The International Cessna^® 170 Association

Time to start thinking about my trip to the Galveston Convention from Pennsylvania. The Trip is 1166 nm and at 100 knots is just under 12 hours of flight time.

I like to be conservative and plan for about 6 flight hours a day and will probably leave Friday, June 24th so that puts me and the wife somewhere in the gray area on my map. We'll continue on to Galveston arriving Saturday in plenty of time for the start of the convention Sunday.

Of course this plan is all dependent on the weather. We will only delay at home Friday if the weather is bad. And we could hold up somewhere all day Saturday if there is bad weather or a good reason to do so like good weather and something to see or visit and then arrive on Sunday in Galveston.

Anyone have any suggestions where to hold up for the night in the gray area on my map? Doesn't have to be fancy. Convenient is more important that the price.

Anyone care to join us along our route flying to the convention? The more the merrier.

Tennessee looks like a good bet.

Hi Bruce,

Guntersville, AL (8A1) is in your gray circle. I had a very nice stop there in 2001 when I was flying my J3 home from Sun-n-Fun. It's a picturesque place, and it has lots of good feedback on the Airnav site. There's a WWI replica fighter museum there, but that wasn't open when I stopped for gas.

Have a great trip!

Tullahoma, Tennesse looks to be pretty much on your route. You'd probably enjoy the Staggerwing Museum.

Miles

Bruce,

Our airport here in LaFayett (9A5) is in your circle. We will be on our way to Galveston in the motor home but LaFayette has a free courtesy car you can use, a Key West and a Days Inn, and plenty of places to eat. You can use full service before 5:00PM or self service anytime for fuel. See ya'll in Galveston.

Harold

Bruce,
I wish I could drive a computer like you! that map was realy neat! Guntersville is a realy nice stop. (thats where Dads Neiuport went) I don't think that the WW1 museum is open any more. Since the death of Frank Rider, Most of the A/C have been sold off. Dads Neiuport is now in a museum in the Netherlands.
brad

bradbrady wrote:Bruce,
I wish I could drive a computer like you! that map was realy neat! ....
brad

Thanks Brad. Off subject but AOPA members might recognize the map as one created with the free flight planning software available to members powered by Jeppeson. I captured a screen shot of the map with a free utility I downloaded and saved it as a jpeg. Then using Photoshop I sized the photo and created the gray area.

Like many things, not difficult if you know how.

I'm in Tupelo, Ms. that's in N. E. Ms just a little to the S W of your circle. You're welcome to come here. I don't have a lot of room. But we can visit and I can offer ground transportation and a cook out by the pool. And nice motels are walking distance from my house. Gunterville has a bed and breakfast that I have see on the internet. Moontown is a grass strip just east of Huntsville, Al. I have not flown in there but it looks like a really neat place. But if I were making that trip I would try to find somewhere near the mountains in Tn. Gatlinburg may be close to your course. And if you like pancake houses you will be in heaven. Maybe someone will mention a place along the S W part of the mountains just N E of Chattanooga. It is very scenic in that area and it is in your circle.
Good Luck,

Bruce, Chattanooga has Lookout Mountain (The Garden Walk was the B&B on top of that mountain that Ol' Gar, Deana, Jamie and I stayed in on the way to Wilmington). A day extra spent at the adjacent Chickamauga Civil War site (largest battle other than the one up at Gettysburg) was nice too. The Andrews raiders are buried in the Nat'l Cemetery at Chattanooga. (First recipients of the Medal of Honor, and hanged in downtown Atlanta as the instigators of "The Great Train Chase", April 12, 1862. The "General" locomotive is kept just south of there at Kennesaw, GA (Marietta area)...which would also be an interesting stop for a train person like you.

Bruce,

If you are interested in the Chickamauga Battlefield, LaFayette (9A5) is the closest airport to it. There is a nice museum at the battlefield and a small museum in the town of Chickamauga. We are also very close to Chattanooga and Lookout Mountain. If we were not going to be enroute to Galveston, we would give you a good 15 cent tour of many the area attractions.

Harold

Bruce,
I know I'm a little late posting this, but a couple months ago returning from Pheonix, I was weathered in at Hartselle, AL , 5M0, (just below Decatur) Not fancy, but easy in and out, Nice folks, have a courtesy van and a inexpensive motel within about a mile. Also a computer and internet. They even got the plane in a hanger. See ya in Tx.

Ed Booth

Thanks Ed. Yes it's time to get serious about planning this trip. Or I could do what I do everyday in the EMS world. Just jump in a go.

Flight planning enroute. Teresa loves that.