flew back along the coast to Oxnard for the hometown visit. OXR was my home field in 1970, and there was a big dose of déjà vu as we were on short final for runway 25.After a couple of days of visiting the old haunts, and dinner with relatives, we saddled up for the flight back to Phoenix. Our 172's skimpy fuel tanks dictated an enroute fuel stop, so we picked Thermal. I hadn't landed there since a charter trip in 1972. It was a treat. Desert Jet Center treated us and the 172 like royalty (maybe the best FBO experience we've ever had - no exaggeration), and the ramp was full of Yaks, T-34s and Tucanos, evidently participating in warbird antics nearby. There was even a C-130 on hand, that took off while we were there. TRM, of course, is one of the few places where you can watch the altimeter unwind past zero on short final.
Another fun trip that would not have been possible without a GA airplane.
Watching the first pitch of the Milwaukee-L.A. NLCS game, while listening to it on the ADF:
On Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara:
Sidewalk marker on State Street in Santa Barbara:
Getting ready for the short flight back to Oxnard:
Clear day over the San Fernando Valley and VNY:
On the ground at TRM:
Pretty cloud shadows over BLH ... only problem was they were moving quickly west while we were trying to go east.
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