fiebichpvMay 6, 2014, 1:33pm
PNC Breakfast Flight
Duty-free day
Friday, the squadron commander at the Selby Aerodrome gave me the next day (Saturday) off. Hey, how about that, a duty-free day from constantly protecting this aerodrome outpost against the Huns!
By 7:30 AM Saturday morning my AirBike was pre-flighted and fueled for a breakfast flight to Ponca City, Oklahoma (PNC). Soon, I would be taking off. I hadn't been there for almost a year. I couldn't pass up the opportunity for a 100+ mile round trip flight for a great $6.00 breakfast.
I knew the route was safe and devoid of Huns because Bill Bailey (a.k.a. Avenger) made clearing flights during his BFR just a few days earlier. Thanks Bill! This would be a pure pleasure flight.
Destination
The Aviation Boosters Club at PNC hosts a monthly breakfast at their airport between the hours of 7:00 and 10:00 AM. It is a popular gathering place and over the years has become a favorite destination airport.
With flight plan filed (I file one for any distance over 50 miles) and camera ready, I rumbled down Selby's 1200' grass strip and once at altitude of 1000' AGL, just kept heading South. The countryside is coming alive with the fresh wheat crop and other fields either cultivated or containing hay bales from last year's harvest. Unfortunately, soon the surface moisture will be consumed and things will look differently.
About half way to PNC my GPS's navigation computations function quit working, so I shut it off and used pilotage to complete the trip. It wasn't too hard, one just has to maintain a ground track that is about 10 degrees off the perpetual rows of north/south hedge trees bordering every field. A quartering headwind of about 15-20 mph caused me to keep my plane's longitudinal axis about 25 degrees to the right of my ground track. My compass needs readjusting as it is about 40 degrees in error! Oh well, I knew where the sun should be and it was.
Arrival at PNC
I arrived at 8:45, closed my flight plan and was greeted by a number of pilots and drive-in visitors who gathered around to see what just flew in. It is always fun to talk to visitors because not only are they interested in this little plane, it gives me an opportunity to present my spheel and pull their legs with my WW I fighter pilot adventures. We all have a good laugh. Although enjoyable, one fellow told me not to give up my day job.
Breakfast is a feast! Very easy to overdo loading up one's plate with chopped potatoes, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage patties, pancakes, biscuits and gravy, a variety of fruit followed by orange juice and coffee. Wow, what a treat! I ate enough to keep me going until supper!
When finished, I had to run around the airport two times to burn off some of those calories so the plane wouldn't be over gross on the return trip!
About 60 planes were there when I was, 1/3 of them parked in the grass overflow area. There was a constant flow of incoming and outgoing flight traffic. People milled about and talked to pilots who were next to their planes or getting ready to depart.
I met several people who I had seen before at other fly-ins and some that I only see at PNC. Tom Auerbach, a photographer and Aviation Booster Club newsletter editor, was the first to greet me. It is nice to be remembered. As we get older, I may have to become a frequent visitor to avoid memory lapses of friends' names.
Terry and Lawrence Alley were there in their Aeronca Champ as well as several others from the Wichita, Kansas area.
Sharing aviation
It is fun to give kids some exposure to my AirBike. If they look interested, I ask if they'd like to hop into the cockpit. Invariably they say yes or immediately go into action crawling up onto the seat. A brief explanation of the controls and letting them manipulate them provides sufficient satisfaction. It makes for good photo ops. by parents and grandparents.
Frequently the expression on an adult's face tells me they also would like to sit in the plane's cockpit. So I invite them. My explanation with them is longer. This is a good way to provide PR. about simple little aircraft. The General Aviation planes are like eye-candy, you can look but not touch. With my AirBike people get to "eat" the candy by actually sitting in the plane.
Homeward bound
The return trip was on that same diagonal route but reversed. The GPS still wouldn't work even though the battery charge was full. Oh well, pilotage doesn't need batteries.
Previously I have made this round trip on one fuel load but the headwind on the outbound trip changed things. Before even reaching the one quarter way point on my return, it became obvious that landing at Selby Aerodrome without stopping for additional fuel was questionable. My reserve fuel tank (1-1/2 gallons; 20 minutes) was for emergencies, not for extending my flying range.
I diverted to Wellington (EGT) with the fuel level bobber near zero. There, I took on three gallons of fuel and then met Dan LaCoss who had just finished his variEzy homebuilt. We visited a while then I completed the remaining 20 mile flight home. Wonder of wonders, the GPS came to life again, wallah!
Back at Selby Aerodrome
Total flight time including the diversion and lots of taxiing was 2.5 hours. It was a great way to spend the morning, as the weather improves there will be more flights to similar destinations. Ah, I love this flying stuff!
Paul D. Fiebich
a.k.a. AirBike Ace
Duty-free day
Friday, the squadron commander at the Selby Aerodrome gave me the next day (Saturday) off. Hey, how about that, a duty-free day from constantly protecting this aerodrome outpost against the Huns!
By 7:30 AM Saturday morning my AirBike was pre-flighted and fueled for a breakfast flight to Ponca City, Oklahoma (PNC). Soon, I would be taking off. I hadn't been there for almost a year. I couldn't pass up the opportunity for a 100+ mile round trip flight for a great $6.00 breakfast.
I knew the route was safe and devoid of Huns because Bill Bailey (a.k.a. Avenger) made clearing flights during his BFR just a few days earlier. Thanks Bill! This would be a pure pleasure flight.
Destination
The Aviation Boosters Club at PNC hosts a monthly breakfast at their airport between the hours of 7:00 and 10:00 AM. It is a popular gathering place and over the years has become a favorite destination airport.
With flight plan filed (I file one for any distance over 50 miles) and camera ready, I rumbled down Selby's 1200' grass strip and once at altitude of 1000' AGL, just kept heading South. The countryside is coming alive with the fresh wheat crop and other fields either cultivated or containing hay bales from last year's harvest. Unfortunately, soon the surface moisture will be consumed and things will look differently.
About half way to PNC my GPS's navigation computations function quit working, so I shut it off and used pilotage to complete the trip. It wasn't too hard, one just has to maintain a ground track that is about 10 degrees off the perpetual rows of north/south hedge trees bordering every field. A quartering headwind of about 15-20 mph caused me to keep my plane's longitudinal axis about 25 degrees to the right of my ground track. My compass needs readjusting as it is about 40 degrees in error! Oh well, I knew where the sun should be and it was.
Arrival at PNC
I arrived at 8:45, closed my flight plan and was greeted by a number of pilots and drive-in visitors who gathered around to see what just flew in. It is always fun to talk to visitors because not only are they interested in this little plane, it gives me an opportunity to present my spheel and pull their legs with my WW I fighter pilot adventures. We all have a good laugh. Although enjoyable, one fellow told me not to give up my day job.
Breakfast is a feast! Very easy to overdo loading up one's plate with chopped potatoes, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage patties, pancakes, biscuits and gravy, a variety of fruit followed by orange juice and coffee. Wow, what a treat! I ate enough to keep me going until supper!
When finished, I had to run around the airport two times to burn off some of those calories so the plane wouldn't be over gross on the return trip!
About 60 planes were there when I was, 1/3 of them parked in the grass overflow area. There was a constant flow of incoming and outgoing flight traffic. People milled about and talked to pilots who were next to their planes or getting ready to depart.
I met several people who I had seen before at other fly-ins and some that I only see at PNC. Tom Auerbach, a photographer and Aviation Booster Club newsletter editor, was the first to greet me. It is nice to be remembered. As we get older, I may have to become a frequent visitor to avoid memory lapses of friends' names.
Terry and Lawrence Alley were there in their Aeronca Champ as well as several others from the Wichita, Kansas area.
Sharing aviation
It is fun to give kids some exposure to my AirBike. If they look interested, I ask if they'd like to hop into the cockpit. Invariably they say yes or immediately go into action crawling up onto the seat. A brief explanation of the controls and letting them manipulate them provides sufficient satisfaction. It makes for good photo ops. by parents and grandparents.
Frequently the expression on an adult's face tells me they also would like to sit in the plane's cockpit. So I invite them. My explanation with them is longer. This is a good way to provide PR. about simple little aircraft. The General Aviation planes are like eye-candy, you can look but not touch. With my AirBike people get to "eat" the candy by actually sitting in the plane.
Homeward bound
The return trip was on that same diagonal route but reversed. The GPS still wouldn't work even though the battery charge was full. Oh well, pilotage doesn't need batteries.
Previously I have made this round trip on one fuel load but the headwind on the outbound trip changed things. Before even reaching the one quarter way point on my return, it became obvious that landing at Selby Aerodrome without stopping for additional fuel was questionable. My reserve fuel tank (1-1/2 gallons; 20 minutes) was for emergencies, not for extending my flying range.
I diverted to Wellington (EGT) with the fuel level bobber near zero. There, I took on three gallons of fuel and then met Dan LaCoss who had just finished his variEzy homebuilt. We visited a while then I completed the remaining 20 mile flight home. Wonder of wonders, the GPS came to life again, wallah!
Back at Selby Aerodrome
Total flight time including the diversion and lots of taxiing was 2.5 hours. It was a great way to spend the morning, as the weather improves there will be more flights to similar destinations. Ah, I love this flying stuff!
Paul D. Fiebich
a.k.a. AirBike Ace
