Two Pilots & an LSW: Oh, Buffalo

Tuesday, January 16, 2024

Oh, Buffalo

I went to bed around 11, which is early for me, so that I could get up at 6:30 okay. Except I woke up at 3:30 am and never got back to sleep. So that was great. I got up around 6 am anyway and started the day. I was fine until right around 4:30 pm, and I got sleepy, but...I have to get up at 4:45 am tomorrow, so I am trying not to go to sleep or take a nap until it's time. Or I'll regret it.

I was out at the Frankfort Airport by 8 am, went out and got a headset from the 340, and Gary landed in his new to him Conquest to pick me up and run me to Buffalo, NY. When he landed, there was snow on the runway, and it streamed behind him after landing. Coming in to the ramp, when he turned around, he blew snow chunks hard behind him, clearing off the ramp the plane was on. It was a cool sight. I only got the end of it in a photo shot, it would have been neater to catch the beginning of it, but oh well. It was still cool.

The flight to Buffalo was fast and uneventful, until we got there. They were at 3/4 mile and blowing snow and mist, with only one runway open and most of the taxiways closed. Gary landed well after an instrument approach, not too far from minimums thanks to visibility. The runway was covered in snow, but good braking action. Snow plows were all around, going by in a string of 5 or 6 of them at once, tackling the other runways, taxiways. Some taxiways were untouched and had drifted snow. We about got lost getting in there. Tower can't see us, so he tells us to report when we're on the ramp, and finally we make it.

Getting out of the conquest, I go to the back of the plane and start walking for the FBO, and the next thing I know I'm on the ground. The ramp itself was a sheet of ice, not just snow. Thick ice with a dusting of snow. So...slick. I hit on my left side--left hip, left arm, left wrist. I got back up carefully, had snow all over me, but nothing seemed to hurt. By the end of the day here, I can feel my left wrist is sore. The left arm and hip I can feel a tiny bit, but it's really just the wrist that is a little sore, and even that's not bad. So that's all right.

I paid the landing fees for Gary's Conquest, and then their crew drove me over to their maintenance hangar, and I took Ethan's Conquest, preflighted, had them pull it out, and flew on home. Uneventfully. With a 100+ knot headwind. Took awhile, but a lot faster than driving home did last time. ;)

Got back to Frankfort, left the plane on the ramp, so Caleb could put it away, went back to the 340 and pulled all the winter weather stuff out of the back and wing locker. The two huge bulky engine covers, two extension cords, 50' and 100' long, and the tanis heater set up, and drove them over to Ethan's other hangar, and put them away. It was so frigid. My hands...

I decided not to stop at the Milky Way and get a taco on the way home, since the last time gave me food poisoning. ;)

Home, sending off receipts, getting ready for tomorrow's trip to Orlando, sending off billing, and doing laundry since I got my pants dirty/icy/snowy today.