THE SET UP

Remember back when you were a little kid. When you were riding your bike, you weren’t really on a bicycle, you were flying in your biplane. The parked cars, trash cans, the neighbor’s dog, any obstacles were the clouds you were flying around. Remember the playing card in the spokes? I was one of those kids and if you’re reading this, you probably were too.
I‘ve been lucky enough to fly a lot of different biplanes over the years, but they were always someone elses and it’s just not quite the same. Most of the time the planes were being test flown, delivered to a happy new owner, or were being taken to one show or another. Great fun, but always a schedule to keep or a deadline to meet.
For the last 10 years or so, I’d been building a Hatz biplane with Jack as my partner in the project. The Hatz is a nifty little two place biplane designed to resemble the classic biplanes of the 1920’s, but being a little smaller and using a more modern engine, is a lot more economical and practial to operate. As if there’s anything practical about an open cockpit biplane! Last year, the last screw was tightend, the FAA gave it’s blessing, and NX1279 took to the air and instead of a dream, became an airplane, a biplane, my biplane.
Now, after hearing my buddy Bruce go on and on about how much fun he’s had over the years flying his TravelAir to Blaskesburg and Brodhead, I finally decided that this was the year. The Hatz has been finished and flying for a little over a year, but neither Jack or I have really taken it anywhere. This years Antique Airplane Association fly-in is being held from September 1st through the 6th. I’m planning to leave Flabob on on the Sunday, August 29th and try to arrive at Antique Airfield on the 1st, but this time, it’s about the journey, not the destination.
With the help and support of everyone in the shop as well as our friends from France, I’d just finished taking the Caudron to Oshkosh and back. A great adventure, but I’m hoping that this will be a much simpler and more relaxing trip. Free casino bonus. A biplane, a sleeping bag and a fistfull of charts. I’ll be updating this page as time and wireless connections permit.
Stay tuned, this should be fun….

SO IT BEGINS

The past week in Riverside has been blazing hot. We had several days that topped 110 degrees, so it was a welcome relieve when the temperatures began to drop yesterday. They were cooler again today, but with the lower temperatures also comes the morning overcast. This morning the clouds didn’t begin to break until after 10am, so my departure was quite a bit later than I would have prefered, but that’s where the old aviation adage comes from. “Time to spare? Go by air.”
The first leg from Flabob to Blythe went great. The plane was smooth and so was the air for the most part. Only a little turbulence leaving the Banning pass. Nice tail winds too. I saw 135mph ground speeds at one point. The next leg was to Buckeye Arizona. Only about an hour, but was supposed to be a quick fuel stop before heading for the Tucson area. Well the winds were really howling in Buckeye when I got there. About 30 degrees from the the runway heading and blowing 18mph gusting to 27mph. An interesting landing to say the least, then after all that fun, the fuel pumps are not working. The nearest airport that’s in the right direction was Gila Bend, so that’s where I headed next. The trip to Gila Bend was right into the wind, so now I was seeing ground speeds of 63mph. What a difference! When I got to Gila Bend, I was pleased to find the wind blowing right down the runway, but disappointed to find that their fueling equipment is also out of order. I found an open shade hangar to temporarily store the plane, called a local motel and had the driver help me get some auto fuel to put in the plane. I hope this lack of fuel isn’t going to become a trend for this trip.
So there it is, only day one and it’s already turning into an adventure.

Day Two

Day two had an interesting start. I got a ride to the airport about 7:00am and by the time I got everything loaded and the airplane preflighted it was about 7:30. I taxied the plane to the run-up area spent some extra time checking everything due the auto fuel. I was just about ready to go and realized that I’d left the Phoenix sectional in the baggage area. Great!!! So, everything off, get unbuckled, headset off, the whole drill, and had to unload half the baggage compartment to get to the chart, but I got it. Back in the airplane, everything buckled and re-attached and made an uneventful takeoff.
During the climb-out, I pulled the chart out to take a look at it, but it’s not as simple as just pulling out the chart. I also need to take off my goggles then pull out and put on my reading glasses. In the course of all this monkey motion, the chart decided to take up skydiving and lept out of the cockpit. As quick as snapping your fingers and it was gone! Luckily my first stop was Casa Grande and it hadn’t moved since the last time I was there so it wasn’t too difficult to locate. Also lucky that they had charts for sale in the terminal, a rarity anymore.
From Casa Grande it was a nice flight around the North side of Tucson to Cochise Co. airport in Wilcox. A great airport with a first rate FBO. Highly recommended (myessayshelp)
From Cochise another nice ride to Deming N.M. The southern parts of Arizona and New Mexico have gotten a lot of rain this year and it’s amazing how nice and green everything is. Deming is a nice place to stop and they’ll even give you a free sandwich for lunch.
After Deming it was time to turn north and next and final stop was in Socorro N.M. The wind was blowing 17 gusting to 25, but right down runway 15. Even at that, the Hatz has such a low stall speed that after a nice wheel landing and slowing almost to a stop, when I brought the tail down, the airplane lifted back into the air for a last moment of excitement for the day.
I don’t know if it’s like this all the time, but there was not a single person at the airport. I finished fueling and as I was ready to push the airplane back and get it tied down, up drove a truck. I was pleased to meet Hazer Archer, a young man who has just started attending the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology here in Socorro. As an airplane enthusiast and student pilot, he makes a habit of checking out the airport after his classes to see if there’s anything going on. Well today there was. There was a Hatz pilot who really appreciated the help getting the airplane secured and the ride into town. Thanks again Hazer!

DAY THREE

Day three started out very smoothly. Hazer met me, and after a quick breakfast, drove me to back to the airport. The winds had died down overnight and it was a nice smooth flight north out of Socorro, around the restricted area, then a turn to the north west over the town of Mountain Air and into Santa Rosa. What a beautiful area. The Santa Rosa airport is interesting because the east/west runway is a stip of pavement from the original Route 66. When the highway was moved and that original stretch of pavement was abandoned, the city simply incorporated it into the airport as the runway. It had been quite a few years since the last time I landed there, so I was looking for fuel on the wrong side of the airport. It’s now located on the east side of the airport adjacent to the new runway.
After leaving Santa Rosa it was on to Dalhart Texas. A nice smooth ride with good tailwinds. The little cafe at Dalhart along with the crossed runways makes it a great place to stop.
Leaving Dalhart I headed for Hooker, Oklahoma. This was one of Bruce’s recomendations, however by the time I got there the winds were really picking up and didn’t favor Hooker’s North/South runway, so I decided to continue on up the road to Liberal, Kansas. The wind was really blowing in Liberal as well, but at least there was a more favorable runway selection. There’s been a cold front stagnating over the upper midwest for the last few days, and by the time I landed in Liberal, I was right in the thick of it. Winds of 21 mph gusting to 29 mph are a more than enough for the Hatz, so that was it for day three, however it you have to stuck at an airport waiting for weather, you couldn’t find a nicer FBO than Lyddon Aero Center in Liberal. A great flight planning area, snack area, pilot lounge, you name it. Just a first class operation.
The front is supposed to move north a little bit tomorrow, so I’ll try to get an early start see what I can get. I hope the grass field at Blakesburg is dry enough to land on!

DAY FOUR

So close, yet so far away…. This morning started out great. The wind was still blowing in Liberal, but at least it wasn’t so gusty. A quick hour and a quarter flight to the northeast to Larned, KS. Larned was also one of Bruce’s recommendations and boy what a good one. By the time I got there, the frontal system that has been hovering in the area was again bearing down, so the ceiling was pretty low, but I mananged to find the airport and was happy to find a nice smooth grass runway facing right into the wind. What a welcome sight. After refueling and chatting with Steve Gross, who manages the airport along with his aerial spraying operation, I checked in with Flight Service and the reports were not encouraging. All along the route of flight were IFR conditions for the rest of the morning with a possible chance of clearing in the afternoon. Later in the afternoon, the conditions did clear somewhat, but gusty winds were back. I decided it would be a good afternoon to clean the airplane a little and take advantage of the airport courtesy car and get some laundry done. Maybe tomorrow????

DAY FIVE

In the words of Maxwell Smart, “Missed it by that much”. The weather was not very cooperative this morning trying to leave Larned. There were severe thunderstorm warnings in the Larned area, and most of the route of flight was IFR, so I got to drink some more coffee, eat some biscuits and gravy, and learn a little more about the crop dusting business. Actually a really nice way to spend the morning. By about 11am, conditions were starting to improve, so I loaded up and made a run for it. It took an hour and quarter to reach Emporia dodging rain and low clouds the whole way. A quick fuel stop and then a dash to Lee’s Summit airport south of Kansas City with the same crummy weather. Another quick turn around for the next to last leg into Centerville IA. Well that was the plan anyway. When I left Lee’s Summit, the weather in Centerville was OK, but along the route it turned pretty ugly, at least for the first half. Lot’s of rain dodging and lots of really low clouds. At this point I was headed almost due north and right into the wind, so at least my ground speed was low! I had enough fuel to reach Centerville, but just barely, and as I was approaching, the AWOS was reporting the wind at 340 degrees, 17mph gusting to 27 mph. Not great, but at least it was right down the runway. As I got closer though, I could see a large front/squall line just to the north west that looked like it was on an intercept course. I was hoping I could beat it to the airport, but about 8 miles out the AWOS reported the wind shifting to 330 degrees, then 320 degrees, then 310 degrees, just what you’d expect from a frontal passage, but not what I wanted to see. Just a few miles back, I’d passed over Unionville municipal airport and based on the windsock it was doable, so when the wind started shifting at Centerville, I turned tail and headed back. The front that was at a distance when I passed Unionville the first time was now a whole lot closer, and in fact as I entered a right downwind, the squall line entered a left downwind. The rain started pouring just as I crossed the threshold and by the time I got the airplane stopped and turned around the wind was blowing 90 degrees to the runway and the rain was blowing sideways with it. The airplane and I got soaked. A very slow and carefull taxi back and even more soaking getting the airplane tied down.
Bruce and Betty were standing by at Blakesburg waiting, so they hopped in the car and came to my rescue. After the rain stopped however, there was one of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen. I nice reward at the end of a challenging day. So, maybe tomorr……. Never mind, no more predictions.

DAY SIX

Today for the first time in 43 years, they closed the runway at antique airfield because of strong winds. They were blowing right across the runway at over 20 mph with gusts exceeding 35 mph at some points. Shorty after an AT-6 ended up in the trees (no injuries) Brent Taylor made the decision to close it down, so the Hatz is still in Unionville. I’m kind of glad it got closed down, otherwise I would have been tempted to go get the airplane and try it, this way I could just enjoy looking at the airplanes that were already here and enjoy and otherwise really nice day at the airport.

DAY SEVEN

Day seven dawned cool, clear, and best of all calm. It was a very peaceful morning at antique airfield with lot’s of arrivals. Bruce and Betty arrived a little after nine and after getting his TravelAir uncovered, Bruce gave me a ride back to Unionville to retrieve the Hatz. A quick fuel stop at Centerville IA, then the final leg back into Blakesburg.
21.75 flying hours, seven days, 17 stops. That was easy……
Time to relax and enjoy the rest of the fly-in.

DAY EIGHT

This morning (Sunday) dawned cool and clear. A few planes out on dawn patrol, but as the morning wore on, there seemed to be a lot of planes leaving. A lot of planes. When Bruce and Betty showed up, they had been watching the weather channel and the predictions were for wind today, and lots of wind tomorrow. After standing around discussing the options, drinking coffee and scratching our asses, we decided that today would be the day to get out of Dodge. With so many planes leaving, there wasn’t going to be much to look at anyway, so we started breaking camp and loading the planes.
Bob was heading out with his Command Aire, Bruce with the TravelAir, and I’d be tagging along with the Hatz. We headed out of Blakesburg and joined up in a loose gaggle and headed north/east to Washington IA. That’s the airport where Bruce had been leaving his TravelAir for the summer and he wanted to get it back in the hangar for the incoming weather. It was windy at Washington, but right down runway 18. It was also a good fuel stop since Bob needed fuel and I needed some too since I’d taken the opportunity to shoot some landings at Blakesburg yesterday evening. After landing we all lined up for the fuel pumps and got topped off. We put Bruce’s airplane away and Bruce jumped in with Bob for the trip to Iowa City where Gary and Sharon are putting us all up for a night or two. At Iowa City the wind was also right out of the south, but the closest runway is 12. The AWOS was calling 180 degrees at 15, gusting to 23, so we agreed to go have a look, but head back to Washington if it was too much. We arrived without incident, Bob landing first and I followed with only about 3 bounces. On the third bounce I noticed the slight smell of fuel and after getting to the hangar I checked and sure enough, no gas cap up top. It turns out that when we were fueling at Washington, I was in a hurry to get finished and out of the way and forgot to reinstall the cap. Unbelievably however, the cap was’nt gone. I normally lay the cap on top of the left engine cooling eyebrow. It’s just a convenient place to put it. After forgetting to reinstall it, the cap had slid back along the eyebrow and was hooked by the vent line between the back cylinder and the engine cowling! I have no idea why it didn’t fall off the airplane and into a farmer’s field. Must be clean living. Good lesson though. Now flying with other planes it’s a lot easier to get distracted and out of the routine. Gotta be careful of that.

DAY TWELVE

A little catching up to do. Yesterday we took Gary’s Howard back down to Blakesburg where he had left his TravelAir. Upon arrival at Blakesburg, Brent Taylor came out to meet us and let us know that he had some awards for us. We had left early Sunday before the dinner and awards ceremony and Brent was happy to see us so he didn’t to ship the awards. I was extremely proud to receive and an award for best Hatz. Very nice.
After shooting a couple of landings in Gary’s TravelAir, I flew it back to Iowa City for him while he and Bruce came back in the Howard.
This morning after breakfast we all loaded up and Bob and I got dropped off at Iowa City and Bruce at Washington. Bob got the Command Aire ready while I got the Hatz ready to go. At the run-up area, I found that the right mag was completely dead, so we taxied back to the ramp area to investigate. With the P lead disconnected, the mag was fine. I took the noise suppresion capacitor out of the circuit and it was also fine, so off we went to Brodhead. A nice but chilly hour and half flight and we arrived. For some reason it just seemed exciting to cross the Mississippi river. Bruce arrived in the TravelAir a short time later and we all got tied down and situated. What a great airport and group of enthusiasts here. Can’t wait for the rest of the planes to get here, should be a really nice fly-in this weekend.

DAY FIFTEEN

All good things must come to an end, and boy was this weekend a good thing! Friday was a beautiful day, severe clear with light winds out of the east, just perfect for looking at planes and even a little flying. Saturday started out raining, but by about 10am things started clearing and it turned into another perfect afternoon. Great porkchop dinner, plenty of beer, hanging out with old friends and making new friends. What could be better.
This morning Bruce and I broke down our tents and got the airplanes loaded up and ready to go. Lots of goodbyes, with promises to come back next year. After warming up the planes we took off and started heading home. Several stops today and pretty short legs due to some head winds. From Brodhead to Clinton, Iowa; Washington, Iowa; Macon, Missouri; and finally Marshall, Missouri. Both planes running great, nice moderate temperatures and smooth air. One of the nicest days flying I’ve ever had. It’s just not possible to describe how beautiful it is to see the midwest from the air this time of year. Really a special treat.

DAY SIXTEEN

Alarm clock set for 5:00am, a quick bite and a cup of coffee in the hotel lobby, and out to the airport before sunrise. We got the airplanes loaded and warmed up and took off at 6:30 am with just a glow on the eastern horizon. The air was perfectly still and there was a slight inversion layer at about 500 feet, so the temperature was perfect. Just a 1 hour hop over to Lee’s Summit, then an hour and half to Emporia where we took advantage of the airport courtesy car for a trip into town for some breakfast, then a full hour and 50 minute run back to Larned where I was treated so well on the trip out. Same great hospitality this time. While showing off the TravelAir to Steve Gross, who runs the operation at Larned, Bruce discovered a stud that had pulled out of one of the Wright’s exhaust adapters. The weather had started getting rough and we had decided to call it a day anyway, but now we had a real excuse for calling it quits. A run into town for a helicoil kit, and a little TLC, and everything was as good as new again. Back on the road again tomorrow.

DAY SEVENTEEN

Low ceilings this morning in Larned, so a much later start that we’d hoped. The good news was that we got to spend a little more time and have breakfast with Steve Gross. When the ceilings finally raised enough, we fired up and headed out.
Just the reverse of the trip out, Liberal, Dalhart, and Santa Rosa. We’d hoped to squeeze in one more leg and make it to Belen, NM for an overnight with Barry and Nancy, a couple of displaced Flabobians, but the ride to Santa Rosa was pretty rough. The air was hot and there was a lot of humidity and convective activity. About 20 miles out from Santa Rosa we saw a large thunderstorm cell in the distance and were relieved when it wasn’t right over the airport. Even so, the wind was plenty strong and gusty and we were both ready to call it quits for the day. The airport at Santa Rosa has a nice self fueling island, and a nice little office with a restroom and a computer for checking weather, but there are no hangars and the airport is not manned. The electric gate going out of the airport can only be operated by a car, so if you’re trying to walk out of the gate you’re actually trapped inside the airport. Bruce found a number for the airport manager in the office and gave him a call, but the manager was no help at all. He gave Bruce some B.S. about rules from the NTSB, really kind of a jerk. New Mexico may be the land of enchantment, but it certainly isn’t the land of helpfulness.

DAY EIGHTEEN

This morning we were happy to wake to clear skies and no wind. We got a ride to the airport from the hotel manager and got the planes loaded, serviced, and warmed up well before first light. By 6:15am with dawn still just a hint on the eastern horizon, we were airborne and headed toward Socorro. I was a little concerned during the first part of the flight when the GPS was showing groundspeeds of only 57mph. Clearly an unexpected headwind, but soon enough the ground speeds picked up. I had the Hatz leaned as much as possible, so when we arrived in Socorro after exactly 2 hours, I still had 4 gallons of fuel remaining for a fuel burn of 7 gallons per hour. Barry and Nancy had driven down from Los Lunas to be in Socorro when we arrived, and it was really nice to see them and visit for a few minutes.
Back into the airplanes for another hour and a half down to Demming for another fuel stop and a quick sandwich. I guess hour and half legs were the story of the day, because that’s how long it took to get from Demming to Cochise, and then from Cochise to Casa Grande. All told a total of six and half hours of flying and about 635 statute miles. After that much flying in an open cockpit, you feel like a human tuning fork when you finally stop for the day. No wonder that beer tasted so good! Tomorrow the home stretch…..

DAY NINETEEN

This morning the alarm clock went of at 4:45 (again), and we got up and got ready to do it one more time. A couple of cups of coffee and the shuttle driver arrived to take us back to the airport. We got everything loaded and warmed up. There was already a Cessna in the pattern shooting touch and goes, taking advantage of the cool morning air. A quick 45 minute ride back to Buckeye were the fuel was working this time. (I’d called the previous day to make sure) An hour and 45 minutes to Blythe at 4500 feet, and then the final leg home to Flabob also at 4500 feet and we were home in time for lunch at the Flabob cafe.
It seems like a long time ago when I left for this adventure, certainly more than just a couple of weeks, but in any case is sure feels good to be home. I haven’t totaled it all up, but it’s something like 4500 miles and close to 50 hours in the air. Some were a little monotonous, a few were a little tense, but all of them were worthwhile and I wouldn’t trade them for anything. It’s a rare treat to be able to see this country from the air, and an even rarer treat to see it from something you built with your own hands.
I highly recommend it!
I’ve uploaded a few of the pictures taken along the way and they can be viewed here.
Thanks for following along, this has been fun.