Two Pilots & an LSW: The End

Saturday, January 01, 2022

The End

I was supposed to fly the 340 to Ohio today to pick up Ethan, but the weather wasn't good enough for him, so we canceled. The weather and Kokomo got up to pattern altitude, so I decided I'd take up the T-6 for one last run. Steve said he wanted to go with me, but we decided to go to lunch first. The ceilings were coming down as we were eating, but I had decided I was going. We got out there after we ate, and the ceilings were calling for 1000' and 10 miles. Technically that's VFR, but it's Class E airspace, so I'm supposed to stay 500' below the clouds while being at pattern altitude, which I couldn't do. I did it anyway. I got the plane ready and pulled out the Cheyenne, 340 and T-6 with Steve's assistance. I did the first three takeoffs and landings, three point first, then a wheel landing, then an engine out to landing. Then Steve took over from the back seat. His first landing ended in a go-around, second was better, third was good. Then I listened to AWOS again and it was 800' overcast. So...time to call it. I'd been monitoring Grissom for any inbound IFR traffic, and we were on the short runway where most people wouldn't be coming in IFR and none of the jets or twins would, but still. It still felt really good to get that last run in. I hadn't flown anything all week because of the weather. Just wrong.

Steve, Chuck, Nathan, AE and I met at Grindestone's for dinner, and it was Packed Out! We had Prime Rib and such (they have good steaks believe it or not) and fresh warm cobbler with ice cream. Then AE came over to our house, and we had some excellent wine. A friend from California had sent me some expensive bottles of cabernet from his area of Sonoma Valley. And man, it was so smooth, it was fantastic.

AE, Steve and I have been hanging out watching the Nashville Big Bash on TV, because we could handle that music way better than the NYC rap music stuff, and WAY better than whatever was happening on "Miley Cyrus's Party". Gag. So it's been a nice new year's eve over here.

I don't have any illusions about 2022. For one thing, the things that aren't great about 2021 aren't going to be any better in 2022. Ann is still going to have worsening dementia. We're still going to be in the midst of a lawsuit, shelling out money to lawyers. Daughter still in college, more $$. We're still going to have the same President, and we're still going to be in the never-ending fun of Covid. However, hopefully we won't lose so many family members and friends to death next year. 2021 was great in the realm of flying. I got my NATA formation card, I got to fly at Oshkosh, I got checked out in a BT-13, I became one of a handful of people in the country the CAF allowed to check out other people to be instructors in the PT, I got to meet Ethan and start a new great friendship and job both, I flew in my 14th T-6, and checked out my first 'student' in the C-45. I ended up with a lot of hours, in a lot of planes, with a lot of variety, had a lot of good experiences and a few sketchy ones, and that was all fun and good stuff. If 2022 has as good of a flying trend, I will be perfectly happy with that! Especially since I can't control the rest of the stuff in the year. So keeping afloat and good perspective on life, and as healthy as possible, along with another sanity-saving good flying year, that's about what I can hope for.

Someone left the baggage door open. It's a good thing we went out there today, or by the time we got back out there Monday, the battery on the 340 would have been toast.