Best Laid Plans

Not much gets me up at 4:45 a.m., and when my alarm went off this morning, I wasn't sure if flying was going to cut it this time either. The weather was iffy where I was going, it was still dark out, and I was really, really sleepy. The thought of pulling out a bunch of airplanes, meeting up with two other airplanes, flying to Ohio in formation, then worrying about the weather and getting home and not getting the Six wet the whole time just didn't appeal. I almost canceled, but I need the flights, and I'd just deal with the weather as it came, even if it meant I just flew locally and didn't go to Ohio. So before the sun was up, I'd pulled out the 340, pulled out the Cheyenne, pulled out the T-6, put the Cheyenne back in, put the 340 back in, locked everything up, checked my email and texts one last time just in case of a weather cancel, then launched, right exactly on time.

The plan was for me to meet a Yak and an RV in the air over Portland, on a certain frequency at a certain altitude at a certain time. I was about five minutes early, and I was wondering why I didn't hear anybody calling in on the frequency yet. I circled around out of the way for a few minutes, and I got a bad feeling. I'd kept my phone up front with me (I often put it in the baggage compartment in my purse), so I pulled it out and looked, and I had no texts. On a whim, I checked my email, and there I had a message from the Yak telling me he couldn't find my phone number, but that he thought maybe we'd go to Sheridan instead due to weather. The email was sent at 7:05...well after I'd had to leave in order to be at Portland by 7:20. Fortunately technology won the day. I sent an email back, from 3500', then sent a text. Plans were rearranged, and I flew over to Huntington to meet up with them there. Thank goodness I was able to check my phone, that I had a smart phone that could get email, or I'd have just circled there until I gave up and went home--angry. ;) Instead, it worked out just fine. We did a 3-ship flight with me as #3, then came in to do a few passes and land at Sheridan. A small break later, two Yaks, an RV and I took back off for some four-ship practice, with me as #4. We hit every possible formation hand signal, radio call and position. More passes at Sheridan at the end, then in to land just in time to hit the airshow briefing. Good flights, lasted about an hour each, went well, and I got to do several things I'd not done yet but needed to. I kind of like being #4. It's more work, but the view is good. :)

The Yaks decided to stay for the airshow too, so we had a couple of L-birds up doing one set of circuits, we had two T-6s and a BT-13 doing our trainer circuits, then the Yaks did a formation circuit above. Rain kept threatening, but it kept missing us, so the show went on. After the warbirds were done, we all left and split up our own ways. The Yaks went north, the other T-6 went south, and I went back to Kokomo to do the airplane shuffle again.

I am surprisingly tired for sitting down most of the day in an airplane, but it was a productive day for me. Steve was Air Boss for Sheridan. The turnout was pretty light this year on cars, planes and people, but I think the weather forecast kept some folks home, but it was a good day...

We ended up hitting Outback for a post-airshow wind down with a few folks, after which Steve came home and fell asleep, Kaylee still goes on like an energizer bunny, and I'm trying to figure out how to stop tensing up my leg muscles so much that my whole lower body hurts after just a few hours of formation. I'll be ready for bed tonight too. :)