06/04 Date flight to the San Juan Islands

I decided it would be nice to take a fly to picnic with Cheryl to the San Juan Islands. She was really excited about this, so we packed a lunch and set off. I choose a cruise altitude of 9500ft and we set off north. We passed by Mt. St. Helens and I thought that I should divert to see that on the way back.

We continued northward over Seattle, which is beautiful from the air, where we saw several aircraft carriers parked in Bremerton. Further north we passed the Olympic Mountains which are magnificent! After about two hours in the air we reached the San Juan Archipelago.

Descending toward Orcas island, we could see that the water was particularly clear this time of year. We landed and walked to the north end of the runway. The view was amazing so we laid down my coat as a blanket and setup our picnic. We just sat there eating food, watching airplanes fly overhead and holding each other. The sun felt nice after such a long winter.

When we were done, we packed up our picnic and headed back south. When we were about 30 minutes from home I diverted to Mt. St. Helens and took a little tour around the volcano. It was so beautiful that day. I will not soon forget it.

5/29 Flight with Cheryl and Dawn

Today I took my girlfriend Cheryl and her sister Dawn flying around the Vancouver area. It was a short flight but we had a really nice time. Dawn really enjoyed the flight and it was nice to be able to do that for them. It was a short flight, but a memorable one.

After we landed and put the airplane away, I noticed that the hangar door was open at a friend's hangar. I asked Dawn if she wanted to se a really neat airplane and she agreed. I pulled up to the hangar and inside she could see a beautiful T-6 Texan WWII fighter trainer. It is nearly all silver with some red accents. The owner was not there but the mechanic asked if the two girls were twins. They said yes and he offered to let them both sit in the airplane. The both looked so excited. They hoped in and I took a few pictures. It was a day that I do not think any of us will forget.

4/30 Flight to Ashland for A Taste of Ashland

I have had some good luck lately in managing to find enough clear weather to take occasional trips. I was planning on going to an annual event in Ashland Oregon called A Taste of Ashland and the weather allowed me to fly down. It was a beautiful flight with relitively clear skies.

I enjoyed the event and the time spent with friends.
Flight was at 9500ft, 8GPH and 110KTS