OH

So yesterday indeed went as it was actually supposed to, which was a little crazy.  :)  First flight was in the morning in the 172 doing a Mavrx test flight with Danny.  We went up, found the field, he figured out how to work it and fly the airplane.  Right when we landed, my next guy was waiting.  He's gotten sick his first two flights, so I'd suggested he get some ginger, which he did, and took for this flight.  It was bumpy and hot again, and we only stayed up for .6, but he did not get sick.  Before he was sick in 20 minutes flat. So it may take him some time, but he really likes flying, and he's pretty good at it, so hopefully he keeps coming back and working at it.

After he and I finished up, I needed to leave for Baltimore in the 340. I was waiting to hear from D on some parts he needed me to take with me out there, so I ran to town and grabbed some McDonald's before coming back, taking off and heading east. I'm glad I did as I didn't get a chance to eat anything else until much, much later.  It took me about 5.2 hours total to get to Baltimore and back, had a few thunderstorm cells to dodge on the way there, and it was hot and windy there, and super busy, making it a nice single-pilot work load.  I was number 2 of 4 people to land, with a Cessna and a Piper hot on my trail.  ;) 

When I got back to Kokomo, got the 340 put away, I had to run home and pick up Kaylee, and run back out to the airport, where we got in the Aerostar and headed east again, for Ohio. Now here's the weird part.  I had filed a flight plan, IFR.  On the ground, Kaylee asked "Are we going IFR?"  I said yes.  She said "Oh, then I probably can't do the flying."  I asked if she wanted to, and she said sure, so I just never called Grissom, never opened the flight plan, just went over VFR on our own, not talking to a soul.  I took off, circled over the field to say goodbye to a couple folks (as I was pulling away, Kaylee said "You really aren't normal, you know."  :D)  and we headed east.  I gave Kaylee the controls, and she flew us there.  As we were climbing up, my phone went off with a text.  It was FlightAware saying we had just departed OKK.  A few minutes later it said we were expected to arrive in 45 minutes.  After I landed in Ohio it said we'd landed.  I was never IFR.  I never opened the flight plan. But I was definitely in the system--you can see the track online on FlightAware. Apparently because of the new ADS-B in the plane, and the flight plan I'd filed, as soon as I launched, it was tracking me anyway.  Mmm.  Don't track me if I didn't ask to be tracked, man.

Kaylee did a nice job with the Aerostar.  She started off chasing the gauges a bit, but all it took was me reminding her to use her outside references to hold it steady, and she kept it pretty much on the money the rest of the flight.  She flew us to the middle of downwind.  In about anything else I'd have let her keep flying down to the landing, but not that day in that plane, yet.

When we got there, the FBO was closed, but the rental car was waiting for me on the ramp.  I secured Gumby, we left, and headed right to the lodge to check in.  By now it's 8:50 pm, and the restaurant in the lodge closed at 9.  There was another lounge in there that stayed open late.  It's a bar/lounge, but is "family friendly", meaning I could take a minor in there, which was a good thing, as we were both starving and there's nothing else open around here at that time of the night.  We go down to the lounge, and it is PACKED OUT.  I grab a table by the door, and we sit for 20 minutes without a single waitress or anything coming over.  Kaylee feels awkward and stressed out as she's the only kid in there, it's super loud, nobody's coming, she's not sure if we're supposed to be there or not.  She starts stressing me out with her stress.  ;)  I try standing over by the bar, I try standing by my table, I ask around...finally someone makes it over, but she's so nice, and obviously overloaded, so Kaylee and I both felt better after that.  Another family came through, then a large table full of deaf folks came in.  The place was packed to the gills.  They had music going very, very loudly, and the room full of exuberant (and frequently drunk) people were group singing very loudly to all the songs.  We were regaled with "Cheer Up Sleepy Jean", Jon Denver, Journey, and all manner of songs I actually like.  At one point I looked at Kaylee, shrugged, and sang along, and she leaned over and said "No Mom.  Only the old people are singing this one.  You're not old.  Stop singing."  For some reason I listened to her this time.  Another song came on, and she started singing along to that one.  So I did too. Apparently that song wasn't just for old people even though it too was a classic.  It was so loud in there you could sing at full volume and not even hear yourself hardly. 

It took us until almost 11 pm before we had our food.  I got a grilled chicken breast sandwich, and it was huge, and thick, and when I bit into it it didn't feel like it was cooked all the way.  I kept staring at it, and Kaylee kept saying 'WHAT?!'  But I didn't want to tell her or she wouldn't eat hers.  I ate most of it anyway because I couldn't see anything pink or inappropriate to point out to the waitress.  It looked fine. It just chewed like it wasn't quite done, and I have an occasional problem with chicken anyway, but we hadn't eaten, and all I could think was "please don't let me get food poisoning from this".  lol  I didn't.  It was apparently fine.  And it WAS with swiss cheese (real, not fake cheese), and crispy bacon, so it was good.  We were too tired to mess around after that, so we headed to our room, and soaked in the silence, most happily.  We'd made it!  I had close to 8 hours flying, going from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m.  Not a bad day, but I was grateful for the quiet room and the soft bed afterwards.  :)

Meanwhile, Steve is down in Columbus, Indiana being an Air Boss with A.E.  I'm not sure how it's going, but I presume well, because he's pretty good at that and it's a small gig.  :)