Waiting it Out in Elkhart, IN

We are still on the ground in Elkhart. The ceiling this morning was very low with scud and rain. It was MVFR at best. Here is the current METAR:

KEKM 241355Z 30007KT 10SM BKN013 BKN023 OVC029 20/17 A3003 RMK AO2

It's still not very good. Yeah, you can probably get out (and many aircraft have already departed), but there are forecasted thunderstorms for both Parkersburg and Frederick. Frederick is supposed to have severe thunderstorms. They are all popping off of the cold front that we beat in last night. I don't particularly see a good reason why we should be chasing the cold front if we are a day ahead, so we are going to wait it out here for today. If it improves drastically, then we'll go.

Tomorrow's forecast is showing a high pressure area and sunny skies all the way out to Frederick. We may get into some haze, especially as we get into Parkersburg, but at least we won't have to worry about thunderstorms or low ceilings. I don't want to get squeezed into a mountain.

My big plan for today is to go back to bed, jump in the pool, grab a shower, and go to a barbecue that the local EAA chapter is putting on at the airport. I'll do our flight planning in there somewhere when I can think straight again. I can't speak for Jann, but I am still worn out from yesterday. Jann says that when you are still tired enough in the morning that even dressing is difficult, then you are certainly not safe to fly so a day to relax and catch up on sleep is definitely in order. My vote is also for tomorrow's blue skies (forecasted).

Hot Springs, AR - Cameron, MO - Carbondale, IL - Elkhart, IN

We are on the ground in Elkhart, Indiana! For those of you that have been watching the weather, we are all in one piece and the plane is hangared. Assuming the hangar hasn't blown away, we should be fine. More on that later.

The departure from Hot Springs was a little hairy. There was a Falcon behind us on departure (a jet) that kept asking us where we were at. I'm thinking to myself, "Friend, you are a Falcon. You can outclimb us. What seems to be the issue?" He was all hot and bothered about us departing. And guess what? We were no factor. Off to Cameron!

There isn't a whole lot to see on that leg and it was very hazy, so not a lot of pictures from there. Cameron is a single runway uncontrolled field with no weather station. Which leads me to my next point: altimeter settings.

Jann and I saw a shining example of this in Hot Springs. Along the way, the altimeter setting continued to change. We updated accordingly. We fly by, we land, and everything is peachy. Suddenly, we hear this screaming engine. We turn, and there is a racer, doing a flyby at (I kid you not!) 20' AGL off the runway. Yikes. They were so low, you could see the plane get into ground effect from the ramp. They didn't crash, and I'm not sure where they are at now.

The altimeter monster was back at Cameron. We had been checking weather stations in the area, and the altimeter settings were very widely varied. We didn't like the spread, so we called the field and informed that we would not be doing the flyby, but to get our time "wheels on." We would take a hit on time, but who cares? There are obstructions around the airport, and I don't want to smack into them.

After we landed and got into the conga line for fuel, I talked with a few other racers. Each conversation went something like this:

M: What did you think about the spread of altimeter settings?
Racer: I know! That's crazy! I heard you do wheels-on timing! You know that's bad for your time, right?
M: . . . Yes. But safety comes first, right?
Racer: Well, I just want to get a good time! I flew off of one of my three GPS altitudes! They didn't agree with each other, but I wanted a good time!

Jann and I waited for fuel for 1.5 hours at Cameron. They didn't have a truck; only a self-serve fuel pump. Ouch. So I sat and judged how low everyone was on the flyby. That particular flyby was supposed to be 200' AGL. Some were at 50', some were at 300'. Interesting. After we got fuel, it was off to Carbondale!

Carbondale is a towered airport, and I was expecting more insanity like we had in Tuscaloosa. I have to take my hat off to the controller at Carbondale. He was a pro. We were vectored in, did the flyby (perfectly, I might add), and turned right in for a crosswind to landing. Not once did I feel unsafe, rushed, or forgotten. I should also mention that this guy was also working ground. There were approximately 4 planes in the pattern with us, 5 waiting to depart, and about 3 or 4 waiting to taxi. He was AWESOME!

Jann and I checked the weather in the FBO. We saw a line of storms, but they were far out and moving at 30kts. Seemed easy enough to beat. We got our fuel, said our goodbyes to the awesome controller, and were off again!

There were more interesting things to see on the way to Elkhart. Wind turbines, power plants, rivers . . . much more entertaining. My eyeballs were glued to the NEXRAD radar watching that storm that had looked so innocuous on the ground. It had picked up speed and strength and was cooking in toward Elkhart. Jann and I had originally planned to go around some MOAs, but I didn't want to waste the time, so I called up Chicago Center and made sure it was cold to cross through. Chicago Center was totally intrigued about us racing, and gave us the go-ahead to go on through.

We were getting a really good tailwind from the storm, so we pressed on the Elkhart. The poor controller was overloaded, and got us confused with a plane 1 mile behind us. Very scary. We became one airplane to him, but I straightened him out. We landed and taxied to parking. There, we found an interesting situation.

The weather had really picked up steam and was throwing hail and tornadoes. It was about one hour to the west of us, and there wasn't enough hangar space for all of the planes that had landed. Jann and I stayed with the plane and made SURE that it was in a hangar before we left the airport. At the hotel, the tornado warnings started going off. We headed to the basement and camped out for awhile until we got the all clear. And here we are now!

We would like to press on to Parkersburg, WV and then on to Frederick, MD tomorrow, but I'm not sure if the weather will cooperate. I'm going to have to check in the morning. We're both so tired, we are even saving the route planning until tomorrow. Missing dinner to take care of the plane and wait out the tornado warning hasn't helped the brain fog either. A good night's sleep...

Fort Myers, FL - Waycross, GA - Tuscaloosa, AL - Hot Springs, AR

We departed Fort Myers today. Oh man, talk about craziness. All of the planes departed at once from the field with about 30 second spacing. Well, each aircraft was supposed to call ground and say their racer number, the ATIS, and ask permission to taxi. Each aircraft was supposed to call in order (i.e. five calls before six and so on). Well, apparently that was too difficult for some people to understand. Chaos ensued. Nothing like taxiing around at a towered field with no clearances or permission! We were denied flight following due to controller workload, so it was straight VFR. Jann and I knew the other racers were going to stay low (in Florida, ~500' MSL), so we went high to get out of the way. We picked 6500 for our altitude. We were able to see everyone jockeying for position waaaaay below us. There is a common air-to-air frequency for the racers (122.75), and we were listening in. Since Jann and I had kind of been bullied earlier, we decided to mess with peoples' heads.

There was Lakeland's airspace along the direct route, so we decided to give them a "courtesy call" and let them know we were overflying their airspace. Since the other racers were on Lakeland's frequency to request transitions (and to listen in on other racer's altitudes), we called up. It went something like this:

21: Lakeland Tower, Classic Racer 21 will be overflying your airspace at 6,500 feet.
LT: . . . Say again your altitude?
21: 6,500 feet.
LT: Well, you are well above our airspace. Altimeter setting is 30.11.
21: Thank you!

We then listened in on the air-to-air frequency. Hilarity ensued. There was a brief pause in the constant chatter as everyone thought that we were on to something. Quite funny. I think a few of them actually started to climb up to see what we were up to(they were all basically scudrunning). Ha!

Everything was fine and dandy, until we got close to the first flyby. Since everyone was all clumped up, lots of aircraft were trying to attempt the flyby at once. And land after the flyby. At a single runway airport. We were on the flyby (at 300' AGL), and an aircraft called downwind. I was just waiting for them to turn into us as we zipped in for the flyby. They held off, and we continued on to Douglas for fuel. We stopped at a non-race stop for fuel because we didn't want to get caught in the madness on the ground at Waycross. Good choice. It was then on to Tuscaloosa.

Once again, enroute was pretty uneventful. However, MANY racers failed to notice in their planning that there was a big blob of restricted airspace right along the GPS direct route. How dumb do you have to be to punch in GPS direct and not even look at the route?!? So, they go punching right through it. It turned out to be an Army base that had C130 activity and parachuting going on as the race was passing through. The controller at the base was very kind, and got on the air-to-air and requested that people STAY OUT OF THE RESTRICTED AIRSPACE. Well, racers got right on the horn and started arguing. Again, how dumb do you have to be? Jann and I had briefed the route and chosen points that routed us around the airspace. It took more than two strokes on the GPS to get the route in, but guess what? No fear of being escorted out of the airspace! Listening on the air-to-air, people were genuinely confused about the airspace. Yikes.

Once we got within range of Tuscaloosa's tower, all hell broke loose again. The controller was completely overwhelmed, and aircraft were being vectored into each other, cleared for landings and takeoffs on the same runways, and/or not acknowledged. Jann and I set up for the flyby, and immediately had to enter into a steep turn for traffic avoidance. After that adventure, we lined back up. I'm watching ahead and the altimeter, and I see a flash out the corner of my eye. A Cirrus came screaming from above us, dove in front of us, and knife-turned out of there. She wasn't talking to anyone, and completely cut us off. In controlled airspace! We were immediately turned onto base for a separate runway, so I had to go from full-throttle low flyby mode to "oh, let's setup and land" mode. Well, I did a no-flaps screaming fast landing, but it was very soft. And we were out of the hell that was that airspace. We got fuel, and had to taxi on out.

Departure was also interesting. The controller steered us into two other aircraft, and I had to enter a fast slip to get down to the appropriate altitude for the flyby. Meanwhile, the GPS is screaming at me for terrain alerts and there are aircraft zooming past me in every direction. I thought my hair was going to fall out. Then it was off to Hot Springs!

Cruise was very uneventful. I had a lot of time to learn how to breathe again, just in time for another flyby! This time, we couldn't find the airport. It was very hazy, and the airport is stuck between three large hills. We didn't see it until about 4 miles out. We commence the flyby, and another aircraft enters into a dual flyby with us. Fortunately, she knew what she was doing, and gave us plenty of room to maneuver and land. We entered into a downwind (in front of aircraft on the flyby, but that is becoming mundane at this point) and landed. The ramp was crazy, but we got the plane taken care of and got to the hotel. And here we are now!

I just finished looking at the weather for tomorrow, and thunderstorms and wind look to be factors. That can all change, but we'll be watching it closely. We would like to do three legs tomorrow (Hot Springs - Cameron, MO - Carbondale, IL - Elkhart, IN), but we are going to have to be flexible.

Oh, almost forgot to share some of my favorite radio calls from the air-to-air today.

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Racer1: I have the V-Tail in sight.
Racer2: Are we a V-Tail?
Racer1: Are we an airplane?

(Racer 2 was serious . . .)

*******************
Racer1: The Army base requests that you stay at or above 2,500 in the vicinity of the base.
Racer2: What? I can't go direct?
Racer3: It's restricted airspace.
Racer2: I'm following my GPS!
*******************
Army base (to military aircraft): They're coming in droves! Five or more Cessnas at a time!
*******************

Sanibel Island and Flight Planning

Our kayaking trip was canceled due to thunderstorms in and around the kayaking area. Since we were already at the Ding Darling (or as I kept calling it, Ding-a-Ling) Nature Preserve, we decided to drive around the car trail. Jann likes to bird watch, so we poked around for an hour or so looking for different birds. We saw some interesting critters and the weather was interesting to watch, so the evening was not a loss. I had the brilliant idea of going back a short walking trail. Why not, right? Well, I'll give you three guesses what comes out of the Florida bog around dusk. Mosquitoes. Millions of them. We decided to depart the trail "no delay" and get back to the car. I can't speak for Jann, but I am covered in mosquito bites. I suppose they will entertain me on some of the cross country legs.

After the nature preserve, we decided to drive to the end of Sanibel Island. We were looking for a beach to stick our feet in the water, and the first public beach we found was at the end of the island! We stuck our feet in, and headed back to the hotel to wrap up some flight planning and pack.

We just wrapped up our flight planning for the first three legs of the race. The legs run from Fort Myers, FL - Waycross, GA - Tuscaloosa, AL - Hot Springs, AR. There are some interesting airspace issues with controlled airspace, MOAs, and restricted areas. We've worked out a route that should keep us out of the most confusing areas, so we feel good about that.

To avoid some of the potential chaos at Waycross, we are going to stop for fuel at a different airport, Douglas (DQH). We think it will be much less stress if we don't have to wait in a conga line of 50 airplanes for fuel, and then all try to depart the same uncontrolled field at the same time to do low approaches full throttle at 300' AGL abeam the runway. Just seems like something we should avoid.

We will be departing Fort Myers tomorrow at 8:00AM. We'll be getting up at 5:30AM (ouch) to get breakfast, brief, and get to the plane. All aircraft will be departing all at once tomorrow, so that should be interesting. I know many of the locals will be turning out to watch the spectacle. I hope it doesn't turn into another zoo!

With that, I need to finish packing and get to bed. The next update may come when we've landed in Hot Springs. If you're following along on FlightAware, we will be picking up VFR flight following, so you may be able to track our tail number. I need to get in the mindset of using our air race callsign, "Classic Racer 21." I'm sure I'll bungle it at least once tomorrow!

Briefings and Serious People

We are in-between briefings at the moment. This morning we covered fly-by procedures, aeronautical decision making, and received an outlook briefing. We still need to attend the first-time racers briefing this afternoon. After watching the zoo unfold this morning, Jann's eyes are twitching and I have ulcers. We're not questioning our skills, but the skills and mentality of the people around us.

People's nasty sides are starting to show as it gets closer to crunch time. When the discussion turned to flight plans in the briefing, Jann asked if we could file an IFR flight plan but fly it visually (i.e. stay out of IMC to follow the race rules). Our thinking is that the airspace down here is very congested and unfamiliar to us and there are going to be 51 planes departing within 30 seconds of each other. So, we would like to be cleared through all airspace and getting traffic alerts all the way to Waycross. We were just about shouted out of the room. Nobody wanted to hear that we were non-competition class and wanting to file for safety. So much for making new people feel welcome! I reviewed the rules in our rulebook, and nowhere does it say that you are unable to file an IFR flight plan. I presented it to the judge, and she told me to "do it but don't tell anyone." Yikes.

After another team asked us if we were non-competition, they told us to just stay out of their way. What friendly folks. Now, not everyone is like that. In fact, most people are very friendly and interesting to talk to. It's just the few crazies that are making us shake our heads.

A plus to being non-competition is that since we have *nothing* to worry about, Jann and I are going kayaking this evening in Sanibel Island. We're going to head out in the evening to where the birds nest and see what we can see. It sounds like a good time. Hopefully we'll be able to get some decent pictures.

Tornado Warning!

Today has been . . . interesting. The morning started off with a mandatory briefing. The briefing covered general aspects of the race with more in-depth details of fly-bys and rules to follow tomorrow. Some team's race numbers did not comply with the rules, and they were called out in the meeting. The fur was flying because they couldn't get back to their planes to fix the numbers due to impounding rules and they were going to be assessed a timing penalty. They were not happy campers. Jann and I were in the clear, so we just watched it all go down.

After the morning meeting, we were free until 6:00PM. Jann and I decided to drive down to a state park and hike around a bit. In the middle of the afternoon. In Florida. It was very, very hot. We made it back to the car, and decided to go see something that was maybe indoors. I booted up the GPS and looked for local destinations. We decided that we would like to visit the Shell Factory in North Fort Myers. Enroute, we stopped at an aquarium store to check out the fish. Nothing too exciting there. We continued on to the Shell Factory and ran into an afternoon Florida storm. We thought it was just a weak, pop-up deal . . . until it started to hail. And lightning. And rain. Hard. We had to pull over because we couldn't see, and parked under this little car port. It turned out that we were in the parking lot for the Shell Factory, so we waited for it to stop raining so hard and went inside.

The Shell Factory was pretty underwhelming, and we were just about to leave when the manager came over the PA system and asked everyone to move into the hallway because there was a tornado moving inland. I looked around and decided that I didn't want to be in a store full of heavy rocks, pointy shells, and glass in a torndao and called up Justin to pull down the weather for me. The conversation went something like this:

J: Well, your winds are at 250 . . .
M: No, no, I need more like . . . tornado information.
J: . . . Okay. It's storming.

He was a good sport and gave me the echo tops and some other information. Jann and I decided to leave and head back to South Fort Myers. The weather was better there, so no problems.

We are going over some flight planning items tonight. We need to attend a few briefings tomorrow, including the one dealing with fly-bys. We will receive a waiver from the FAA to let us fly fast and low. I am excited; the FAA is giving me permission to do something stupid!

We're not sure yet if we're going to file IFR, go VFR direct, or go VFR up the coast outbound to Waycross. Everyone (~54 planes) will all be departing Fort Myers within a few minutes of each other, and we're not sure if we want to be caught up in that. We may go VFR up the coast to avoid the traffic and for some sightseeing.

Look for pictures; I'll do that tonight sometime. Still haven't figured out an easy way to put captions.

*EDIT* As you can (hopefully) see, I have a new and improved slideshow for you! With captions! Enjoy!

Landed in Fort Myers

We've landed in Fort Myers. Holy smokes, what a leg! We filed IFR from Waycross, Georgia direct to Fort Myers. We couldn't get direct, so we got a little bit of a crazy routing down there. On the way, our clearances changed at least three times. The weather wasn't too bad; it was hazy departing GA, and cleared up as we got into FL. We dodged all of the thunderstorms, so no problems there.

ATC was not in a good mood in Florida. It really got interesting as we were handed off to Fort Myers tower. There were four, maybe five planes trying to land. We were number four, and the controller had the planes inside of each other, making tight turns a necessity. We actually got told that we had to slow down on landing! There was a Sundowner in front of us taking his sweet time to get on the ground.

On the ground, parking, check-in, registration, and all of the paperwork went very smoothly. The airport is hopping! Line service had our car ready for us, and met us on the ramp. They unloaded our bags, had the air conditioning running in the car, and tossed us the keys. We felt like high-rollers!

I'll be posting pictures of the ramp and activity later, so look for that. We have to go back to the airport to complete our aircraft inspection.

*EDIT* Pictures have been updated in the slideshow. I'm trying to figure out how to put captions so you know what you are looking at.

The picture in this post is half of the ramp at sunset this evening. There are (I think?) more than 54 planes entered, and about 113 pilots. Busy busy!