Back to Main 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023

2024

I chased the Great American Eclipse most of the way across the country, trying to ensure a good weather viewing site. I ultimately wound up flying into Paducah, KY and watching from a location on the center line near Wolf Lake, IL. I visited Canada once again in late summer, flying up Vancouver Island to Port Hardy.

Stats for 2024:

  • 131.85 tach hours, 134.0 logbook hours
  • 14690nm flown
  • 1208.5 gallons of AvGas used, 12.16 nmpg, 9.02 gph
  • 103 flight segments (engine starts) on 66 days, 116 landings, 23 instrument approaches
  • Northernmost stop: Port Hardy, BC, Canada (CYZT); Westernmost: Port Hardy, BC, Canada (CYZT); Easternmost: Tullahoma, TN (KTHA); Southernmost: Brown Field CA (KSDM)

    • Click image for larger view

    KSTS Santa Rosa, CA, March 2024     		While flying around the Bay Area scouting checkpoints for the Hayward Air Rally, I stopped in Santa Rosa to visit the Sonoma Coast and Point Reyes.

    KPWA Oklahoma City, OK, April 2024     		Oklahoma City was my staging base for the eclipse. I had a few alternatives lined up from Austin TX to Dayton OH, and arrived in OKC a couple days prior to evaluate the weather and make a decision.

    KPAH Paducah, KY, April 2024     		Weather forecasts looked poor for Texas, and improving further to the northeast, so I ultimately selected Paducah KY. There was a pretty strong crosswind when I arrived.

    While the airport was in the path of totality, I drove across the Ohio River to Wolf Lake IL to be on the center line of totality. The image below is a composite at 5 minute intervals of the eclipse as it moved across the fixed camera frame.


    KTHA Tullahoma, TN, April 2024
    After the eclipse, I stopped to visit an old friend in Tennessee. On the day of my departure, some ominous looking storms were approaching that required circumnavigation.

    KRUE Bentonville, AR, April 2024     		One of my friends flew into Bentonville to watch the eclipse. I made it a fuel stop on my way back home. It was the first time I set foot in Arkansas.

    KLMT Klamath Falls, OR, May 2024
    As has become routine, I tacked on a short "vacation" to the end of the Hayward Air Rally. I found a golden eagle nest while visiting the prior year, and wanted to see how it was doing. Happily, it was still active with a young eaglet! Some big, noisy F-15 Eagles were active at the airport when I was getting ready to depart.

    KVGT North Las Vegas, NV, July 2024     		It was 45°C (113°F) when I landed!

    CYCD Nanaimo, BC, CAN, August 2024     		Being a sucker for the namesake Nanaimo Bar, I couldn't pass up an opportunity to spend a few days there during my visit to Vancouver Island.

    CYZT Port Hardy, BC, CAN, August 2024
    At the north end of Vancouver Island, Port Hardy is the gateway to some rugged coastal wilderness. Flying over the Johnstone Strait with its multitude of small islands was quite scenic as the fog was burning off. On the ground, drove out to Cape Scott Provincial Park and San Josef Bay on the west side of the island.

    KBLI Bellingham, WA, August 2024     		In the Customs box back in the states.

    O26 Lone Pine, CA, August 2024     		A picturesque view on approach to Lone Pine Airport in the Owens Valley.

    near L35 Big Bear City, CA, October 2024     		Flying over the ridges approaching Big Bear Airport, the size of the Line Fire from the previous month was incredible.

    Back to Main 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023