On the way to Sebring

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newamiga
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Joined: Fri Jun 22, 2012 6:21 pm

On the way to Sebring

Post by newamiga »

A quick status update on my journey down to Sebring this year in my Gobosh 700... I left Peyton Colorado yesterday late morning and picked up an awesome tailwind on my way down to Rockwall TX. I made it in just over 4 hours. I was seeing spurts of 140 kts over the ground which really helped. Today I departed Rockwall for a short hop down to Austin to meet a friend and spend a day. As I started heading south past Dallas I was fighting terrible headwinds of 50-60kts. I decided to divert for gas into Waco. Good plan until I started watching the surface winds at Waco go above G32 and decided to turn back around to Midway Midlothian south of Dallas. It was fun with what was a terrible headwind now a strong tailwind. With power completely at idle I was still far above 100Kts ground speed on downwind. Got to land with a nearly 30 kt headwind. It was fun :). I am hoping to get more favorable winds down to Austin tomorrow and then on to Florida on Tuesday.

I also got to experience some great and very busy approach controllers with the Dallas regional control guys. They are very good at what they do. I go through the Denver Bravo all the time and it is busy but nothing like the Dallas bravo is. That was awesome fun and a great experience.


Carl
Private Pilot and RV-12 Builder
MovingOn
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Re: On the way to Sebring

Post by MovingOn »

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newamiga
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Re: On the way to Sebring

Post by newamiga »

It is fun but I will tell you it is still expensive. I rented while I was learning and shortly after I got my ticket. The upside of renting is that all you are paying is the hourly rate. As an owner the planned and more importantly the unplanned maintenance can cost a bit. The hangar fees in Colorado aren't inexpensive either. With all of that said though, I don't think I would rent to fly down to Sebring from CO. I rented one time to fly from Denver to Oshkosh and with a friend splitting it, it was doable.

With the winds yesterday I was burning like 4.7 GPH on the way down.. Today not quite as good with the headwind :). That is a big difference if you rent wet and don't have to worry about how much gas you burn or what it costs :). I would highly recommend flying out to Denver if you get the chance. There is also Aspen Flying Club at APA where you could get checked out and rent while you are out there. They have a Skycatcher and a couple Gobosh's. I think they are all $99 hr wet right now.

Carl
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MovingOn
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Re: On the way to Sebring

Post by MovingOn »

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drseti
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Re: On the way to Sebring

Post by drseti »

Glad you're underway, Carl, and it sounds as though you're getting some great flying experience. I don't leave until Wednesday, but then, I'm going down commercial this year, so will be there Wednesday night. Hope to see you at my seminars, or in the AeroShell tent during my Flying Musician gigs.

Enjoy the balance of your adventure.
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newamiga
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Re: On the way to Sebring

Post by newamiga »

Thanks.. I am not sure on which way I am going when I leave Austin. I am looking at maybe flying down to Pensacola to spend the night there and then from there to Sebring. I will have to look at the winds and weather tomorrow to see what looks best. If Pensacola doesn't work I will stay somewhere further north in Alabama.

Paul I look forward to meeting you in person.

Thanks Carl
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Jack Tyler
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Re: On the way to Sebring

Post by Jack Tyler »

Carl, it sounds like you have started a grand adventure. Bet you'll be chatting with Mitch each and every day you're at Expo! Please stop by and say hello at the RAF Booth in the hangar while you're here.

You've managed to hit the standard winter frontal progression nicely, as shown on the detailed national radar pic: http://radar.weather.gov/Conus/full_loop.php You'll be able to stay right behind the front and get some of those W'ly veering NW'ly winds, too. It also looks like Expo will have mostly dry conditions this year, altho' some days the temps will be pretty shocking to the locals. But mind Wed's surface winds as they'll be very strong. Fly safe.
Jack
Flying in/out KBZN, Bozeman MT in a Grumman Tiger
Do you fly for recreational purposes? Please visit http://www.theraf.org
newamiga
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Re: On the way to Sebring

Post by newamiga »

Thanks Jack.. I will stop by to say hi. I wonder if Mitch will be there? I heard they were flying down one of the factory S-LSA's to the show from Oregon.

Well today was a short adventure :) My intent was to fly south from Midlothian to Austin to have dinner with a friend. I showed up at Midlothian and the winds were just at my limits, about 21 kts headwind.. then the sock started going to the right and left and I was not digging a possible G21 crosswind takeoff. Then I looked at Austin.. and it was already over G20 and forecast to be as high as G28 all day long. So now I get another exciting night in Waxahachie TX :)

My hope is that the storm clouds keep pressing east tomorrow and I will make a run for Perry Foley FL tomorrow. It looks like if the strong tailwinds continue, I can make it there in about 5.5 hours flying time. It looks like Perry should be clear by midday tomorrow. I was hoping I had an excuse to miss some work telecons today.. not so lucky.

Carl
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MovingOn
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Re: On the way to Sebring

Post by MovingOn »

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Nomore767
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Re: On the way to Sebring

Post by Nomore767 »

"Thanks Jack.. I will stop by to say hi. I wonder if Mitch will be there? I heard they were flying down one of the factory S-LSA's to the show from Oregon. "

Looks like the Vans S-LSA is approaching SW Arkansas on it's way to Sebring.

http://www.flightradar24.com/data/airplanes/n249va
MovingOn
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Re: On the way to Sebring

Post by MovingOn »

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Nomore767
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Re: On the way to Sebring

Post by Nomore767 »

The vans RV12 S-LSA being flown from the factory I believe is a delivery flight and the customer will take it at Sebring. I 'think' it might be the black version of the new paint scheme (from a Van's teaser).

There will be another one as the demo plane, perhaps Mitch Lock's plane.
newamiga
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Re: On the way to Sebring

Post by newamiga »

Yeah Vans put up on Facebook today that both the factory S-LSA and Mitch's plane would be there. Looking forward to seeing both.
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Jack Tyler
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Re: On the way to Sebring

Post by Jack Tyler »

Carl, as you've already noticed, your likely route to 40J will transit very densely occupied airspace from Mobile to the east of the Tyndall MOA's. In case your new to that area, a couple of assurances: Pensacola Approach works very closely with the dual fields (fixed wing and helo) at NAS Whiting and will be very helpful to you as you begin to penetrate the NAS Pensacola, then KPNS and finally Whiting Field areas.

By KPNS you will have begun using the airspace where the Special Air Traffic Rules apply with their VFR N-S and E-W corridors. You'll want to plan on using that coastal corridor vs. hoping for a rhumb line course direct to 40J from the Pensacola area unless the series of airspace controllers (Pensacola, then Eglin, then Tyndall) offers you a better option. The various military operators in that area are very familiar with the corridors and their altitude envelopes so you'll have a very safe flight re: traffic so long as you talk to the right folks as indicated by the sectional. The views of course are superb as you leave the murky Mobile Sound waters and begin flying over some of the most attractive beaches in the nation.

Perry Foley? As they say, there's not much 'there' there. Was it the multiple runways offering lots of wind-related landing options? And/or because it's about where you turn the corner from the Panhandle to the peninsula? You'll have a quiet night. <s>
Jack
Flying in/out KBZN, Bozeman MT in a Grumman Tiger
Do you fly for recreational purposes? Please visit http://www.theraf.org
newamiga
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Joined: Fri Jun 22, 2012 6:21 pm

Re: On the way to Sebring

Post by newamiga »

Well folks an update. Today had great winds for a straight shot to Perry Foley. Before committing to that however I took a very close look at several models of winds aloft for the return trip starting Friday afternoon and Saturday. Unfortunately, depending on the altitude the winds looked very bad to just moderately bad for a flight back across to Colorado. Based on that and having spent two days waiting for surface winds to be good enough, I decided to grab a flight out of DFW to MCO commercial and leave my plane up at Midlothian. I am disappointed I didn't make it the whole way down to the show this year. I have done that trip once now, the whole roundtrip, but this year wasn't to be. As it turns out the commercial option wasn't too bad. I got upgraded to first class on the commercial flights and I am sure I will make it to the show this way and also only have about 5.5 hours of winds to deal with from the Dallas area back to the Springs on Saturday.

Jack, I really appreciate your heads up on the PNS area ops. I spent some time looking over the charts and I was interested to fly through there in a GA plane. In my Air Force days I deployed down there to fly in exercises a few times in the backend of RC-135's but I have never flown over that area in a GA plane. It is still on the bucket list.

I will see you guys at the show.

Thanks Carl
Private Pilot and RV-12 Builder
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