Home!

MS and the IFR Pilot made it home safely yesterday afternoon. 2.5 days, 2100 NM covered. Hard IFR, scud running, CAVU, haze, mountains, flat lands, Columbia River Gorge, and more! N62TB was put through all of its paces on the ferry flight home, and the squawk list is pretty short, thank goodness. Here is a plot of our final route of flight, with overnight stops in Spokane and Sioux City, Iowa:

Lots of Ground Covered

MS and the IFR Pilot blasted out of Spokane early this morning, eager to conquer the Rocky Mountains during good weather. Tailwinds were with us, and we consistently saw 160 knots on about 12-13 gallons per hour. We decreed that performance to be "most excellent."

Today's route of flight covered about 1000 NM in 6.7 hours of flying:


The sights were incredible and pictures will be posted after we arrive home. Barring an unforeseen mechanical problem, we should be back at the Home Base by noon or so tomorrow. Time for some shut eye.

The Ferry Home Begins

MS and the IFR Pilot are residents of Spokane, WA tonight. It's Day One of The Ferry Flight, bringing N62TB to its hangar at The Home Base. No longer to be a resident of Friday Harbor, Washington, Two Tango Bravo can expect to be plying the skies to Connecticut, Florida, and New Orleans on a regular basis. A full recap will follow when we return. In the meantime, here's today's route - a total of about 450 nautical miles to cover about 220 nautical miles straight-line. Thanks Mother Nature!


Here's a couple other pics for your viewing pleasure:

Flight Planning

MS and the IFR Pilot are kibitzing on alternative routes for transporting 2TB from KFHR to the Home Base. Transiting the Cascade and Rocky Mountains in November is certainly an -- pardon the pun -- "uphill" challenge. Here's what we've come up with so far:

Leg 1: KFHR to KCOE

This is the current intended first leg:


Assuming 160 knots in a Trinidad, this leg would take about 2 hours.

As a possible alternative, if weather in Stampede Pass prevents passage there, we will go further south. Thusly:


This leg would take about three hours.

UPDATE: It's always been a mystery to the IFR Pilot why the AOPA Real Time Flight Planner didn't display a profile view of a selected route. As it turns out, it does. You just have to click on the "Profile View" link that is to the left of "Print Chart." So, here's the profile view of Leg 1A:




Assuming it ever stops raining in Seattle, both routes should provide great sights. We intend to stop in Oregon, where we will switch seats. That way, we can both check off Oregon in our respective "States Visited" map.



Leg 2: KCOE to KCTB or KGTR

We're still working on this one, but right now we're strongly considering this route:






It's a bit circuitous, but it spends much of the trip in river valleys. Only the final leg requires us to cross over the top of the peaks.

Obviously, the biggest challenge at this time of the year will be the weather. We've got time to spare, so we won't rush it. It should be relatively straightforward flying once we are clear of the Rockies, territory that the IFR Pilot knows somewhat from the Great Alaska Flying Adventure of 2005. Here's hope for a nice high pressure system to arrive in Washington around Wednesday morning of next week!/span>

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!

V-tail Bonanza.

Turbo Arrow.

Mooney.

1985 Socata Trinidad TB-20? Yep, that's the one.






Airframe Total Time: 2525 Hours
Engine Time: 598 SMOH

AVIONICS

• PAI 700 Vertical Card Compass
• King KAP-100 Autopilot coupled to NAV, HSI and GPS
• Stec 60 PSS Pitch Stabilization System with Alt Hold, Vertical Speed and G/S Intercept
• DAC GPSS Roll Steering
• King KCS-55 Slaved HSI
• King KMA 24 Audio Panel/Marker Beacon
• Garmin 480 with CDI, coupled to A/P and HSI
• King KX-155 Nav/Com with Glideslope
• King KT-76A Transponder
• King KR-87 Digital ADF w/ Combined Loop/Sense Antenna
• King KN-64 DME
• EDM 700 Graphic Engine Monitor with Fuel Flow
• 4 Place Panel Mount Intercom with Music Input and 4 Headsets
• Backup Garmin 396 with XM Weather and Terrain

OTHER EQUIPMENT

• Gami Injectors
• Tinted Windows and Windshield (New Windshield 1/08)
• Reclining Front Seats
• Tail Strobe Light
• Electric Standby Vacuum
• External Power Receptacle
• True Airspeed Indicator
• IFR Certified
• 88 Gal Fuel
• 1.5 HP Power Tow

The pre-buy is set for next week. Financing is in place. Insurance quoted and ready to bind.

If all goes well during the prebuy, we'll be picking up Six Two Tango Bravo during the week of November 16. Currently located in Puget Sound, the flight home should be another blogworthy adventure for MS and the IFR Pilot!