fiebichpvJune 26, 2017, 3:08am
Vintage Fly-in
Gardner, KS 2017
Saturday’s predicted weather was 5-10 MPH northeasterly winds, clear skies, with temperatures in the 80’s. That sounds like a good day to go flying doesn’t it? I thought so too and eagerly planned a flight to Gardner, Kansas to attend the annual Vintage Fly-in.
By 8:20 am I was on my taxi roll headed north directly into that predicted 5-10 MPH wind. Climbing to 1000 feet AGL it was definitely more like 15-20 MPH and gusty. Uncomfortably gusty! Neither my body nor my AirBike could tolerate those conditions for the next 160 miles. It was time to go lower where I could maintain 50 to 55 MPH groundspeed.
About 200 to 500 AGL feet seemed to bring me back into at least the 10 to 15 MPH headwind. And it was less bumpy down low too. A direct route to my first fuel stop in Emporia, Kansas (EMP) would take me directly across the Flint Hills rangeland. Because of the isolation in the event of a forced landing, I chose to fly directly over I-35 until reaching the twin towers, at that time I would turn east and fly over open country for about 15 miles to reach the airport.
At 300 feet AGL I was just above the cell towers but by flying directly over the expressway they weren’t a concern. At times I was almost low enough to read the screens on the truck drivers’ cell phones! Any lower and I could have drafted them like the Indianapolis 500 racers.
Emporia is the half-way mark. When landing, several “airport bums” came out to greet me. They had heard the AirBike two-stroke engine as I flew the pattern and figured it was me. Among them were Don Tevis and Ron Sellers. They do this every time I land for fuel. Kinda nice!
An hour and a half later I landed at Gardner Municipal Airport (K34) and was met by Joe Scarlet, an AirBike owner I have corresponded with and who occasionally makes posts on this Board. Joe took me to lunch, upon our return we toured the vintage planes on display then went to his hangar where his AirBike resides. Joe has what we believe is AirBike prototype #1!
Joe is a nice guy, same age as me. We got along well, this being our first time to meet in person. That is one of the nice things about this Board; we not only exchange information, tell stories, share experiences, but on occasion get to meet others in person.
About 4:00 in the afternoon, I was refueled and ready to make the 160 mile return trip to my airport, Pilot Pointe (SN52) in Douglass, KS. The air was very rough. I continued climbing until reaching 4000 feet MSL where is smoothed out a bit. A full broadside wind caused me to crab about 15 to 20 degrees to stay on course.
Landing again at Emporia for fuel, the wind at ground level was 5 to 8 MPH. Far different than at altitude. Most of the route from there to home positioned me for a full tailwind. Nice! Again at 4000 feet MSL, but this time I scooted along at 70+ MPH! Cool! I landed at Pilot Pointe, taxied to my hangar and shut down. Total engine tach. time was 6.1 hours, covering 320 miles. That was a good day of flying; I was tired as you can tell by my photo.
I am unsure how many more years my body can tolerate these conditions. I often wonder when my last flight will be, officially, I hope to fly until age 80 but I am sure those last few flights will be shorter than this one. All of us will reach that point some day. It is better to walk out to my plane knowing that it will be my last flight than the other way around.
The photo file names identify the planes and provide basic information of what I was flying over. Hope you enjoy this story and photos of my pleasant experience. I’d like to hear your stories too.
Paul D. Fiebich
a.k.a. AirBike Ace
PS The photos are in no particular order, more photos in the next panel.
Gardner, KS 2017
Saturday’s predicted weather was 5-10 MPH northeasterly winds, clear skies, with temperatures in the 80’s. That sounds like a good day to go flying doesn’t it? I thought so too and eagerly planned a flight to Gardner, Kansas to attend the annual Vintage Fly-in.
By 8:20 am I was on my taxi roll headed north directly into that predicted 5-10 MPH wind. Climbing to 1000 feet AGL it was definitely more like 15-20 MPH and gusty. Uncomfortably gusty! Neither my body nor my AirBike could tolerate those conditions for the next 160 miles. It was time to go lower where I could maintain 50 to 55 MPH groundspeed.
About 200 to 500 AGL feet seemed to bring me back into at least the 10 to 15 MPH headwind. And it was less bumpy down low too. A direct route to my first fuel stop in Emporia, Kansas (EMP) would take me directly across the Flint Hills rangeland. Because of the isolation in the event of a forced landing, I chose to fly directly over I-35 until reaching the twin towers, at that time I would turn east and fly over open country for about 15 miles to reach the airport.
At 300 feet AGL I was just above the cell towers but by flying directly over the expressway they weren’t a concern. At times I was almost low enough to read the screens on the truck drivers’ cell phones! Any lower and I could have drafted them like the Indianapolis 500 racers.
Emporia is the half-way mark. When landing, several “airport bums” came out to greet me. They had heard the AirBike two-stroke engine as I flew the pattern and figured it was me. Among them were Don Tevis and Ron Sellers. They do this every time I land for fuel. Kinda nice!
An hour and a half later I landed at Gardner Municipal Airport (K34) and was met by Joe Scarlet, an AirBike owner I have corresponded with and who occasionally makes posts on this Board. Joe took me to lunch, upon our return we toured the vintage planes on display then went to his hangar where his AirBike resides. Joe has what we believe is AirBike prototype #1!
Joe is a nice guy, same age as me. We got along well, this being our first time to meet in person. That is one of the nice things about this Board; we not only exchange information, tell stories, share experiences, but on occasion get to meet others in person.
About 4:00 in the afternoon, I was refueled and ready to make the 160 mile return trip to my airport, Pilot Pointe (SN52) in Douglass, KS. The air was very rough. I continued climbing until reaching 4000 feet MSL where is smoothed out a bit. A full broadside wind caused me to crab about 15 to 20 degrees to stay on course.
Landing again at Emporia for fuel, the wind at ground level was 5 to 8 MPH. Far different than at altitude. Most of the route from there to home positioned me for a full tailwind. Nice! Again at 4000 feet MSL, but this time I scooted along at 70+ MPH! Cool! I landed at Pilot Pointe, taxied to my hangar and shut down. Total engine tach. time was 6.1 hours, covering 320 miles. That was a good day of flying; I was tired as you can tell by my photo.
I am unsure how many more years my body can tolerate these conditions. I often wonder when my last flight will be, officially, I hope to fly until age 80 but I am sure those last few flights will be shorter than this one. All of us will reach that point some day. It is better to walk out to my plane knowing that it will be my last flight than the other way around.
The photo file names identify the planes and provide basic information of what I was flying over. Hope you enjoy this story and photos of my pleasant experience. I’d like to hear your stories too.
Paul D. Fiebich
a.k.a. AirBike Ace
PS The photos are in no particular order, more photos in the next panel.
