chipchap42
Member
This is the record of the trip that Dayton Dabbs and I took to bring the Magni M16 gyroplane a friend and I just bought from him back home. We traveled from his base airport T74 - Taylor in Texas - to my new home base of San Martin airport E16 in California. The trip took 3 days of flying, starting Fri 4/15/16 and finishing on Sun 4/17/16. For background, I’m a pilot with about 700 flying hours, most of those in trikes - weight-shift control craft. I decided to learn to fly gyros when I got tired of being grounded by relatively low winds and any kind of turbulence. In a trike, turbulence isn’t just uncomfortable, it’s very scary. I never did any long journeys in a trike, out of concern for being stranded somewhere, unable to fly due to being bumped around too much. So I trained in gyros last year in California and got in a few hours, then went to Austin in December to take a proficiency test, where I met Dayton, who was the designated pilot examiner. In the course of our flying, he mentioned that he was thinking of selling his gyro in order to get another one and having been fully convinced that this was the kind of flying I wanted to do in the future, I got together with another pilot and agreed we’d buy it. Part of the deal was that Dayton and I would fly it from Texas to California. So on Thu April 14th, I flew one-way on Southwest to Austin and went to Taylor.
Day 1:
We were planning to leave at 8am or so, but woke to find the whole area smothered in thick fog. Oh well, we weren’t in a hurry anyway. Dayton suddenly remembered he needed to get a calibration certificate for the transponder so we did that, and then he heard that his father had been in a car crash! Fortunately Dad, also a gyro and helicopter pilot, was fine, though his car was badly damaged. At around 10am the fog started to lift and with Dayton’s parents there to see us off, we left Taylor airport at 10.45am.
Leg 1 - 189 mi to San Angelo
Soon we were flying northwest over the beautiful green scenery and rolling hills of that part of Texas. There was the odd surprise, like a Bavarian castle that was apparently one of mad King Ludwig’s unbuilt plans and which looks like the famous Neuschwannstein in Germany. (Apparently very popular for weddings!) With a welcome tailwind of 20mph+, progress was good. The great beauty of the gyro was apparent immediately in that we could fly as low as we liked and yet easily divert to see things of interest and do it at a reasonable speed. Our airspeed was a steady 90-95mph. Not something I was able to do in the trike. We landed after 2 hours at San Angelo airport, a class D with a boneyard of old jets. At least, I assume they were old. There were dozens all parked there, apparently not being used. A “Follow me” truck about twice our size shepherded us to the FBO where we were able to request fuel, borrow a loaner car to get to their recommended restaurant (excellent catfish!) and stock up on free cookies. All very friendly.
Leg 2 - 178 mi to Pecos
We set off after lunch, heading towards Pecos. Immediately it became apparent that the wind gods had decided we were having it too easy. Despite the fact that we were on the same westerly heading, the 20mph tailwind had become a headwind of 15mph - a huge net change. We flew (slower) across acres and acres of oil derricks, slowly going up and down like nodding ducks. I had seen the curious layout of the land here - each derrick had its own cleared area and concrete base, but from 35,000’ in a commercial jet, I couldn’t make out what on earth they were. Now it all became clear. Not all were moving - presumably a comment on the oil price. At Pecos, we were looking for fuel again, and as the gyro prefers 91 octane regular car gas, the airport manager, who presumably made his living at least partially from selling aviation fuel, was kind enough to help us get into the local town, lending us his truck and gas cans to go and get the gas we needed.
Leg 3 - 106 mi to Dell City
We set off from Pecos, intending to head to the east of El Paso and stay the night there. However, the headwind had got stronger and we were now fighting 25-30mph. It soon became clear that our fuel situation would be marginal to get beyond El Paso, so we decided to divert to Dell City, east of El Paso. We landed, but this was no “city". There were no structures at all on the airport, let alone any fuel. We walked along the road and found some locals at a house near the airport, but they said that the City didn’t even have a real gas station and we wouldn’t find anything other than diesel (and maybe some moonshine…)
Leg 4 - 70 mi to El Paso
We got back in the gyro and set off for El Paso, now the closest source of fuel. Dayton suggested that he flew this leg, as it was getting dark, the terrain was very rugged and we were going to be tight on fuel. So I sat in the back (for the only leg in the whole trip) and watched while he showed me how it was really done. Working the radios at the same time as flying the most efficient route, he talked to the controllers of the class Charlie airport of El Paso (International!) and we were surprised to be cleared to land straight in on their gigantic runway 26L - while still about 8 miles away from it. It seemed to take forever to get to the runway threshold, and when we landed and they gave us the taxiway they wanted to take, Dayton realized it was about a mile further down the runway, so he took off again and hover-taxied to the right exit point. Ground told us to hold for passing traffic and we watched while a sizable bizjet went past. Then they told us to taxi down to the FBO. We obliged and in the distance (it was now pitch dark), could make out something very large further along in our path. Then we heard Ground say “Southwest xyz - hold short for gyroplane on taxiway”. I’ve never played chicken with a 737 before and was certainly glad Ground had decided they were on our side. We were very happy to turn off the taxiway and let the 150+ plus people in that plane continue wherever they were off to. The FBO was amazing - great service, friendly girls booking a local hotel for us, free coffee and lots of interested mechanics coming out to talk to us about the gyro. They even called us later that evening to warn us that the wind was now very strong and said that they put the gyro into a hangar for us!
Total for the day: 543 mi, 7.7 flying hours.
Day 2:
After a good night at a local Hampton/Hilton/Generic hotel of some description, we returned to El Paso International the next morning ready to resume. It was a beautiful morning, but the wind was already strong. The friendly FBO staff fueled the gyro, cleaned the windshields perfectly and wished us a good trip.
Leg 5 - 85mi to Deming
We took off and headed for the mountains to the west of the city. It was a steep climb with amazing views of El Paso, the Rio Grande and Ciudad Juarez on the other side of the border. Coming over the mountains, it was clear that the winds of yesterday had only grown stronger and our ground speed was only around 60mph even with the airspeed close to 100mph. We continued on into New Mexico and all signs of human habitation just faded into nothing. Amazing scenery that really served to remind us just how big the USA really is. We passed what looked like multiple extinct volcanoes (well, we were hoping they were extinct) and found an enormous crater that appeared to have been caused by some long-ago meteorite strike. We headed towards Deming, and there was another range of mountains to cross. We spotted a gap and I headed for that as it was pretty cold already at 6,000 feet and without the gap we’d need to be even higher. But although gyros do very well in turbulence, I should have known better than to head into what was really a wind tunnel. As we got closer, our ground speed went down and down until although the airspeed was still 100mph, the ground speed was less than 30mph. We decided that with it getting bumpier too, we’d better find another way, so I peeled off, but immediately got sucked into a significant downdraft. Even at full power, we were going down fast. Dayton took over at this point (every aircraft really should have an emergency Dayton), and got us out of it quickly. He got us over the mountains and we landed at Deming. The wind was so strong that he said we could land at zero airspeed, but in fact he over-cooked it a little and we ended up going slightly backwards as we touched down - not something I had ever expected to experience. The airport manager told us afterwards that they have had 4 planes go down in the lee of those mountains on windy days, including a Cessna 182. So I guess gyros do pretty well considering.
Leg 6 - 127mi to Wilcox
After some much-appreciated (and in my case, much-needed) coffee and a check that the weather at least wasn’t predicted to get even worse, we headed due west to Wilcox and Cochise County in Arizona. The scenery was equally dramatic in Arizona, with scattered cumulus adding to the scenic views, dappling the landscape with constantly changing light. We could feel the lifting effects of the sun when in the patches of sunlight and overall it was rather like riding a boat on the sea. Keeping the gyro straight and level was hard to do and it was simpler to imagine we were in a kind of boat, riding the swell in the sky and not worrying about the lift and sink we were constantly going through - the average was OK. It was remarkable to think that no-one ever sees the country like this. People are generally either at road level (though not in many of the parts we were in - no roads) or they’re at 35,000ft and unable to see anything in detail. Even light planes are a poor second due to being cooped up inside We landed at Cochise County and another kind airport manager took us to another local gas station so we could fill up with 91 premium gas and avoid buying his 100LL. Then he took us to town and pointed us in the direction of a good local Mexican place. We were surprised to find it packed and realized there was something going on in the town that day. Chatting to some of the locals, all of whom were wearing cowboy boots and hats, I realized they all had spurs on the boots too. Apparently it was local rodeo day in town. Or maybe they just do that every day down there. Very friendly people anyway, and very interested in what we were doing.
Leg 7 - 129mi to Ak-Chin
From there we headed north-west in the direction of Phoenix, stopping south of the city at a small airport called Ak-Chin. They were doing some hang-gliding there and had probably the world’s lowest powered tow-plane - a Rotax two-stroke 503. It was a very warm day, and the ski trousers and padded clothes we’d really needed earlier in the day were a bit much in the 85 degree heat. We fueled up and headed for the last and longest leg of the day.
Leg 8 - 167mi to Blythe
We knew the next leg was going to be an interesting challenge. Time was getting on and although the weather had not been treating us badly, the wind was still strongly against us. Once we got half way to Blythe, we were committed, as there weren’t really any alternatives. We’d also need to avoid some Restricted military areas that we planned to pass close to. For me this was one of the best legs of the trip - amazing, desolate scenery with multiple ranges of overlapping mountains, bleak areas and some green spots too. As the sun sank and we looked back, we could see the tops of the hills and mountains we’d passed beautifully illuminated in the last light, while the land below sank into darkness. Finally we reached the last range and headed over. We were still in civil twilight, and I was still flying, but Dayton was ready to take over if it became officially night. Suddenly we took a sudden hit from a really big gust of wind. If I’d been flying my trike, I’d have been upside down after that, but the gyro shook it off and we continued through a few smaller hits with no drama. Now we could see a big river in front of us and realized that it was the Colorado, and beyond that we were in California. We crossed the river and felt very pleased with ourselves at having visited four states in one day. Landing at Blythe, I made the worst landing of the entire trip, feeling thick-headed and stupid as I put the gyro down more or less in one piece. Dayton kindly refrained from telling me what he really thought of the landing, simply pointing out I had flown over 8 hours that day. When we got to the FBO, we realized that it was shut and there was no way to get into the town, 6 miles away. Faced with a very long walk, we talked to the security guard who suggested that if we ring the “Emergency number” for the airport manager, he wouldn’t mind. Ready to blame it all on the guard, we found the airport manager ready to come out and drive the 20 mins to the airport and then further 20 mins into town for us - just another of the wonderfully supportive experiences we had. I have no real recollection of the rest of the evening, but believe we ate something at a Denny’s.
Total for the day: 507 mi, 8.5 flying hours
Day 3:
The next morning, peering blearily out of the window, it seemed as though the wind was calm. We had got up early to try to get to our destination in good time, but despite the hour (or perhaps because of it), there was no transport. The hotel didn’t have a shuttle, there was no taxi service, and even though Uber claimed to be available in the town, apparently "he wasn’t working that day”. In small towns, apparently Uber is a single person! A very kind guest at the hotel overheard our problem and decided he’d give us a ride. He looked like a Marine but it turned out he was a prison guard at the local Supermax facility. Remarkably nice guy who seemed to feel a lot of empathy for the people in his charge. At the airport, it wasn’t calm. At all. The wind sock was straight out, although it had shifted from west to northwest. Of course we needed to head northwest. We chatted to a group of British SAS who had arrived there in a C-130 to do some parachute training. The officer in charge pointed at the windsock and said sarcastically “It’s always worth coming here - for the weather”. They had been grounded for the last two days.
Leg 9 - 79mi to Twentynine Palms
We took off anyway. What the hell, we were flying a gyro! I expected that as we climbed, the winds would increase, but in fact they unexpectedly decreased, and our ground speed increased right up to a healthy 75mph. Dinner at home began to look like a possibility. This was definitely the driest and most depopulated leg of the trip. Amazingly arid area, with only enormous solar farms populating the landscape. We were up at 6,500 feet to make the most of the kindly winds but it was really cold. Fortunately Twentynine Palms was not far and it was very warm there.
Leg 10 - 136mi to General Fox
This was one of the best legs of the trip - we were able to fly at 500AGL pretty much the whole way, enjoying the varied scenery after the starkness of the desert. We passed little towns, areas of Joshua trees, and were aware of the build up of the LA basin south in the distance. We also flew over the landing strip used by Chapter 1 of the Popular Rotorcraft Association. It’s a private strip so we didn’t land, but we circled and waved. General Fox was a class Delta and we had a very enjoyable lunch there. Dayton had warned me that trying to get anywhere quickly in a gyro was not going to work, as people always want to stop you and chat, and we had already experienced quite a bit of that. But this particular airport had a great diner and we were there for ages, with people coming over to chat and ask questions, or just tell us their own experiences. It was very friendly and warm and meant we stayed a lot longer than we’d meant to.
Leg 11 - 150mi to Paso Robles
Taking off and heading for the next range of mountains, we were aware that beyond them was the California Central Valley. We climbed past wind farms, which complemented the solar arrays we could still see in the area. Obviously a very “green” state, California. Dayton took over from the back seat and flew us to 8,000 feet to clear the last big range of mountains we’d need to cross. We could see the cultivated crop fields, looking somewhat unnatural after all the hues of brown we’d been looking at. Heading up the Central Valley, we were suddenly over an extraordinarily dense array of oil derricks, busily pumping away. Strangely this was a much higher concentration of them than anything we’d seen in Texas. Oh well, California’s not just green then. Paso Robles was busy with lots of planes landing. We refueled and got straight back in the air for the last leg.
Leg 12 - 111mi to San Martin
OK I confess, I slowed down on the last leg. It had been a long trip with many hours in the air, but I really didn’t want it to end. We were flying low, enjoying the scenery when I suddenly heard a call sign I recognized. We were tuned to a local airport on the way to our destination and were just monitoring it for traffic awareness, but I knew that call sign. And indeed that voice. It was my friend Robert, a fellow Brit also living in California, who had introduced me to flying in the first place, many years ago. We quickly made a (somewhat unnecessary) radio call announcing where we were, so that he would hear it and he requested that the tower “pass a message to us”, which allowed him to suggest a frequency change to an air-to-air frequency. Well after that, we had to meet up for some air-to-air photography. Robert had a good camera with him, and more importantly, another pilot who could fly the Cessna 182 they were in. I flew straight and level while his friend Tom slowed the Cessna and maneuvered to be close enough for Robert to take some great photos. We then both flew on to San Martin and I landed and took the gyro to its new hangar, rented a few days previously. It was a great feeling to be on the ground, safe with the gyro now in its new home and a great welcome from Robert, Tom and my fellow new owner, Jim.
Total for the day: 477 mi, 7.0 flying hours
Overall total: 1527mi, 23.2 flying hours
The trip was a real experience of a lifetime, and I can’t adequately express my gratitude to Dayton. Not only was it very nice of him to take a rookie gyro pilot with him in the first place, but to sit in the back for 22 of the hours of flight, and to only do a fraction of the flying himself, went above and beyond. Without his expertise, I wouldn’t have dared to do such a substantial cross-country myself, and I’ll always be grateful for the opportunity and experience.
There's a link to a number of photos below.
https://picasaweb.google.com/110483770887442261737/6277315254205624497?authkey=Gv1sRgCM3b_Obt1eeKXA
Day 1:
We were planning to leave at 8am or so, but woke to find the whole area smothered in thick fog. Oh well, we weren’t in a hurry anyway. Dayton suddenly remembered he needed to get a calibration certificate for the transponder so we did that, and then he heard that his father had been in a car crash! Fortunately Dad, also a gyro and helicopter pilot, was fine, though his car was badly damaged. At around 10am the fog started to lift and with Dayton’s parents there to see us off, we left Taylor airport at 10.45am.
Leg 1 - 189 mi to San Angelo
Soon we were flying northwest over the beautiful green scenery and rolling hills of that part of Texas. There was the odd surprise, like a Bavarian castle that was apparently one of mad King Ludwig’s unbuilt plans and which looks like the famous Neuschwannstein in Germany. (Apparently very popular for weddings!) With a welcome tailwind of 20mph+, progress was good. The great beauty of the gyro was apparent immediately in that we could fly as low as we liked and yet easily divert to see things of interest and do it at a reasonable speed. Our airspeed was a steady 90-95mph. Not something I was able to do in the trike. We landed after 2 hours at San Angelo airport, a class D with a boneyard of old jets. At least, I assume they were old. There were dozens all parked there, apparently not being used. A “Follow me” truck about twice our size shepherded us to the FBO where we were able to request fuel, borrow a loaner car to get to their recommended restaurant (excellent catfish!) and stock up on free cookies. All very friendly.
Leg 2 - 178 mi to Pecos
We set off after lunch, heading towards Pecos. Immediately it became apparent that the wind gods had decided we were having it too easy. Despite the fact that we were on the same westerly heading, the 20mph tailwind had become a headwind of 15mph - a huge net change. We flew (slower) across acres and acres of oil derricks, slowly going up and down like nodding ducks. I had seen the curious layout of the land here - each derrick had its own cleared area and concrete base, but from 35,000’ in a commercial jet, I couldn’t make out what on earth they were. Now it all became clear. Not all were moving - presumably a comment on the oil price. At Pecos, we were looking for fuel again, and as the gyro prefers 91 octane regular car gas, the airport manager, who presumably made his living at least partially from selling aviation fuel, was kind enough to help us get into the local town, lending us his truck and gas cans to go and get the gas we needed.
Leg 3 - 106 mi to Dell City
We set off from Pecos, intending to head to the east of El Paso and stay the night there. However, the headwind had got stronger and we were now fighting 25-30mph. It soon became clear that our fuel situation would be marginal to get beyond El Paso, so we decided to divert to Dell City, east of El Paso. We landed, but this was no “city". There were no structures at all on the airport, let alone any fuel. We walked along the road and found some locals at a house near the airport, but they said that the City didn’t even have a real gas station and we wouldn’t find anything other than diesel (and maybe some moonshine…)
Leg 4 - 70 mi to El Paso
We got back in the gyro and set off for El Paso, now the closest source of fuel. Dayton suggested that he flew this leg, as it was getting dark, the terrain was very rugged and we were going to be tight on fuel. So I sat in the back (for the only leg in the whole trip) and watched while he showed me how it was really done. Working the radios at the same time as flying the most efficient route, he talked to the controllers of the class Charlie airport of El Paso (International!) and we were surprised to be cleared to land straight in on their gigantic runway 26L - while still about 8 miles away from it. It seemed to take forever to get to the runway threshold, and when we landed and they gave us the taxiway they wanted to take, Dayton realized it was about a mile further down the runway, so he took off again and hover-taxied to the right exit point. Ground told us to hold for passing traffic and we watched while a sizable bizjet went past. Then they told us to taxi down to the FBO. We obliged and in the distance (it was now pitch dark), could make out something very large further along in our path. Then we heard Ground say “Southwest xyz - hold short for gyroplane on taxiway”. I’ve never played chicken with a 737 before and was certainly glad Ground had decided they were on our side. We were very happy to turn off the taxiway and let the 150+ plus people in that plane continue wherever they were off to. The FBO was amazing - great service, friendly girls booking a local hotel for us, free coffee and lots of interested mechanics coming out to talk to us about the gyro. They even called us later that evening to warn us that the wind was now very strong and said that they put the gyro into a hangar for us!
Total for the day: 543 mi, 7.7 flying hours.
Day 2:
After a good night at a local Hampton/Hilton/Generic hotel of some description, we returned to El Paso International the next morning ready to resume. It was a beautiful morning, but the wind was already strong. The friendly FBO staff fueled the gyro, cleaned the windshields perfectly and wished us a good trip.
Leg 5 - 85mi to Deming
We took off and headed for the mountains to the west of the city. It was a steep climb with amazing views of El Paso, the Rio Grande and Ciudad Juarez on the other side of the border. Coming over the mountains, it was clear that the winds of yesterday had only grown stronger and our ground speed was only around 60mph even with the airspeed close to 100mph. We continued on into New Mexico and all signs of human habitation just faded into nothing. Amazing scenery that really served to remind us just how big the USA really is. We passed what looked like multiple extinct volcanoes (well, we were hoping they were extinct) and found an enormous crater that appeared to have been caused by some long-ago meteorite strike. We headed towards Deming, and there was another range of mountains to cross. We spotted a gap and I headed for that as it was pretty cold already at 6,000 feet and without the gap we’d need to be even higher. But although gyros do very well in turbulence, I should have known better than to head into what was really a wind tunnel. As we got closer, our ground speed went down and down until although the airspeed was still 100mph, the ground speed was less than 30mph. We decided that with it getting bumpier too, we’d better find another way, so I peeled off, but immediately got sucked into a significant downdraft. Even at full power, we were going down fast. Dayton took over at this point (every aircraft really should have an emergency Dayton), and got us out of it quickly. He got us over the mountains and we landed at Deming. The wind was so strong that he said we could land at zero airspeed, but in fact he over-cooked it a little and we ended up going slightly backwards as we touched down - not something I had ever expected to experience. The airport manager told us afterwards that they have had 4 planes go down in the lee of those mountains on windy days, including a Cessna 182. So I guess gyros do pretty well considering.
Leg 6 - 127mi to Wilcox
After some much-appreciated (and in my case, much-needed) coffee and a check that the weather at least wasn’t predicted to get even worse, we headed due west to Wilcox and Cochise County in Arizona. The scenery was equally dramatic in Arizona, with scattered cumulus adding to the scenic views, dappling the landscape with constantly changing light. We could feel the lifting effects of the sun when in the patches of sunlight and overall it was rather like riding a boat on the sea. Keeping the gyro straight and level was hard to do and it was simpler to imagine we were in a kind of boat, riding the swell in the sky and not worrying about the lift and sink we were constantly going through - the average was OK. It was remarkable to think that no-one ever sees the country like this. People are generally either at road level (though not in many of the parts we were in - no roads) or they’re at 35,000ft and unable to see anything in detail. Even light planes are a poor second due to being cooped up inside We landed at Cochise County and another kind airport manager took us to another local gas station so we could fill up with 91 premium gas and avoid buying his 100LL. Then he took us to town and pointed us in the direction of a good local Mexican place. We were surprised to find it packed and realized there was something going on in the town that day. Chatting to some of the locals, all of whom were wearing cowboy boots and hats, I realized they all had spurs on the boots too. Apparently it was local rodeo day in town. Or maybe they just do that every day down there. Very friendly people anyway, and very interested in what we were doing.
Leg 7 - 129mi to Ak-Chin
From there we headed north-west in the direction of Phoenix, stopping south of the city at a small airport called Ak-Chin. They were doing some hang-gliding there and had probably the world’s lowest powered tow-plane - a Rotax two-stroke 503. It was a very warm day, and the ski trousers and padded clothes we’d really needed earlier in the day were a bit much in the 85 degree heat. We fueled up and headed for the last and longest leg of the day.
Leg 8 - 167mi to Blythe
We knew the next leg was going to be an interesting challenge. Time was getting on and although the weather had not been treating us badly, the wind was still strongly against us. Once we got half way to Blythe, we were committed, as there weren’t really any alternatives. We’d also need to avoid some Restricted military areas that we planned to pass close to. For me this was one of the best legs of the trip - amazing, desolate scenery with multiple ranges of overlapping mountains, bleak areas and some green spots too. As the sun sank and we looked back, we could see the tops of the hills and mountains we’d passed beautifully illuminated in the last light, while the land below sank into darkness. Finally we reached the last range and headed over. We were still in civil twilight, and I was still flying, but Dayton was ready to take over if it became officially night. Suddenly we took a sudden hit from a really big gust of wind. If I’d been flying my trike, I’d have been upside down after that, but the gyro shook it off and we continued through a few smaller hits with no drama. Now we could see a big river in front of us and realized that it was the Colorado, and beyond that we were in California. We crossed the river and felt very pleased with ourselves at having visited four states in one day. Landing at Blythe, I made the worst landing of the entire trip, feeling thick-headed and stupid as I put the gyro down more or less in one piece. Dayton kindly refrained from telling me what he really thought of the landing, simply pointing out I had flown over 8 hours that day. When we got to the FBO, we realized that it was shut and there was no way to get into the town, 6 miles away. Faced with a very long walk, we talked to the security guard who suggested that if we ring the “Emergency number” for the airport manager, he wouldn’t mind. Ready to blame it all on the guard, we found the airport manager ready to come out and drive the 20 mins to the airport and then further 20 mins into town for us - just another of the wonderfully supportive experiences we had. I have no real recollection of the rest of the evening, but believe we ate something at a Denny’s.
Total for the day: 507 mi, 8.5 flying hours
Day 3:
The next morning, peering blearily out of the window, it seemed as though the wind was calm. We had got up early to try to get to our destination in good time, but despite the hour (or perhaps because of it), there was no transport. The hotel didn’t have a shuttle, there was no taxi service, and even though Uber claimed to be available in the town, apparently "he wasn’t working that day”. In small towns, apparently Uber is a single person! A very kind guest at the hotel overheard our problem and decided he’d give us a ride. He looked like a Marine but it turned out he was a prison guard at the local Supermax facility. Remarkably nice guy who seemed to feel a lot of empathy for the people in his charge. At the airport, it wasn’t calm. At all. The wind sock was straight out, although it had shifted from west to northwest. Of course we needed to head northwest. We chatted to a group of British SAS who had arrived there in a C-130 to do some parachute training. The officer in charge pointed at the windsock and said sarcastically “It’s always worth coming here - for the weather”. They had been grounded for the last two days.
Leg 9 - 79mi to Twentynine Palms
We took off anyway. What the hell, we were flying a gyro! I expected that as we climbed, the winds would increase, but in fact they unexpectedly decreased, and our ground speed increased right up to a healthy 75mph. Dinner at home began to look like a possibility. This was definitely the driest and most depopulated leg of the trip. Amazingly arid area, with only enormous solar farms populating the landscape. We were up at 6,500 feet to make the most of the kindly winds but it was really cold. Fortunately Twentynine Palms was not far and it was very warm there.
Leg 10 - 136mi to General Fox
This was one of the best legs of the trip - we were able to fly at 500AGL pretty much the whole way, enjoying the varied scenery after the starkness of the desert. We passed little towns, areas of Joshua trees, and were aware of the build up of the LA basin south in the distance. We also flew over the landing strip used by Chapter 1 of the Popular Rotorcraft Association. It’s a private strip so we didn’t land, but we circled and waved. General Fox was a class Delta and we had a very enjoyable lunch there. Dayton had warned me that trying to get anywhere quickly in a gyro was not going to work, as people always want to stop you and chat, and we had already experienced quite a bit of that. But this particular airport had a great diner and we were there for ages, with people coming over to chat and ask questions, or just tell us their own experiences. It was very friendly and warm and meant we stayed a lot longer than we’d meant to.
Leg 11 - 150mi to Paso Robles
Taking off and heading for the next range of mountains, we were aware that beyond them was the California Central Valley. We climbed past wind farms, which complemented the solar arrays we could still see in the area. Obviously a very “green” state, California. Dayton took over from the back seat and flew us to 8,000 feet to clear the last big range of mountains we’d need to cross. We could see the cultivated crop fields, looking somewhat unnatural after all the hues of brown we’d been looking at. Heading up the Central Valley, we were suddenly over an extraordinarily dense array of oil derricks, busily pumping away. Strangely this was a much higher concentration of them than anything we’d seen in Texas. Oh well, California’s not just green then. Paso Robles was busy with lots of planes landing. We refueled and got straight back in the air for the last leg.
Leg 12 - 111mi to San Martin
OK I confess, I slowed down on the last leg. It had been a long trip with many hours in the air, but I really didn’t want it to end. We were flying low, enjoying the scenery when I suddenly heard a call sign I recognized. We were tuned to a local airport on the way to our destination and were just monitoring it for traffic awareness, but I knew that call sign. And indeed that voice. It was my friend Robert, a fellow Brit also living in California, who had introduced me to flying in the first place, many years ago. We quickly made a (somewhat unnecessary) radio call announcing where we were, so that he would hear it and he requested that the tower “pass a message to us”, which allowed him to suggest a frequency change to an air-to-air frequency. Well after that, we had to meet up for some air-to-air photography. Robert had a good camera with him, and more importantly, another pilot who could fly the Cessna 182 they were in. I flew straight and level while his friend Tom slowed the Cessna and maneuvered to be close enough for Robert to take some great photos. We then both flew on to San Martin and I landed and took the gyro to its new hangar, rented a few days previously. It was a great feeling to be on the ground, safe with the gyro now in its new home and a great welcome from Robert, Tom and my fellow new owner, Jim.
Total for the day: 477 mi, 7.0 flying hours
Overall total: 1527mi, 23.2 flying hours
The trip was a real experience of a lifetime, and I can’t adequately express my gratitude to Dayton. Not only was it very nice of him to take a rookie gyro pilot with him in the first place, but to sit in the back for 22 of the hours of flight, and to only do a fraction of the flying himself, went above and beyond. Without his expertise, I wouldn’t have dared to do such a substantial cross-country myself, and I’ll always be grateful for the opportunity and experience.
There's a link to a number of photos below.
https://picasaweb.google.com/110483770887442261737/6277315254205624497?authkey=Gv1sRgCM3b_Obt1eeKXA
hwell:
ainkiller::flame:
