dragonsblog

Rocky Mountain Aerobatics

2007-03-19T20:12:00.000-07:00

After 6 months in Colorado, I finally have done some flying. A week ago I got some tailwheel time in a Citabria at Front Range Airport. I was really rusty and only had one or two decent landings, but I guess that's no surprise.

Part of the reason I was motivated to get some stick time again was because this weekend I knew I was going to get a free aerobatic ride with IAC Chapter 12. The club was generously allowing members of EAA Chapter 43 to get some vitamin G by offering rides in Decathlons, a Pitts S-2B, an Extra 300L and even the beastly Sukhoi SU-29. I wasn't sure how much flying they might allow me to do, but if they did I wanted to not be a total hack.

I call this picture "Sukhoi On My Mind". As you can see the weather at Longmont Airport (LMO) was gorgeous, as it seems to be so often in Colorado.

The airport was busy with the acro rides, a huge bunch of Young Eagles being flown, and a Twin Otter constantly shuttling parachutists up to about 5,000' AGL over the field. Here are some friendly people sitting in front of a nice aerobatic biplane who helped take pictures of me. ;) The little guy enjoyed watching all the jumpers because the practice aerobatic boxes weren't visible from the field.

"Does this outfit make my ass look big?" By luck of the draw (and a special request) I was fortunate enough to fly with DJ Molny in his Extra 300L, a really sweet ride. In this picture DJ was explaining to me what to do in case I had to make use of the parachute strapped to my butt.

The Extra was a wonderful ride, and DJ let me get the feel of the plane and fly some loops and barrel rolls, and hang upside down for a while. The controls were incredibly smooth and sensitive, and the control harmony was perfect. Of course there is plenty of horsepower too. DJ's plane has a 4-bladed prop and a large expansion chamber on the exhaust so it is relatively quiet too, especially compared to the Sukhoi. Compared to my previous acro experience in a Decathlon, the easy controls and superior visibility made the flying much easier. I think some stick time in Kurt's EZ probably helped too (thanks Kurt). Needless to say, I was all smiles before and after the ride.

Brian, the Young Eagles Coordinator for EAA Chapter 43 got to ride in the Sukhoi so I got this shot of him before he mounted the beast.

All of this took place with the beautiful backdrop of the Rockies nearby. Here Brian in the Sukhoi taxis back in front of Longs Peak, located in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Lastly, here is a picture of the colorful Pitts S-2B in front of the mountains, an image of another perfect day outside with airplanes.

Bluff Lake Winter Walk

2006-12-31T15:15:00.000-08:00

I see it's been a while since I posted. Did I mention I moved to Denver?

I decided to get out for a walk today to keep from going stir crazy over the New Year holiday weekend. Going up into the mountains this weekend wasn't part of my plan because of all the snow we've had, but it probably would have worked OK because the weather has been sunny today and yesterday. I drove over to Bluff Lake Nature Preserve near where I live in Denver and was in awe of how beautiful it was there.

As I arrived in the early afternoon the entire snow-covered front range of the Rockies was spread out in front of me, with all of Denver in the foreground. The air was crisp and clear, and the sun cast dramatic shadows in the mountains. Longs Peak looked closer and taller than I'd ever seen before, and the Flatirons looked smaller than normal in comparison.

As I stood on the bluff overlooking the lake, enjoying the view, I called my mother to share it. As I spoke with her I noticed a tight formation of four F-16 jets buzzing downtown Denver--it must be the start of a Broncos game! I could hear the roar of their engines as they headed south in front of the mountains to return to the Air Force Academy, keeping their altitude nice and low the whole way.

I headed down the trail to the bottom of the bluff and around the wetlands, marveling at the serenity of the view of grasses and plants poking above the pristine surface of the snow and the shadows they cast on its surface. I looked back at the bluff and enjoyed the composition of the trees and snow drifts against the bluff, the pavilion atop it, and the near-full moon rising behind. Too bad I didn't bring a camera, I thought. The view was far too nice to spoil in an image on my crappy cell phone camera.

As I crunched along through the deep snow following snow shoe tracks, my eyes followed the tracks of various small animals and birds off to each side of the trail, some of them mysteriously disappearing at some point in the snow. A chipmunk and mynah bird were the only beings I saw making the tracks. Eventually I found tracks from the small resident mule deer herd and even found where they had bedded down along the trail, probably last night. But I couldn't see them anywhere. How do deer hide in plain sight like that?

At the far end of the park I turned back onto a snow covered trail so straight and flat it must have been an old road or railway. The trees arched over it framing a wonderful winter view. From the trail the sunlight reflected off the patterns in the ice of the small lake. For being so low the sun was surprisingly warm on my skin, and for a while I had to remove my jacket and fleece to keep from overheating despite the freezing temperature.

A small gaggle of geese flew across the face of the moon above Sand Creek to my left. The only intrusions of humanity to the solitude of the trail along the side of the wetlands were the jets climbing out from DIA (an intrusion I don't mind) and occasional sounds from the industrial area to the north across Sand Creek. Aside from the rustle of the wind through the trees and the crunch of the snow under my feet, the only other sounds were the occasional groups of geese flying overhead, constantly debating their formation and destination.

But the sun was descending rapidly and as I climbed the trail back up the bluff I enjoyed the shadow of a small tree stretching far across the smooth snow toward me from the glare of the bright sun behind it. At the top of the bluff I heard a loud honk across the creek, a pickup truck at a wastewater treatment plant trying to chase the geese away. The one loud honk erupted into hundreds of lesser honks and the beating of hundreds of wings as a huge cloud of geese rose into the sky above the plant.

They launched to the east and west up and down the creek, circled around to try and regroup. A small group landed in an open area of the creek and more landed in an open area of the nature preserve, the rest circling around and discussing the options. One group passed over the crowded landing area to circle around again and passed low over my head, then came around with their wings drooping with extreme anhedral as they sank down into their noisy, flapping spot landings.

I love watching geese fly. I love their close formations, high-speed cruising, short-field landings and take-offs, and water ski landings. Maybe I was a goose in a past life. Maybe I will be in the future. We'll see how this one goes . . . Hopefully I'll end up with enough karma to come back as a goose.

This Much Fun Just Can't Be Legal

2006-07-22T17:52:00.000-07:00

I got to fly in a Piper Cub with Dana yesterday and, as I suspected it would be, it was way more fun than any other flying that I've done so far! What a total gas flying low and slow with the windows open, buzzing the corn and trees, full slip approaches 180° from downwind to 3-point landing on wet grass... If this is the way America used to learn to fly, it's no wonder we had so many good stick and rudder pilots.

It was drizzling rain some of the time while we were flying, but the air was calm and cool and the rain kept other traffic away. It cleared up beautifully later in the evening and I could hardly bring myself to stop. We even visited a couple of homebuilders working on their airplane projects at Westosha and Galt. What a great time--thanks Dana!

The Skyhawk SP

2006-06-21T17:10:00.000-07:00

I got checked out in the club's 172-S Skyhawks and had a great afternoon and evening buzzing around playing with the moving map GPS and autopilot. The extra horsepower was nice too.

I ended up flying from Westosha to Kenosha to Poplar Grove (Belvidere) to Waukesha and back to Kenosha. At Kenosha Kurt and I went out and buzzed around for a while and then I headed back to Westosha.

This is a view to the west just after I departed Waukesha Airport. There is a big quarry in the foreground and the airport just beyond it.

You may just be able to see the downtown skyline of Milwaukee in this view to the east taken just after I departed Waukesha.

Here is a view of all the toys in the instrument panel.

Aside from some drizzle and some mild gusts, it was perfectly smooth and warm, a beautiful day to be out flying!

I Believe

2006-06-19T17:50:00.000-07:00

I believe:

We don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.
No matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.
True friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.
You can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.
It's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.
You should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.
You can keep going long after you think you can't.
We are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.
Either you control your attitude or it controls you.
Regardless of how hot and steamy a relationship is at first, the passion fades and there had better be something else to take its place.
Heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.
Money is a lousy way of keeping score.
My best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.
Sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down, will be the ones to help you get back up.
Sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.
Just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.
Maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.
It isn't always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.
No matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn't stop for your grief.
Our background and circumstances may have Influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.
Just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't love each other. And just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do.
You shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever.
Two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.
Your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you.
Even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you - you will find the strength to help.
Credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.
The people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.

(From an email I received from Claudia, and others.)

Cruising The Lakefront

2006-05-29T18:27:00.000-07:00

Flying down the shore of Lake Michigan on Saturday morning was spectacular! The air was smooth as can be, there was no other traffic, and the morning sun was perfectly illuminating the skyline of Chicago. Conditions were so perfect that it didn't even bother me that all I could see when I looked straight down was water. Lots of cold, deep water... (Click on the images to view larger, 1280 pixel images)

Although this zoom view of downtown from near Evanston looks hazy, it was a perfectly clear morning. Montrose Beach and Harbor are in the foreground, then Belmont Harbor and then Diversey Harbor closer to downtown. For a similar view at night, see my April 12th post.

This is a view of my home neighborhood, but I really like it because in the distance at the top of the image you can see the main east-west runways at O'Hare, almost twenty miles away. The planes approaching those runways were just a couple thousand feet above me.

Of course I had to take a shot of the friendly confines of Wrigley Field as I flew past. Waveland golf course in Lincoln Park is in the foreground. It was fun to see Lake Shore Drive and the lakefront trail from above, the routes of which I have become so familiar on the ground.

I like this view of "Big John" and the Mag Mile/Gold Coast area, mostly because of the reflections in the lake. The Museum of Contemporary Art is visible in the green space along Lake Shore Drive near the center of the image, and the historic waterworks and water tower are just visible beyond it.

Navy Pier looked quiet before the daily onslaught of tourists and visitors. I was just down there on that patio outside Festival Hall...

This is a good view looking up the entrance of the Chicago River. The lock into the lake is visible at the bottom of the image. The building under construction at the bend in the river in front of the black IBM Building is the new Trump Tower, which will be about as tall as the Aon building on the left.

This is a view of the Loop, Grant Park, Millennium Park and Monroe Harbor. The Sears Tower dominates the view, but on the left you can see Buckingham Fountain and the green roof of the Harold Washington Library, and on the right you can see the Pritzker Pavillion designed by Frank Gehry. The large white tents at the Petrillo Band Shell are temporary structures for the "Garden In A City" show. Just above them is the Art Institute.

Here's a view of the Loop north to Navy Pier.

Here's a view of just the main part of the skyline. Notice how the antenna masts on top of the Sears Tower extend just above the horizon, a little higher than I was flying (at 2500' above sea level).

This image shows the Museum Campus, Soldier Field, Burnham Harbor and Northerly Island (formerly known as Meigs Field).

I didn't take any more pictures as I headed south because I lost interest and had to prepare for my approach into Griffith-Merrillville Airport, sneaking past Gary Airport's airspace along the Illinois-Indiana border.

Pilot In Command

2006-05-30T17:41:00.000-07:00

Dana said he wanted to see more pictures of me flying as pilot-in-command, so here they are. Tom took these as I flew in to Griffith to pick him up for our weekend flight to Iowa.

A good view of 15L as I flew the downwind leg for runway 26.

On short final. It's always good to stay higher than the trees.

Beginning the flare. On runway 26 the threshold is displaced about 1400', so although it looks like I'm a long way from the end of the runway, I'm actually just about over the displaced threshold. The PAPI lights for 26 are in the foreground.

Settling down to the runway . . . after the first bounce.

Back taxiing. There was a small flock of geese on the other side of the runway, and later two deer wandered past. Fortunately they all stayed out of my way. As I departed Westosha at the beginning of this trip I saw a big tom turkey displaying to a bunch of hens on the grass runway--that was fun to see. It seems that big birds are always attracted to airports...

I must say I do look better in a bigger bird.

Pinch Me

2006-05-26T17:00:00.000-07:00

I had another weekend of living in my dreams. I did everything from fly down the Chicago lakefront to flying with an eagle over Iowa. It was great to have it work out as planned and have a few bonus surprises along the way, though some of the surprises were definitely in the "learning opportunity" category. I'll post a bunch of images as soon as I get them all formatted.

Special thanks go to Tom for going along as copilot, ground support (when I was giving rides), and photographer, and to Sherry for hosting us in her heavenly "bed and breakfast." Thanks also to Hiltje, Aja, Marissa, Pam, Rob, Stan, Abbie, Julie, Dave, Candice and Cassie for taking time to hang out with me and go along for rides. I hope you really did enjoy it as much as I did!

Aviation Safety

2006-05-15T17:43:00.000-07:00

Tom sent me a link to an opinion/article on general aviation safety. He swore he would never set foot in an airplane again . . . until next weekend when we plan to fly to Iowa again.

The article tries to do a statistical analysis of GA safety that has been done a thousand times before a thousand different ways. I limited my aviation activity for years due to numbers, but nobody does it because of numbers, they only avoid it because of numbers. And the numbers don't take everything into account.

Despite the bad grammar and marginal clarity, I think these comments posted to the article put it in perspective:

"One more comment... I've been a pilot for some years and there are very few people in the U.S. who can pilot a plane and the beauty of flying a plane is more than most people could ever experience in a lifetime. I've seen more beauty then most could ever imagine. I've also been in several emergency situations but I assure you that with the intense training of being a pilot you are prepared for most situations. When you are up at 10,000 feet with the moon gleaming off a big lake you realize that in your lifetime you out of very few will ever experience that beauty.
I guess I could spend my life smoking and drinking not to accomplish anything in life or fly a plane knowing I've accomplished what billions of others only dream of, so I guess it is all about choices."

And this one:

"GA is a hobby just like collecting motorcycles, playing sports or what so ever... The thing I can assure you of is that pilots are the most highly trained of all. Accidents happens and I don't know what is safer but sometimes you have to ask yourself are you really doing what you love to do? If you put GA in perspective to motorcycles and to some sports there is no comparison. So many people get wrapped up into comparing GA to cars when really there is no comparison as the proportions don't compare. But after watching my mom pass due to cancer which kills more people then both combined, I have to believe that you have to let people fulfill there dreams. You can never tell someone their chances are greater one way or the other, because you are limiting their dreams and hence are they truly happy."

As with everything to do with the way we live our lives, it is all about choices.

Over Iowa

2006-05-02T17:38:00.000-07:00

Tom did make a page on his website of the images from our flight over Northeast Iowa that he liked best or thought I would appreciate. These images have special significance for me:

The town of Clayton on the Mississippi River

The town of Elkader on the Turkey River

I can even see my grandparents' apartment bay window!

The bend in the Turkey River around the Kobliska Farm

Another dramatic view of cousin Stan's place north of Elkader

And this nice view of the mouth of the Wisconsin River where it feeds into the Mississippi. In the center of the image is Pikes Peak State Park and in the upper left is Prairie Du Chien Airport where we landed for fuel. Tom even caught a train crossing the bridge over the Wisconsin River!

Best Dream Flight Images

2006-04-27T17:27:00.000-07:00

I'm so glad Tom flew with me on Saturday as my safety pilot/photographer and captured images and video of my "dream flight" to Iowa. He captured some fantastic images with his Canon digital SLR, a few of which I'm posting here. The image above shows the picturesque atmospheric conditions as we flew up the Mississippi River just north of Dubuque.

Tom captured a lonely little barge pushing upriver.

This view shows the broad expanse of the Mississippi at Guttenberg, including the dam there.

There were many wonderful patterns in the landscape below us, and Tom captured this one of a big John Deere tractor planting along the contours of a big field.

Tom caught this dramatic image as we flew over my cousin Stan's place north of Elkader. If you click on it to view the larger version you may be able to see Stan standing near his pond while his dog, Dutch, swims in it, and the shadow of our airplane passes by. The wing was washed and waxed that morning so the reflections really show up well.

We flew from Elkader to Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin, just before sunset and were treated to dramatic golden lighting of the rolling hills near the river as we detoured north near Effigy Mounds National Monument. The sun set as we waited for fuel in Prairie, and then we enjoyed a fast ride back to Westosha at night, thanks to smooth air and a tailwind.

The highlight of the trip for me was being able to land at Elkader Airport (I27) and drive into town to visit my grandmother, Abbie. It was so nice to not have to drive 5 hours each way to see her! Although it was a challenge to fly into Elkader's 1700' grass strip on top of a hill, it was quite enjoyable and I look forward to doing it again. I also enjoyed flying over the Kobliska farm north of town, which I've wanted to do for years. I hope to soon add some pictures of Elkader and the farm, or link to them on Tom's site.

Wrigley Remodel

2006-04-27T17:09:00.000-07:00

Courtesy of Steve Wright and Roger Heerema, several of my co-workers and I were able to enjoy the Cubs game at Wrigley Field yesterday afternoon. It was a nice sunny day for a ball game, but a bit cold where we sat in the shade--normal for this time of year.

The outfield bleacher section of the park was remodeled over the winter. Here is a view from inside the park of the extended bleachers and the new restaurant in center field.

Here is a street side view of the new bleachers overhanging the sidewalk. Blair Kaman gave it a good review in the Tribune.

Cubs lost to the Marlins, of course, but the great thing about going to Wrigley is that you enjoy the experience anyway!

Dream Flight

2006-04-26T17:27:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I did what I did last Saturday. It's still sinking in. I keep looking at the photos and the videos, reliving the experiences, as usual in vain hope that I will never forget how it felt.

It's funny how a dream of how things can be in the future can become a dream of how things were in the past so quickly, separated only by the brief moments of the actual experience. The dream before and after can, in fact, hold as much or more joy than the actual experience, and can comfort in hard times and motivate one to accomplish so much.

I'm not sure when I first began imagining portions of the flight I took last Saturday, but I think it was close to twenty years ago, maybe more. Now it is hard to remember how much I dreamt of flying before I actually started taking lessons sixteen years ago. I know I wanted to fly in college and even before in high school. And I know I imagined building my own airplane and flying when I was even ten or eleven years old, maybe younger. How young was I when I first wanted to become a pilot? I spent my youth in airliners, flying around the planet 3-1/2 times by the time I was eleven, so was it as soon as I could understand what a pilot was?

Back To Having Fun

2006-04-12T17:26:00.000-07:00

My flight instructor, Dana, said I needed more pictures on my website of me as a licensed pilot-in-command. Well, I don't have that but I have some photos of me with trusty N96832 and of my first flight down the Chicago lakefront. This past weekend was beautiful flying weather here so it was nice to get out after being skunked by the weather the previous weekend.

I didn't fly all the way downtown Chicago in the evening, but went as far as Montrose Harbor. The lights of Wrigley Field are visible on the right side of this image, and the lights of downtown Chicago in the center.

I also flew over my home neighborhood, my old neighborhood in Libertyville, the Fort Sheridan area where I used to work, and a couple areas along the North Shore where Wright Architects has projects. Here is a shot of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, from a flight earlier in the afternoon.

A couple weeks ago I got checked out in the club's 172P's so from now on I'm moving up to the bigger iron! (So to speak--172's don't really qualify as "big iron." :)

Licensed

2006-03-20T17:07:00.000-08:00

I did it! I passed the flight test for my pilot's license yesterday. Any euphoria I might be feeling has been thoroughly crushed by the severe blow to my ego from the test itself. Being critiqued by a 13,500-hour air transport pilot who's been flying for 59 years can do that, I guess. That, and being so nervous that any memory and coordination I thought I had seemed to disappear for the day, rendering me but a hint of the pilot I thought I was. I am so glad it's over so now I can go back to having fun flying!

I flew over to Kenosha Airport for the test, and although I obviously didn't take any photos during the test, I did take a couple on the way back to Westosha afterward. Here's one of Kenosha Airport as I was departing. It's a Class D airport with a control tower and plenty of nice runways.

As I headed back to Westosha, completely exhausted from the experience, the sun was setting into some clouds in the west. It had been a beautiful day for flying!

Going Loopy

2006-03-07T18:45:00.000-08:00

Aileron rolls, flying inverted, three loops, two hammerheads, two cuban eights, a couple of spins and some agressive lazy eights. Then I felt nauseous so we stopped and did three tailwheel landings on the grass strip at Camp Lake Airport.

That was the fun I had last Saturday with my flight instructor, Dana, in his American Champion Decathlon (8KCAB). I didn't have the presence of mind to take a picture of it with its brilliant paint scheme, so I nabbed these images of similar Decathlons off the Internet.

I wanted a taste of aerobatics and some time in a tailwheel aircraft, so Dana's Decathlon fit the bill. It was a blast to fly! I lasted about 45 minutes before my stomach got to me, and Dana jokingly said that's about 40 minutes longer than most people. I didn't have a problem with the 4-G pulls in the vertical maneuvers and actually kind of enjoyed them, but I found flying inverted to be very disorienting.

Dana has sold the plane, so I wanted to at least get a taste before the new owner took it. But darn it, now I want more!

Solo Cross-Country

2006-02-19T18:30:00.000-08:00

I finally got my second cross-country flight done to complete my solo cross-country training requirements for my private pilot's license, after trying to do it for over a month and repeatedly being prevented by high cross-winds, low ceilings or poor visibility.

What really made it interesting, though, is that I did it on what may prove to be the coldest day of the year. The Westosha Flying Club limits flights to temperatures above zero (F), so yesterday I had to wait until about 2:00 p.m. for it to rise above zero! Then, of course, the usual northwesterly cross-wind kicked up, jeopardizing my flight once again. Dana was good enough to offer to fly with me on a landing on the paved runway (03-21) and one on the grass runway (14-32) just to make sure I was up to it if the winds persisted on the return from my journey. If the cross-wind was so bad as to prevent me from landing on the paved runway I could land on the grass.

My flight plan was to fly direct to Lone Rock, Wisconsin, going just south of Madison's controlled airspace, then fly to Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, and return to Westosha. If for some reason that flight wasn't long enough to fulfill the 2-1/2 hours minimum that I needed, I had an alternate to fly to Kenosha. Fort Atkinson has a paved runway running the same direction as Westosha, so if I had trouble landing there due to cross-winds I could just keep going to Kenosha.

I had a heck of a time getting the engine started, even though the club has them hooked up to electric heaters all winter. The pre-flight inspection was interesting because everything was so stiff or frozen from the cold and all the rain this past week, (N96832 hadn't been flown for several days) but the cold, dense air made the little Cessna perform much better than normal.

Here's a photo I took at my first check point over Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.

This one is looking north toward Madison as I was flying past at 4,500 feet. In the distance you may be able to see the two lakes with the bridge of land between where the state capitol and the University of Wisconsin are located.

Obviously, the visibility was great and there wasn't a cloud anywhere along my route, although there were some lake-effect clouds out over Lake Michigan to the east. Lone Rock is just west of Spring Green, in the vicinity of Frank Lloyd Wright's former home and school at Taliesin. I was hoping I could spot them from the air but alas, I could not. The terrain changes to lovely wooded bluffs and hills in that area as you can see in this picture of the Wisconsin River, taken just east of Spring Green, as I was descending toward Lone Rock.

The cabin heater works pretty good in the plane I was flying, so I was comfortable enough to fly with my gloves off in the airplane, but by toes were cold and I could see wisps of my breath from all the drafts in the plane. Even a tiny hole can make a heck of a draft when the air is blasting through it at 120 miles an hour and is several degrees below zero!

On my way back toward Fort Atkinson I flew right over the top of Madison. Here is a photo of the state capitol and the downtown area between the lakes.

In this picture you can see the Madison (Dane County) airport in the distance, north of the city. I was actually flying over the top of their controlled airspace at 5,500 feet.

Here's a shot of McFarland, just south of Madison. Ken, Tricia and Hailey, can you see your house?

After uneventfully landing on the ice and snow at Fort Atkinson, I continued back to the southeast. My next checkpoint was Palmyra, which happens to be near one of my favorite nearby playgrounds, Kettle Moraine State Park Southern Unit. Here's a picture looking south as the wooded glacial formations of the park stretch into the distance.

Westosha Airport was out of gas so I decided to stop at Burlington to use the self-serve pumps there. It was getting too late for me to divert all the way to Kenosha to fill up there. Of course the temperatures were dropping with the sun, and the wind chill was incredible. I lost all feeling in my hands while gassing up the plane and still have numb spots on the ends of my fingers. Thankfully the plane started up again just fine and I high-tailed it back to Westosha just a few minutes away. I just flew toward the lights on the Wilmot Mountain ski hill. Here's a shot as I circled overhead to enter the landing pattern at Westosha. There were actually a few brave souls out there skiing!

After tieing down the plane as darkness fell, I snapped this shot of the sunset reflecting off the plane. What a great day to spend in the sky!

Flying Solo

2006-01-17T17:55:00.000-08:00

I've been taking flying lessons since late September last year (2005) in hopes of getting my private pilot license. I actually started on it about 15 years ago but gave up after about 18 hours right before I was about to solo. It was too much of a financial and emotional drain at the time, but this past summer I decided it was time to go for it, "now or never," so to speak.

I'm flying Cessna 152's with the Westosha Flying Club at Westosha Airport, just across the border in Wisconsin. Here's a picture of one of the 152's I fly and one of the other students, Dwight.

I'm certain I have the best possible instructor for me, Dana Holladay. He's a wonderful guy, a skillful instructor and a very talented pilot. Here's a shot of him relaxing in the flight office at Westosha.

This past weekend I made my first solo cross-country flight, a quick 2-hour jaunt to Oshkosh and Watertown and back. The weather was great and I had a blast. This was the first time I had time to take pictures and actually remembered to take some with my handy Treo 650 phone/PDA. Here's one looking back after departing runway 36 at Oshkosh, sacred ground for me and thousands of other aviation enthusiasts who make an annual pilgrimmage there. It was a real treat for me to be able to land solo on that runway, even though there was no traffic and nobody to watch except the guy in the tower, unlike the annual EAA convention which draws something like 14,000 aircraft and 250,000 spectators.

Here's a vanity picture of me flying into the sun with the Horicon National Wildlife Refuge visible out my window. Yes, I took the photo myself--I was trying to focus on flying and not get distracted so it looks like someone else took it.

This is a quick shot I took on climbout from Watertown Airport. Watertown looks like a nice, quaint Midwestern river town. Watertown is a very friendly airport, but it was a little busy because it was such a beautiful winter day to fly.

A Rainbow In The Grime

2006-01-05T17:52:00.000-08:00

A neighbor's car was consumed by fire recently, for unknown reasons. After the burnt carcass (no pun intended) was removed, all that remained were oily puddlets reflecting a rainbow of color. The color was so striking in an otherwise drab and color-deprived winter city environment that I had to take a picture of it.

A Ride To The Beach

2005-06-27T17:40:00.000-07:00

Claudia and I like to spend time outdoors to celebrate our wedding anniversary, so this year we decided to try our first cycle-camping adventure. We rode from our home north to Illinois Beach State Park near the Wisconsin border. We took the longer, more scenic route along the North Branch Trail on the way there. The paved trail winds its way through a forest preserve, offering us some cool relief from the heat and a sense that we were getting out of the city, even though we were still surrounded by it. Spotting two little fawns along the trail helped reinforce the effect.

Aside from the heat, the only adversity we encountered was a flat tire on our way through the Skokie Lagoons.

At one point about 2/3 of the way there we were shaded from the intense sun by what looked like the mother of all cumulonimbus clouds. I was fairly certain we wouldn't make it to the campground before the "Come To Jesus" thunderstorm hit, followed closely by the "Hallelujah God Almighty" hail storm. Some faith and a good tent could protect us from the thunderstorm, but faith, a decent tent and even a good helmet wouldn't protect us from the hail storm.

Fortunately the clouds seemed to just miraculously dissipate into lovely gold-trimmed cumulus and shift the wind around enough so we got a wonderful cool breeze off of the lake. We still set up our tent as soon as we got the the campsite, but then just took a leisurely walk around the campground and on the beach, which is just on the other side of the bushes in this picture.

The beach was almost deserted and the lake quite calm. A fog lay over Lake Michigan so we couldn't see far out, but it and the cool breeze enhanced the tranquility of the beach.

I braved the cold waters to try and limit the swelling in my knees. The expression on my face may look familiar. Judging by the numbness in my legs, I estimated that the water temperature was even colder than when we swam in Lake Pukaki last December.

Click on this little image if you want to experience the serenity of the beach. (Warning: large file download for high-speed Internet connections only! 3.5 MB AVI video file)

This view down the road to the end of the campground shows the friendly neighborhood nuclear power plant in the distance. It's gentle hum lulled us to sleep later in the evening.

Two days before we left I checked the weather forecast and the wind was forecast to be at our backs both days. By the time we left the wind was, predictably, in our faces both days. But all in all it turned out to be a great experience and a refreshing 90-mile bike ride.

Working On Hot Glass

2005-06-20T20:04:00.000-07:00

For a long time I've admired the aircraft designs of Burt Rutan and have dreamt of flying one someday. My friend, Kurt, has owned a homebuilt design of Rutan's, a Vari-Eze, for several years and I've tried to go flying with him whenever I can, but that hasn't been very often. I'm thinking about getting more involved in aviation again, so when Kurt offered to let me help him with some repairs to his plane the last couple weekends I jumped at the chance.

This past Saturday I drove out to Kurt's hangar and hung around most of the day. He had the plane up on jacks in the hangar. Mostly I just hung around and offered opinions and encouragement regarding how to attempt improvements.

I think it looks pretty good without the main gear. It's hard to convince Kurt to make it retractable--seems to be a sore point for some reason.

I'm looking forward to hopefully helping Kurt out some more this summer if I can fit it into my schedule. Going to work is overrated, especially on the weekends, which I seem to be doing more of lately, so maybe that will have to go...

Sailing With Marty

2005-06-20T19:43:00.000-07:00

My buddy, Tom, convinced his friend, Marty, to take us out sailing on his new 33' Beneteau out of Montrose Harbor last Thursday. It turned out to be a great evening for a sail--not too windy, not too wavy, not too cold.

Here's a photo of Captain Marty demonstrating the proper technique required for keeping such a demanding boat under sail.

And here's a photo of the gorgeous sky and First Mate Tom. Note the intense focus required for Tom to man the helm.

The views of the city skyline were fabulous.

Again, Tom at the helm with the focus thing...

OK, so getting back in the harbor did require a bit more attention what with all the dinky little boats flitting about as Marty's yacht came through. I suppose it would have been rude to just run them over. Decent sunset, eh?

Thanks, Marty!

Spring in Kettle Moraine

2005-05-28T09:15:00.000-07:00

A couple weekends ago Claudia and I enjoyed a beautiful day in Kettle Moraine State Park Southern Unit in Wisconsin. We were planning on camping, but the unpredictable spring weather made us change our plans to just do a day hike. We chose the most challenging loop in the Southern Unit, the Blue Loop in the Nordic Trails area, 9.2 miles total.

Many of the trees were just leafing out but there was plenty of green to enjoy. In the image below, Claudia inspects some oaks along the trail as some trail runners go past. The day we were there a 50-kilometer (30-mile) race was taking place on the Nordic Trails and the nearby Ice Age Trail. And we thought we were taking a long hike!

At about 1:15 PM we were approaching the end of our hike which was where the race ended as well. As the runners came by we encouraged them by telling them the end was near and congratulating them on making it. But one guy just stopped right next to us, told us he'd been running since 6:30 AM and wouldn't even be that far if he hadn't taken some shortcuts in the trail! He seemed cheerful despite his exhaustion. Many of the runners looked surprisingly unaffected by the long run.

It was a cool, breezy day, but the sun did show itself much of the time and there weren't any bugs to bother us. We enjoyed hiking through and identifying the formations left by glaciers thousands of years ago. The image below is of our lunch spot in a nice meadow on a flat ridge with some trees protecting us from the wind.

We finished the day by visiting the museum at the park headquarters and checking out a section of the Ice Age Trail and one of the shelters on it for a future backpacking trip. More fun to come!

The Joys of a Hot Shower

2005-06-16T04:27:00.000-07:00

My bike finally got wet last night! I've been too lazy to clean all the salt and dirt off of it from my rides last winter, so I've been hoping for some rain to wash it off a bit. I got my wish last night, but it was combined with a cold northeasterly wind off of the lake (in my face) and lasted for most of my ride home, so I was cold and soaked by the time I got home. Most of the ride I was saying to myself "The colder and wetter I get, the better that hot shower at home is going feel!" And I was right!

I.S.O. Warmth

2005-03-15T04:52:00.000-08:00

This is the time of year Chicagoans long for the warmth of spring. Our weather has been colder than normal, so any sunny day is a blessing just to feel a hint of warmth on the skin, the slightest warming of our chilled souls. I went our for a long ride, but cut it short when my familiarity with the concept of "wind chill" was renewed.

Although there were fewer people out by the lake, there were some, including a young boy flying a kite on the beach with his father and dog, a young girl with an inflatable flying saucer she was throwing in the air that ended up in a tree. The sun was bright, the sky dramatic, the air crisp.