In keeping with the theme of important personal aviation firsts, I performed a pilot's ritual for the first time today, the $100 hamburger. Actually, it was an omelet, and it cost more than $100, but there were three of us, so that brought the unit cost down below $100.
My daughter is home for Spring break, and today just happens to be her birthday. I thought it would be nice to take the girls out for breakfast, and since I have a pilot's license, why not fly somewhere? We flew to Bunky's Barnstormin Restaurant at the Bartow Municipal Airport (BOW). If you look at the flight track, it's kinda goofy. We did a bit of sightseeing on the way over and back. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. I flew the pattern at Bartow a bit low. Someone in a Cessna flew into the class D airspace at pattern altitude and announced himself, apologizing, as he crossed the field! I went low and he went high as we crossed paths.
The Bartow airport is an old WWII and Korean War Army air force training base. So, the runways are wide and long. They have a brand new terminal building that houses the restaurant and an aviation museum, among other things. Bunky's was good and reasonably priced. My wife says she would go back, so it can't be bad.I had planned on flying to Lake Wales (X07) after departing Bartow, but a quick walk around after breakfast revealed a low strut on the right main gear. Not wanting to bang the plane up at Lake Wales, I headed home to Albert Whitted. My cross-country time building will have to wait for the next trip. Today was fairly warm for March, even in Florida, and the trip home was sort of bumpy. I planned on cruising at about 2500 feet, but the base of the clouds was right there and I flew home below the clouds in the rough air. Alice said it wasn't too bad and that she definitely like the Archer better than the 172. I think it feels more solid. The door closes and latches more securely and the cabin is quieter. All things that make the wife feel better about flying. Landing at Whitted, I made the stall horn growl good before I set down, thinking about that left strut. When I got back to Bay Air, the strut was down, so it went on the squawk sheet.
My next cross-county trip will be to Cedar Key with my wife. Cedar Key is an old fishing village on the nature coast of west Florida. We'll make a day of that trip. I probably will get some practice in before hand.
Oh, this was parked on the tarmac outside the terminal. Alice said I need to learn to fly something like it because that is how she would prefer to travel. If I win the powerball... but I don't gamble, so it's kinda unlikely.You'll need google earth to open and view the Bartow flight track.
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8 comments:
Sounds like a great flight! I'll have to remember Bartow as a good destination airport.
Looks like a great $100 burger flight, Tony. So some guy accidentally busted right through the Delta? I can't imagine Tower would clear the dude through at pattern altitude.
Steve,
The guy busted the "D". He called the tower after he had overflown the field and was approaching the downwind for 27R, where I was to land. The Archer I was in has the TIS displayed on the Garmin 430, so I saw him coming a long way off and knew he would pass slightly above and to my right. When he finally called the tower and was notified of my position, he yanked back on his yoke and climbed at about a 30deg angle.
What is interesting is that the tower really did not get onto him. They acted like it was not a big deal. I had flight following through Tampa's Bravo once and was listening to their approach control when some guy called up to request something. As it turned out, this guys transponder was not working. ATC at Tampa had a superviser get on the horn and chew the guy out.
I guess the smaller airports are just more laid back.
Well hopefully that experience will take care of teaching him the requisite lesson. You're right that smaller areas seem to be much more laid back. No way the crappy radio work I did a month ago in Columbus (Bolton) would have passed at a busier airport. Well, I mean I got the point across fine but I'm sure they would have been annoyed if I was clogging up a busy freq. I definitely could tell I hadn't really talked on the radio in a couple months, that's for sure...
What fun! Everyone's smiling - that's a good sign. Now you can fly your daughter and her boyfriend out for dinner, and if he doesn't behave you can leave him behind!
Paul,
I'll take a Cessna and push him out the door while doing a steep turn to the right!
Just found your blog from you Cedar Key post on the Red Board.
Wonderful blog. The pictures are great and the Google Earth flight paths are greater.
Have fun.
Joel
Joel, thanks for having a look. I'm gonna write about the Cedar Key trip ASAP. It was great, by the way. I forgot my GPS logger on that one. Sort of upset with myself over that, but we got some great pics.
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