Sunday, May 11, 2014

Roxboro 2014


Fly-In season is officially open at Jellystone Air Park!  Saturday, May 3rd, the Jellystoners were in Roxboro, North Carolina attending the Carolinas-Virginia Antique Airplane Foundation's Spring Vintage Fly-In.

PREFLIGHT PLANNING



We go "Old School" here at Jellystone Air Park.  Airbus drivers; this is a sectional chart---printed on paper.  The map only moves when the wind blows it out of your hand.


My navigation log:  Rock Hill, South Carolina (KUZA) to Monroe, North Carolina (to avoid the Charlotte, NC Class Bravo airspace), to Stanly County (KVUJ) in Albemarle, North Carolina, to Person County (KTDF) in Roxboro.

BACKUP PLAN


Because every pilot needs one. . .  Brother Barbeau let me borrow his iPad with the ForeFlight App and Bad Elf Wi-Fi GPS.

FLYING THE PLAN


Flight time from Jellystone Air Park to Roxboro, North Carolina was exactly two hours. Brother Baker said it was a chilly ride in the Hatz.

Father & Son

Dad and I were very comfortable in 43 Bravo.


It really didn't look that cold. . .

SCENES FROM THE FLY-IN


Bob Cottom, Sr. & Joe Baker

My "Hi Honey, We made it safe and sound" text message photo.


Rock Hill to Roxboro is about as far as you can travel on one tank of fuel in the Hatz.  The six knot tailwind helped tremendously.  We split the return flight in half---stopping for fuel in Asheboro, North Carolina.


Steve Roth's 1935 Fairchild 22 is absolutely stunning!

Pop

Dad was four years old when NC14768 rolled out of the Fairchild hangar.  Both look great!


I took a bunch of pictures. . .


This looks like so much fun!


So yeah, I'm jealous.


Someone said:  "This can't be a vintage airplane, there's no oil dripping. . ."



Argh!



Bob Coolbaugh's 1939 Taylorcraft BL is also stunning.  This airplane was originally equipped with a single magneto 50 hp Lycoming engine.  It now sports a Continental A65-8F.  That change was a FAA paperwork nightmare---but well worth the piece of mind, I'm sure!


I agree with Brother Barbeau.  "Orange and Green look good on a tube and fabric airplane!"



Classic lines. . .


Looks like the retention clip scrapes the lens cover. . .  Or like Jellystone Air Park, Triple-Two Eleven lives in a 44 foot wide hangar that houses two airplanes, two camping trailers, and a storage loft full of "stuff" that sometimes gets in the way.


As you can tell, I like a nice Taylorcraft!


Dad soloed in a BC-12D.


You can't have a vintage fly-in without a PT-17. . .


. . . or a Cub


. . . or a WACO UPF-7.


This too, looks like fun!

FACES IN THE CROWD


Pick Freeman & Joe Baker

Jellystone Air Park neighbor, Pick Freeman, stopped by to chew the fat.


We had lunch with the Swift crowd.

MORE AIRPLANES



Besides 43 Bravo, there were two other Luscombes in attendance.  This 1947 8E. . .


. . . and Lucky Lusky.



Rick Clarke's 1945 8E.


Rick flew in from Maryland.  There's a lot of stuff in there!

POWERED BY FRANKLIN



The Goodman's 1947 Stinson 108.


Amazing!


POSTFLIGHT

The Jellystoners were on the ground at Roxboro for just under five hours.  Brief, I know---but we had a wonderful time!  Good food; great company; and fantastic vintage airplanes. Best of all:  Spending four hours and fifteen minuets flying with my father---my personal hero, and the reason I'm able to do what I do.


Wednesday, May 7, 2014

The View From 2,500 Feet


Brother Barbeau and I went Hatzing yesterday.  Our original plan was to head over to York, South Carolina and pay our respects to the slushy machine at the Bush-N-Vine Produce Stand.  But we dilly-dallied around, and by time we were all squared away the density altitude was pushing 1,900 feet.  We decided to skip the slushy machine and just cruise around for a while.  Something the Hatz does well---at 95 mph.

Gary had the stick for the first half of our adventure to nowhere.  We climbed on a southwesterly heading and eventually leveled off at 2,500 feet.  The air temperature was perfect.  I know what you are thinking: Shouldn't that be outside air temperature?  We're talking open cockpit biplane.  By default; it's outside.  Shortly after level off I caught a glimpse of a northeast bound airliner.  It was way up there in the flight levels.  My first thought was:  Hey!  Normally I'm the guy at the pointy end of the contrail!  I snapped a picture.  I can't tell you how many times I have looked down from that position . . . hoping to catch a glimpse of a Pontiac Red and Sun Valley Ivory Hatz biplane, or a blue and polished silver Luscombe, on that ten mile stretch between the Bush-N-Vine Produce Stand and Jellystone Air Park.