Kawasaki Concours Forum
Riding => Rides and Stories => Topic started by: Rick Hall on July 05, 2014, 07:01:46 PM
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Not a ride, but is a story.
Tonedeaf and I had been emailing back and forth the last six months, we wanted to get together in both our planes (though mine is a rental for now) to hop a few mountain airports. AKA the proverbial $100 burger. He's on the Western Slope of Colorado, I'm along the Front Range, we're both pilots.
Snow or rain or bad WX on my side one week, maintenance on his plane the next, winds and scheduling conflicts for both parties... until today.
There was a pancake breakfast fly-in at the Granby airport this AM. WX looked (was) ideal to cross the Continental Divide in the summer (Density Altitude, pilots know the drill), so I loaded up a passenger in the barf-Rocket (tm) and flew across. Saw some planes on display at Granby, thought about some coffee, loaded back up and headed to Eagle CO airport (FAA identifier: EGE).
Yacked with EGE tower, landed...
"The Usual Suspects":
[smg id=638]
It's a half a day from Longmont to either Granby or Eagle on a scooter, same for the return. In a plane (even a Barf-Rocket), it's 45 minutes to Granby from Longmont, and 50 minutes from Granby to Eagle. And seeing the mountains 'up close and personal' in a small plane is to die for :) Figuratively ;)
My public FB album from today: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1506332186262846.1073741838.100006582369746&type=1&l=f3b3251a30 (https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1506332186262846.1073741838.100006582369746&type=1&l=f3b3251a30)
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Glad it finally happened. Should have both good weather and a good airplane after next week -- I'll work on a plan for an interesting rendezvous.
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I'm going to OSH on/after the 24th, back on the 3rd or 4th. After that, nothing major until end of Sept.
I can do 13,500 DA in the Piper, maybe a skosh more if the stars are in alignment... a risky proposition in the mountains. So Leadville is out... in the summer anyway. Other than that, I have a four hour bladder and two credit cards.
Rick
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Is that a 180 hp Cherokee? 8200' airport would be up there for a 150 or 160 hp Cherokee. I've had my 100 hp Champ into Leadville on a nice cool day.
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Piper naming scheme sux.
It's not a Cherokee 180, rather a Cherokee that has a 180HP engine. Technically it's called a Piper Cherokee Challenger, the first year of the Archer, and the only year it was named a Challenger. AKA PA28-180 and not a PA28-181. Or a stretched Warrior with a bigger engine. Confused yet? ATC/tower often is ;)
Rick
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Piper naming scheme sux.
It's not a Cherokee 180, rather a Cherokee that has a 180HP engine. Technically it's called a Piper Cherokee Challenger, the first year of the Archer, and the only year it was named a Challenger. AKA PA28-180 and not a PA28-181. Or a stretched Warrior with a bigger engine. Confused yet? ATC/tower often is ;)
Rick
I've flown Warriors, Archers and Dakotas. As well as an old "Hershey Bar" Cherokee (140 I think) but I've never even heard of a Challenger. As far as ATC/tower I just say "Piper" and leave it at that.
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I've flown Warriors, Archers and Dakotas. As well as an old "Hershey Bar" Cherokee (140 I think) but I've never even heard of a Challenger. As far as ATC/tower I just say "Piper" and leave it at that.
And ATC lets you get away with that? That is a pretty wide range of performance. Where do you fly?
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Funny story...
Flying LMO-TWF, I cleared the hills E of TWF and started descending. Bonanza 5k below me, and slightly behind. We both called tower, mine was "Piper 888AW 20 east with Echo". Tower asked my airspeed, remember I'm descending... power on decent. Tower came back with "Bonanza #2 for 26, call five mile final".
I thought for a second (at most), suggested I be #2 behind the Bonanza ;)
Rick
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And ATC lets you get away with that? That is a pretty wide range of performance. Where do you fly?
On rare occasions, they have asked for model. When I was flying rental Piper's and Cessna's, it was mostly in the SF Bay area.
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Ah... you pilots. I can't believe adult men worshiping machines and buying farkles for them, and then joining forums to discuss this or that related to such machines... ;D
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The REAL reason we ride motorcycles is that the farkles are soooo much cheaper than those for airplanes.
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The REAL reason we ride motorcycles is that the farkles are soooo much cheaper than those for airplanes.
Yes! And on a bike you can get lunch anywhere you like, not just at the airport diner ;)