Ringing in 2015 with an octet of airplanes

Plane: Cessna 150 
Route: 40I-MWO-40I 
Weather: Clear, 25 degrees, wind 240 degrees at 15 knots gusting to 26

For the second year in a row, we took part in an old Stewart tradition - flying to breakfast on New Year's Day. Compared to last year, we doubled the turnout; eight airplanes flew this morning. I'm pretty sure that every one of Stewart's airplanes not currently in for annual took to the sky.

We lucked out, too. Although it was cold and windy there was not an ounce of frost, so we all avoided a lengthy deicing. Tommy hauled the preheater around the field to warm everyone's cylinders and all the engines were turning by 8:30. Within minutes, three Cubs, a Champ, the Arrow, the Fly Baby, and the 172 were airborne. We departed last in the 150.

We both got new Halo headsets for Christmas! :)

We were the eighth and final airplane to depart Stewart

Joining up with everyone else shortly after takeoff

Following a couple Cubs to Middletown

The third Cub, off our right wing

Entering the pattern at MWO in trail of all three Cubs

A different angle - us following the three Cubs from the ground MWO

Gina was quite excited that we could finally order some food

All eight planes on the ground in Middletown

I'm sure our eclectic formation was quite a sight from the ground - at least if anyone else was crazy enough to be up so early, looking skyward. We had a hearty headwind so the short 13 mile hop took nearly 25 minutes from takeoff to touchdown. I followed the three Cubs, landing last, with an absolute greaser in the shifty, gusty winds. The wheels touched so softly you could barely tell we had landed and I made the first turnoff. Definitely a good way to start to the new year!

Everyone parked on the edge of the ramp and walked through the gate to Frisch's next door. I'm not sure the staff expected 16 people to walk in together but our waitress was extremely cheerful and somehow kept our orders straight. I had an omlette and Gina had eggs and French toast; along with the coffee, it all certainly hit the spot.

We spent about an hour in the restaurant before heading back through the fence. I quickly preflighted the 150 and hopped in. I was slightly worried about the engine firing after spending an hour in the cold, gusty winds. Thankfully, she fired right up after three shots of primer. I taxied to the end of Runway 23, completed a runup, and was the first to depart. Everyone followed quickly behind and I soon joined up on the pack of airplanes flying eastward.

Flying back to Stewart at 2,500 feet following our hearty breakfast

Caesar Creek Lake, partially drained for the winter

In some spots, nearly all the water was gone

Even a small river has tremendous power to clear everything in its path

Foundations are still visible from buildings that were demolished when the lake was built

One final look at the low water on our way back towards the airport

Tommy and I were talking last night and he'd mentioned how low the lake was. They usually drain it in the winter (so there's greater capacity in the spring to hold snow melt and rainfall) but it seems even lower than usual this year. He said you could see some of the old foundations from the buildings that used to lie in the valley before it was flooded in the late 1970s when the lake was built. I hadn't seen that before so we continued east after the formation reached Stewart. As you can see above, it was definitely a unique view. Without question, it's a view that can only be truly appreciated from above.

Tuning in the AWOS at Wright Brothers, I checked the winds and noted that they had continued to pick up. They were gusting up to 25-30 knots but were at least only 20-30 degrees off the runway heading. I turned final for Runway 26 at Stewart and had to stay very active on the controls all the way down. Kicking in a little left rudder to counter a wind shift just as I was rounding out, I touched down very softly on the grass. Two for two to begin 2015. I'll take it.

Flight Track: Google Earth KMZ File 
Today's Flight: 1.1 hours
Total Time: 324.5 hours

Formation with the Fly Baby (and fireworks!) on the Fourth

Plane: Cub, 85 hp 
Route: 40I, Local 
Weather: Clear, 71 degrees, wind 330 degrees at 4 knots

June sure turned out to be a busy month; I was out of town for eighteen of its thirty days! Mostly work, some fun. In the end, there wasn't any time to fly.

July is beginning on a better note as I had this entire week off. My sister came down to visit yesterday and - after some coordination with friends - we all decided to head to the airport this evening. Tommy would be there and already had plans to take the Fly Baby up for a spin. Well, not literally. As far as I know.

We arrived around 8pm and I checked the plane over. All was well like usual so I topped off the gigantic 12 gallon tank and Tommy gave me a prop. Lauren (mi hermana) was up front with my camera. Thanks to her for all the photos that follow.

Soon after, we were rolling down the very green grass. Tommy was closing on our right wing before we had cleared the departure end of the runway. The air was nearly calm and smooth as butter, visibility unlimited, and the lighting perfect.

I'll just let you enjoy the series of photos without any additional comments...

With me as lead, we flew a gentle arc north of the airport and then turned back towards Stewart. I spotted what looked like balloons off to the west. Looking at the photos on my computer after the fact, it seems I actually saw skydivers over MWO. I'd venture a guess that they were the start of Middletown's fireworks show since one appears to have a large flag attached.

Crossing midfield, I turned downwind then base to final. Tommy held his position and we zoomed over the runway to say hello to our significant others and other friends on the ground. I pulled up and broke off, heading towards the lake for a little sightseeing with the little sister.

A large group of skydivers near Middletown

I love this shot of the Cub's strut against the setting sun

Tommy in trail as we made a low pass over Stewart

It truly was a perfect evening to fly

Caesar Creek Lake - I seriously love the lighting in this shot

One final glance at the orange orb before it crossed the horizon

I climbed to 3,000 feet as we flew over the lake. Level, I made a few steep turns in each direction then did a bit more crankin' and bankin' for good measure. I pulled the power to idle, did a couple power-off stalls, then banked into a steep spiral and quickly descended back to pattern altitude. Lauren's a willing sport and she was having a blast, though I probably should've given more warning before the stalls. I thought we had done those before. Whoops.

[insert mean big brother comment here]

The sun was hovering just above the horizon as I entered the pattern from the south and came around to land on Runway 8. I held in a little power and landed intentionally long, the wheels touching back down on the grass in one of those oh-so-soft, perfect three-pointers. Really! I've had some good luck in the landing department with the Cub this year.

Everything packed up, we drove across the field towards where the pond used to be. Beer and pizza and many fireworks ensued with friends. I'd say we knocked this year's celebration of freedom out of the park. Happy Fourth!

Flight Track: Google Earth KMZ File 
Today's Flight: 0.6 hours
Total Time: 309.5 hours

Starting the new year off right

Plane: Cessna 172
Route: 40I-MWO-40I
Weather: Clear, 30 degrees, wind 200 degrees at 3-6 knots

It's a bit of a Stewart tradition, to begin with. I first became aware when we were down there to fly the 150 on New Year's Day in 2009. I heard a noise and looked up. What I saw was something uniquely Stewart - the Stearman, a Cub, the 150, maybe a Champ all in formation. For years, they've flown a bunch of their airplanes to breakfast before they open on January 1st.

So, morning person that I'm not, I thought it would be fun to take part when Tommy texted me the other day. We booked the 172 and met at the (very cold) airport just after sunrise this morning. They already had the preheater hooked up to the 172 but it still took me 20-30 minutes to clear the frost off the wings. For the non-pilots, a tiny bit of frost might seem like no big deal. It is. Even a small amount can reduce lift by 30% or more. So it has to get brushed off!

Our eclectic collection of airplanes on the ramp in Middletown

Wings clean, engine running warm, and everything checked, we took off and joined the other three planes in the sky. Tommy was flying the Fly Baby, Jamie the T-Craft, and Steve (and his wife) his own Cub. We flew in formation (ranging from loose to relatively close) to Middletown, where a Big Boy is conveniently located near the end of the runway. Part of the tradition, it is.

Enroute to breakfast after meeting up in the air

I followed Jamie and Tommy broke off and joined Steve as we neared MWO. They were all using the grass runway, or so I thought. I was on final for Runway 5 when I saw Tommy touching down on Runway 23. No biggie - I went around and made a short field landing on Runway 23 behind Steve. Hit the first turnoff (750 feet past the threshold), in fact - not bad for a 172!

We all enjoyed a tasty breakfast at Frisch's - I had eggs, hash browns, and toast - while chatting about (what else?) airplanes.

In loose formation with Jamie and Steve on the way home

Jamie snapped this shot of us from his vantage point

I stayed on Jamie's wing all the way back to the airport

We were back in the air around 10:00 for the short, 13-mile flight back to Stewart. I made a low pass as Jamie landed then circled back around the pattern. The winds had kicked up and there was a decent crosswind as I touched down on Runway 26.

Flying, friends, food, and family. I'd say that's a great start to 2014!

Flight Track: Google Earth KMZ File 
Today's Flight: 0.8 hours
Total Time: 301.0 hours

Stick time, foliage, and a little formation with the Stearman

Plane: Cub, 85 hp 
Route: 40I, Local 
Weather: Broken clouds, 46 degrees, wind 040 degrees at 5 knots

It's been a busy fall. Somehow, in between yardwork, regular work, school work, and other flights I hadn't flown the Cub in nearly two months! Gina was working at Stewart this morning and emailed to say a hole in the schedule opened up. It worked out perfectly - I was able to make some laps around the pattern (passengers love circling the airport) while she finished up work, then she hopped into the front seat for our first flight together since August.

Oh, and I flew a little formation with the Stearman in between. Read on, friends.

Yellow Cub. Green grass. Blue sky. What pilot needs anything more?

Takeoff and landing practice was the first order of business. I ended up making four laps - three for landings. The first landing was great, then I lined up for a short field takeoff and was quickly in the air in between the 200-foot span of a set of cones. Not sure what happened with the second landing but I flared a tad too soon, bounced, didn't like how it was feeling, and poured on the throttle. Go arounds are (generally) always an option!

After two more successful laps around, I pulled off and saw Dave standing next to the runway. He's a coworker, pilot, and owns a nice little Porterfield. We ran into each other in the office before I went out to do my preflight and he told me a friend (Verlin, another coworker, it turns out) was there for a Stearman ride. We made plans with Joe to try and fly up alongside them later if we had time. So, to cut to the chase, Dave climbed into the front seat and we were soon on an aerial hunt for a blue and yellow PT-17.

Approaching the Stearman from the right

Opposite view at about the same moment looking at us in the Cub

As you can see, we were quite successful! Dave spotted the Stearman shortly after takeoff and I slowly brought us into position over the Little Miami River. I waved my wings at Joe, he rocked the Stearman's back, and I pulled in off his right wing.

Sliding into the lead...

Looking back at us again

After a minute or so, I slid into the lead. Then I waved my wings again to signal I was going to break off and I turned east. We followed the Stearman back to Stewart, entering a left downwind for Runway 26 and touching down quite softly on the grass. Thanks to Dave and Verlin for the photos - or, more accurately, the videos they were each recording; I took screen captures and those are what you see here.

Breaking off to the east

Dave wiggled his way out and Gina climbed in. We spent about five seconds deciding we'd just fly around and enjoy the view. I handed her my phone so she could take photos of the colorful foliage. All the photos in the remainder of the post are her handiwork!

Trees changing near the intersection of OH-73 and OH-48

A particularly colorful neighborhood

The trees lining this driveway stood out from miles away

A wider angle of the aforementioned colorful neighborhood

More fall colors along OH-73 near Waynesville

It's been an interesting fall color-wise. Compared to last year, everything seems more muted. There hasn't been a particularly clear-cut change, either. All the trees have been gradually morphing from green to orange to brown on their own accord.

That's not to say there aren't pretty pockets here and there. We enjoyed the views and spotted some very colorful groupings. I'm really glad we squeezed in our annual color flight before it was too late.

Trees on the eastern shoreline of Caesar Creek Lake

Another colorful patch in Caesar Creek State Park

I meandered back towards Stewart and again entered the pattern from the south. We spotted a Pawnee towing a glider, climbing out of the gliderport as we flew past; I waved our wings to say hello. Touching down on the soft grass, I felt completely back at home in the Cub's back seat. Nothing like a little practice, some formation, and good views from the low and slow perch to fill one's aviation bucket for the day!

Flight Track: Google Earth KMZ File 
Today's Flight: 1.2 hours
Total Time: 295.2 hours