Scuba Diving club,
Southern California
Mooney 79869-er’s Big
Adventure!
By Ransom Hicks
Photo by Linda Blanchard
Just about a
year ago, I proudly took possession of Mooney 79869. In a little less than a year, I’d put 225 hours on her. Early morning, Tuesday July 22, I began my
most ambitious cross-country trip yet.
Armed with a brand new instrument rating, I set out for North Carolina
for a couple of family reunions and an adventure in the mighty Mooney.
For practice and experience, I filed IFR to Santa Fe for my
first leg. Four hours and forty minutes
later, tanks near empty and bottle near full, I landed at SAF. My longest stretch in the cockpit ever, by
about 80 minutes. 1100 local, 6348 MSL,
and so hot my shoes were sticking to the tarmac.
While the Mooney was refueled, I grabbed lunch and a weather
briefing. Thunderstorms expected here,
clear there, time to go. After many
attempts, and much colorful language, got the Mooney started - Mooney’s tend to
be temperamental at high temperatures and altitudes. Rolling on 15, raindrops hit my windshield. Climbing off the end of the runway,
lightning was striking the Sangre de Christos to the Northeast. Headed south toward the pass and turned east
for Tulsa OK, leaving the thunderstorms behind at that 160 mph airspeed (On 9.3
gph) that makes Mooney drivers feel so irritatingly smug. After an uneventful 3 hours over lots of
brown flat stuff, landed at R. L. Jones in Tulsa, where I spent the night with
relatives.
Bright and early the next morning, I continued on my next
leg to visit family in Russellville KY.
(Not nearly as exciting as it sounds)
(Exciting departure from yesterday.)
After an hour, small cauliflower clouds started appearing. The further east the bigger they got. I’d been looking forward to crossing the
Mississippi for the first time. Without
the GPS-map, I wouldn’t have known it - just a glimpse or two of brown water
between clouds. Made my first actual
solo instrument approach to Russellville to get through the clouds.
That was Wednesday.
By Friday, I’d spent about two days longer than necessary to see everything
of interest in Russellville, and headed for Murfreesboro TN, a quick hop of 30
minutes or so. Spent the weekend with
my sister and her family. Took them all
flying, even managing to stuff my 6-6, 350 pound brother-in-law into the Mooney
and flew him around town. (If you’ve
ever been in a Mooney, you’re fairly amazed right now)
Come Monday, continued on to my mother’s in Southport
NC. Landed at Oak Island Airport,
pretty much right on the Atlantic.
(Cross-country indeed!)
Descended through a hole and “scud-ran” about 50 miles, where I found
the airport completely clear - figures.
Oak Island is an incredibly friendly airport, with a really
cool Airport dog named Shadow. (The
welcome mat says, “The Dog and its cleaning staff live here.”) Interesting thing, the only instrument
approaches at Oak Island are NDB”s, (hence the scud running - no ADF) very
common back there, and MOST airports have no published instrument departures,
making IFR more difficult. On the other
hand, the guys back there said that it’s usually no problem to get cleared
direct to just about anywhere, most MEA’s being about 2000 feet.
I had planned to make a bunch of small hops from back there,
but every day the weather forecast thunderstorms, which never showed up. The locals told me in the summer, you just
flew around t-storms, or didn’t fly.
Armed with this knowledge, I ventured forth, loaded up Mom and headed
for Kitty Hawk. (Religious pilgrimage –
couldn’t be in NC and not go!)
Weather forecast was the same as always, and had to descend
through a hole and scud run at 2500 to First Flight Airport, which was
completely clear - figures. It was an
experience to stand at the foot of the monument and look at my own plane on the
nearby airfield. (Probably a guy thing)
After doing the tourist thing, we took off, climbed above
the clouds, headed west around a bunch of restricted areas, turned south and
admired the towering cumulous. For once
the forecast was right! Fortunately,
the front was just west of the restricted, so we headed south, paralleling
incredibly beautiful towers and multiple layers of clouds.
West of Southport, ATC informed us a Bonanza was in the
clear at 7500 inbound to Oak Island, descended and headed east. Had to go to 2500 to stay clear of the
layer, and got rained on a little. A
little amused by the call, “November 869-er, at your 12 o’clock, six miles,
radio tower, 2000 feet.” Yikes! Reported visual on tower and arrived at
airport, completely in the clear, again - figures.
After the Hicks reunion on the coast, came time to go to
Carpenter reunion at Rutherfordton, NC.
Waited for airport to get VFR, took off and got above layer for a bumpy
ride. An hour out, got an “external
power lost” message on my GPS. Realized
alternator switch was off – must have knocked it when dialing in transponder in
the bumps. (Note to self – don’t DO
that!) Near Charlotte, got an IFR
clearance and made my second for real instrument approach and landed at
Rutherford County.
On Sunday, August 3, took off and headed home. Landed just across the Mrs. Hipp (actually
could see it this time, lots of muddy water) at Jonesborough AK. On approach, kept broadcasting on Unicom
frequency, 123.0, felt like home) as I turned downwind, got a call “Mooney that
just cut us off (I didn’t really, I had been watching the Cessna take off and
had it in sight) you should be on 123.6!”
Sure enough, my AFD listed a separate CTAF and Unicom, which explained
why the Cessna on takeoff wasn’t talking.
First time I’ve run into that.
(Note to self – read entire entry)
Weather briefing said all clear to next stop, Amarillo TX,
should be a beautiful flight. So
immediately flew into huge cumuliform, some I had to go around because too tall
to go over. In a clear patch, decided
to try under, went down to 4500. RAL
bumpy, and more of those humongous radio towers in poor Vis. (But I did have a kicking’ tailwind,
groundspeed of 175!) In next clear
spot, went back on top and had to deviate about 30 miles north around the tall
stuff, then came across clear near Amarillo and landed, after 4 hours, for more
fuel and a potty break.
Clouds started rolling in, because it was 3:00 in the p.m.,
and that’s what they do in Texas.
Checked weather, including a monitor with live radar imaging. Air met Sierra said T-storms North of Santa
Fe, tops 30,000, moving southeast at 15 kts.
Decided I could deviate south and beat it.
Took off, flew west under clouds to Tucumcari. (Can’t believe such a place actually
exists) Once in the clear, tried to go
over, but tops were up around 13,500, so back to 10,500 and headed under. Surprisingly nice smooth ride, headed for
daylight to the southwest. All was
going great until I got to Albuquerque.
That’s where I started seeing lightning strikes at my 12 o’clock,
several patches of downbursts, and more lightning at my 9. But to the southwest, a tunnel of clear
leading to daylight! Headed for it at
warp factor 9, listening to all the big iron on top deviating all over the
place above the clouds. I remember
thinking, “So this is Air met Sierra,” and also thinking, “Gee, I seem to be
the only GA up here.” Would have hated
to be up there in any less aircraft than the Mooney.
About the Arizona border, came out in the clear, and was
headed pretty much toward Prescott, which my planned flight had me flying right
over anyway. So after another four hour
leg, landed safely at about 8:00 local, and bought the cheapest fuel of the
whole trip. Side note – landings have
been a problem for my plane; I’ve been through about 6 this year. And this being my first night landing in
over a month, it picked this landing to go out. This was a real trial on taxiing and takeoff.
At this point, I’m two hours from home! So off I went, and after an uneventful two
hours under the first clear night sky I’d seen in weeks, I landed at Cable at
11:15 p.m. 18 hours total time, 15.1 on
the Hobbs, North Carolina to California in one day. There is now proof for those who say I’m “nuts” about flying.
So, something like 5,000 miles and 41.5 hours on the Hobbs,
the Mighty Moonie and I had had a hell of a trip. It’s not just a hobby, it’s an adventure!
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Posted March 21, 2004