Two Pilots & an LSW: Marco (Polo)

Friday, May 23, 2025

Marco (Polo)

At the crack of High Noon today, Steve and I drove out to the airport, had Jon pull out the Cheyenne, and I filed IFR to get from Kokomo to Frankfort. It was a 6 minute flight in that airplane, but it was 800' overcast so I had to file IFR. I was cleared as filed, which was direct to the initial approach fix for the instrument approach into Runway 27 at Frankfort. I take off and he tells me to turn west and asks what approach I want. I'm like...the RNAV 27 that I Filed for the IAF for. He said "Well, that isn't going to work" and then he routed me around for 25 minutes. Not an official hold, but a vector hold. While he let a Pilatus come in to land, a Pilatus that was a long ways away. I could have been on the ground twice before he ever got to the IAF in the first place. I was really grumpy about that. Burned a bunch of time and gas so unnecessarily, and I needed to get on the ground at Frankfort in time to get topped off with Jet A on Ethan's account before I took Andy's crew to Florida and they were arriving in 30 minutes or less. I would have had plenty of time with a six minute flight. Anyway. We got topped off, and they all arrived shortly after that, and there were about 6 more of them than I thought there were going to be. So my flight plan wasn't quite right, I told Steve if there was an accident they'd be quite surprised at how many people they found. Which is grim but true. Also glad it wasn't in an airplane where weight is a big problem. Steve had come with me so it's also good there wasn't one more of them or he'd have had to stay behind. lol

Decent weather, some storms to go around in Florida as usual, nothing too exciting. Ended up with a direct crosswind into Marco, was a little sporty. Dropped all of them off, arranged to pick them up next Wednesday morning, and Steve and I went to Island Gypsy Cafe. Shared some steamed mussels, I had the Mango Tango Chicken salad that I really like from there, he had blackened grouper and key lime pie and a Rum Runner and half a Mai Tai. Didn't finish the Mai Tai because the Rum Runner by itself was plenty strong. lol It was warm and sunny and nice down there by the water and we enjoyed a little bit of Florida breeze.

The wifi didn't work hardly at all on the way down. It works fantastic on the way to Colorado, and on the way home from Florida, and doesn't work on the other legs of the trip. So, line of sight issues I guess? Except today I tried every window up front, so if it was that, seems like one of those would have worked. Ethan said that the Pilatus and some jet guys have trouble with it because of the wires in the windows for the heated windshield. The Conquest didn't seem to have any trouble, so maybe so. It's frustrating when it doesn't work and you got somebody in the back trying to get work done. Or when you're trying to do something yourself, of course.

On the way home, it was perfect, I had great internet. ;) In fact, a phone call came through, but it was spam so I didn't answer it. It made me wonder though. I called Steve who was in the back of the plane resting, and he answered, and it worked. So I called Kaylee. I told her I was talking to her from 26,000' in Florida at the moment and she got a kick out of that too. I had to stop talking to her to talk to ATC a couple times, and eventually the call got dropped, but it was fun to test out. :) The rest of the way home, as the sun went down, Steve napped and I read a book and listened to music on top of the clouds in the clear skies, a little headwind, but a nice trip. Got back to the airport after 9 pm, put things away, headed home. Getting ready for tomorrow, which is an overnight in Nashville for MBros, and Steve is coming for that one too, and we'll visit his sister and family. :) Too bad Kaylee can't go too, but the plane is almost full and it's their dime...