Thursday, December 17, 2015

Lunchtime Cubbin' with Mike

Plane: Cub, 85 hp 
Route: 40I, Local 
Weather: Broken clouds, 38 degrees, wind 300 degrees at 10 knots

Our friend Mike is in town for a few days from San Francisco. We used to fly together all the time on Pilots N Paws trips and elsewhere. He hasn't done much Cubbin' since moving away so the goal was to get some stick time in this week. Thankfully the weather cooperated today; I drove down to Stewart from the office at lunchtime and we spent an hour in the sky.

Mike recalling the Cub's cozy fit prior to propping the engine

We wandered out to the hangar, I did a complete preflight and we pulled the plane out onto the grass. Mike wedged himself in front, I propped the engine to life, and we were on our way out to the runway. Winds were moderate from the west so we departed on Runway 26 and were soon level at 2,000 feet flying north towards the city.

A rather not-small house we passed over after takeoff

Approaching downtown Dayton from the south

The University of Dayton's main campus

The Great Miami River

Relocation and reconstruction of I-75 downtown

Downtown Dayton from the north

Downtown Dayton from the east

View from the back seat approaching downtown from the south

I circled around downtown Dayton, enjoying the great visibility. Yes, it was overcast, but you could see for miles and miles beneath the clouds. We took note of the construction down below and spotted Runway 36 at Dayton International when we were perfectly lined up for a straight-in about 10 miles south.

Mike took the controls and circled over his and a friends' house in Oakwood as I snapped some more photos. We looked down upon the Deeds Carillon, which briefly held a rather spectacular Christmas tree of lights until an unfortunate encounter with the wind a few days ago. Then we flew southwest, passing directly over my office before turning south towards Caesar Creek Lake.

Possibly the best view of one's office during their lunch hour

Glad not to be shopping at The Greene so close to Christmas!

(Mike was flying here)

You may recall my photos of the lake earlier this year when it was significantly drained for construction. Those concrete footings now support much of the new marina that looks to be almost complete. A quick search indicates it's supposed to open at the start of next year's boating season.

The new marina at Caesar Creek State Park

Caesar Creek Lake

Caesar Creek Lake and dam

Mike handed the controls back near the airport and I made a quick pattern entry to a downwind for Runway 26. My landing was not without a minor bounce and thud - it's been a month since I last flew and the landing looked like it. We tied the plane down near the fuel pump, took care of things inside, and I headed back to work for a few hours.

Considering the amount of travel I've been doing all year (I actually just returned from a rather last-minute trip to China yesterday) I'm happy to have somehow exceeded my total hours from 2014. Still, my flights of the non-commercial variety have been fewer and further between than intended. Hopefully I'm able to get in one more flight this year myself.

In the meantime, here's wishing you and your families a very Merry Christmas and a happy holiday season!

Flight Track: Google Earth KMZ File 
Today's Flight: 1.0 hours
Total Time: 347.5 hours