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First Day Towards Oshkosh

Ed_Wischmeyer

Well Known Member
The plan was to head for Oshkosh as soon as the weather allowed, starting from Savannah today, Thursday or Friday.

Yesterday morning was an IPC in the RV-9A, including my first ever GCA/PAR approach, and getting thoroughly discombobulated when I mis-programmed a holding pattern, swapping the inbound and outbound courses. Yikes! It didn't help that we were right at holding pattern entry when the CFII suggested we hold.

After that exercise, I gave him an IPC. Got home, did laundry, final packing in case today was the day to launch, and I was beat.

So this morning was the day, sort of... A friend suggested a great idea of don't fly IFR above ceilings less than 1,000 feet, so you have a screaming chance of finding somewhere soft to put it down if the engine goes poop. Bottom line was that I waited till 10 for all the low IFR to go to IFR to go to MVFR, and then we were off. Not in the planned direction, but due west towards better weather and avoiding thunderstorms etc around Atlanta and the more direct routes.

I filed IFR for Jimmy Carter Airport in Americus, GA, planning to go VFR to a nearby airport where gas was cheaper. But, enroute, when I was looking at that airport's info, there was a NOTAM for no gas there, and the briefer had left that out. Hey, it's only five or ten bucks to not go there, so go with the sure thing and don't try to improvise when the VFR weather is not all that great.

That leg was in and out of clouds at 6,000, as was the next leg but there were small, vertical growths up to I don't know how high, maybe 15,000. Translation: severe bumps. I came out of one cloud and saw one of these stovepipes dead ahead, no time to divert, so I slowed down 30 knots for ride quality. Later on, I went up to 8,000 to get above most of the clouds but came back down to six when I could because my physiology does not do altitude well. I did have oxygen sort of within reach, but...

The last two, two hour legs made me wonder about the RV grin. With moist clothes, seriously bumped, and watch flat midwestern countryside a mile below through the haze, solo, desperately needing to do piriformus stretches for my butt, I think I had the RV grimace.

There was one temporary glitch when the IFR navigator would only sort of talk to the G3X, but mercifully that straightened itself out before I needed it for an approach. BTW, no "real" approaches on this trip, so far.

So here I am in Mexico, MO, to do two pilot reports tomorrow morning, then fly up to visit my old stomping grounds in Iowa. My Wisconsin hosts would prefer that I not get there too early, but...

Anyhow, IFR really made things possible. VFR, it would have been tough under low clouds, and temperatures on the ground (and at low altitudes) were in the upper two digits. Having lots of time, hence, lots of options, meant that I didn't *have*to* do anything.

And I wasn't on the airlines.
 
So here I am in Mexico, MO, to do two pilot reports tomorrow morning, then fly up to visit my old stomping grounds in Iowa. .

Brings back memories. My son went to Mizzou and we either over flew or stopped at Mexico a countless number of times on our way back and forth to Chicago. One of the few places to get Mogas around here. Also had two sons that were Cyclones, so MANY trips to Ames.

Good luck on the rest of the trip.

Larry
 
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Landing today gave nosewheel shimmy. Went back tonight and measured tire pressure: 28, down from 50. I'll order a new tube tomorrow and get it installed while I'm at Oshkosh. (I don't park on the field).
 
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