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Over San Diego County, CA, January 2010 |
I bought a portable O2 system towards the end of 2009, and tried it out for the first time in the new year. It took a while to get up there, but 17500' came pretty easily on a cold winter day. The winds were quite remarkable too, and coming down, I hit a groundspeed of 252 kts. |
KBIH Bishop, CA, January 2010 |
A day trip with another Tiger up the Owens Valley to Bishop. |
O24 Lee Vining, CA, March 2010 |
Another trip up the Owens Valley, this time to the rim of Mono Lake and Lee Vining Airport. It's a walkable couple of miles into town for lunch. |
2W3 Swanson, WA, June 2010 |
I left Cleo decked out with full Hayward Air Rally regalia after the competition this year. I was hoping for a repeat win, but managed a respectable second place finish despite a bleak pitstop at Redding: After refueling, the plane wouldn't start! The guys at the Redding Jet Center sent my magneto out for a quick teardown and repair. After a four hour delay, I was back on my way. For more information on the Rally, see www.hwdairrally.org.
After the rally, I winged my way north to Friday Harbor and Bellingham before stopping at this quiet little field. |
KSPB Scappoose, OR, June 2010 |
Mike Dennis, founder of Oregon Aero, was the guest speaker at the Hayward Air Rally this year. His presentation of the story behind his company was interesting and entertaining... and a good sales pitch. I stopped at their offices to pick up a seat cushion on my way home. My back would always start hurting after extended trips, and I was feeling it on this trip. I've not been bothered since, so his cushion gets my endorsement! |
Over Mammoth, CA, June 2010 |
Some nice scenery heading home. |
KBJC Denver, CO, July 2010 |
I decided to try the Colorado Pilots Association Denver-Jackpot Air Classic this year. Unlike the Hayward Air Rally, this one emphasized speed over precision. Given a speed handicap based on the performance of your specific aircraft, get from Denver to Rock Springs, WY to Jackpot, NV as fast as possible. |
06U Jackpot, NV, July 2010 |
There were only a few aircraft in this year's event. I collected 2nd out of 4 in my category, plus some ancillary awards for predicted leg time and fuel consumption (showing my Hayward pedigree). This event saw me fly 15 hours in a 52 hour period. And no back pains with that Oregon Aero cushion! |
01CL Swansboro, CA, August 2010 |
My first time at a private field - A hangar party at Swansboro. |
KMYL McCall, ID, October 2010 |
Checking NOTAMs ahead of time helped prepare me for this sight - Construction around the main runway resulted in the taxiway being used as a temporary runway. |
3S8 Grants Pass, OR, October 2010 |
Home of Chief Aircraft, a vendor I use often. |
Over Corona, CA, December 2010 |
The night before, I was on my way back from the Bay Area and decided to make an impromptu fuel stop at Corona. Although the ASOS was broadcasting, I could find no airport beacon or runway lights from even a couple miles away. Then in the faint moonlight I realized the place was underwater! This was the view the next day... |