End of Summer

[4-Shipp]

Here is a brief trip report from June’s and my trip to Chicago last week. We left Wichita Falls, TX Wednesday about 1300 and landed in Quincy Illinois about 8 pm, just after dark. 6.1 hours to go 502 NM was a bit painful when we are accustomed to tailwind on the north-east bound leg. We had a great time in Quincy where June’s dad was recovering from heart surgery (he had a defibulator *sp?* installed).

Friday morning it was off to Rockford, IL to meet some friends on our way to Waukegan. If you have a moment, google Pride Aircraft in Rockford and check out what they have on their ramp. I have a picture of 9CP going beak-to-beak with the Flanker!

Then we were off to Waukegan for 2 days of fun, flying and fellowship. For the last 23 years June has watched me fly military and civilian jets all over the world. Her only complaint was that after 20 years as a faithful Air Force spouse she never got a ride in an Air Force jet. Saturday, she got her just rewards by way of an L-39 ride (in a 5-ship formation no less) and then a T-37. Her Tweet ride was a real treat for me as I instructed in the T-37 during my last tour before I retired. She absolutely loved both and afterwards told me that if that was how I spent every day for the last 23 years that I should quit complaining about work!

We departed Waukegan Sunday at 8 am and enjoyed a spectacular lake front tour along the entire Chicago shore line. We flew at eight hundred feet about a quarter mile off the beach with unrestricted visibility and the skyline highlighted by the rising sun from the east. We waived at Oprah as we passed her digs in Highland Park, tipped our hats to that perennial home of October disappointment Wrigley Field (go Cards!), skirted around Navy Pier, paid our respects to the former Meigs field, and hung a right just south of Midway and headed home. The lake front tour ranks right up there with our most memorable flights in 9CP.

We skirted a few rain showers over central Illinois, made two gas stops and had 9CP backing the hangar by five Sunday afternoon. About 20 minutes after we departed out first fuel stop on the way home, June looked at me and said “maybe we do need a faster airplane”. She got spoiled quickly! The 702 mile trip home took only 7.4 hours. That was 12 knots faster than the north-east bound leg. Thankfully the northerly winds last through our return trip on Sunday. We flew a total of 1507.22 NM (as per the GPS) in 16.4 hours for an average groundspeed of 91.9 knots. Not bad for the old 170B.

Since coming out of our extended annual in May, we have flown 84.3 hours and will most likely exceed 100 hours for the year for the first time since we have owned 9CP. If we keep this up we have to seriously look at stoking the overhaul fund. It will be that time before we know it!

Thanks for letting us share our trip. I’ll post some pictures this evening. June has the disk with the pictures with her today.

[GAHorn]

HEY BRUCE! This would be a great 170 News story!

Tell June that there is a method to make a 170 "faster" without spending any more money or suffering increased operating costs of a more expensive-to-maintain airplane.! (How? ... Show up for departure 30 minutes earlier!)