Top Of The Mark

[Willy]

Here at the Top Of The Mark club in San Francisco, feel free to post your tales of your experiences in the Western Roundup. Exciting events, near disasters, heck we'll even listen to your stories of total disasters. Screenshots are also good, remember a picture is worth a thousand words.

[PRB]

Made it to Orcas Island. I found a secure space to park the Cessna while I went in search of a good hot dog.

[paiken]

Down safely in Bowerman. My passenger was feeling a little queasy flying through the clouds. We're headed over to Lana's Hangar Cafe for coffee and waffles.
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[DarkCharizma]

One leg so far and I think I've had about enough excitement for the whole race! Checking weather reports before departure indicated it wouldn't be the best, with quite low clouds at the destination. Having decided to do this race properly VFR(-ish) I decided to take fly up the valley from Vancouver, past Whistler to get to Pemberton. Approaching Vancouver the clouds where getting lower, so I had to descend from my initial cruise altitude of 8000 ft to about 5000 ft. The clouds stayed above me until reaching Vancouver, when it started to rain. In the valley heading up to Pemberton, the ceiling dropped towards 3000 ft, so naturally I had to descend further. The ground in the valley reaches about 2000 ft around Whistler, so I knew I was in for a treat. Passing over Sqaumich I was getting a bit squeamish...

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But, at least I knew I had somewhere to return to if I had to turn back. Then followed some nervous minutes until a minute of sheer terror... Around the time I reached Whistler, flying below 1000 AGL and just under the clouds, my engine started losing manifold pressure! While simultaneously trying to find Whistler below, among the hills and trees and buildings, I tried to figure out what was happening. The engine behaved as if it had carburetor icing, which would be very peculiar, given that the Legacy has fuel injection! I figured the cause was FSX weird engine modeling and tried to remember the default keybinding to turn on carb heat, as the Legacy doesn't have a switch, for reasons of the previously mentioned fuel injection. "Ctrl+H? Lets try. Umm.. Why did the flight director pop up on my artificial horizon?? Must have been the wrong button, I'm going to die. Where is that ****** airport?" Then, as mysteriously as it had gone missing, my manifold pressure was back. I must have clicked the correct hotkey as well (just "H" if anyone is wondering ;) ). It was quite a relief turning around the next mountain and seeing the airport dead ahead.

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[epwatson]

I was going to post some thoughts of my flight here but I'm blogging about this trip on my site so I will direct you here:

http://blog.eamonnwatson.com/category/western-roundup/

Included are pictures. :)

[PRB]

Nice screen shots, DarkCharizma! That looks like a nice ride too.

Here's some kodaks of my flight to Bowerman. 1) Climbing out ot Orcas Island, headed south, towards the Straight of Juan De Fuca. 2) Over the afore mentioned body of water, where once I passed from the flight deck of the USS Nimitz (CVN-68). That's a big body of water, and I was glad for the spare engine I had over on the other wing. On the other hand, Willy has been going faster than me, and since he has only one engine using gas, his fuel milage is about half mine. I suppose it was a "no-brainer" to use a single engine ship for this event, but dang it, this is such a pretty airplane! 3) Over the Mighty rain shadow producing Olympic Mountains. They're pretty high! 4) Final approach to Bowerman. Now off to Lana's Cafe for some coffee.

[Willy]

Those straits are pretty good places to park an aircraft carrier. I've got a Nimitz class about a dozen miles to the west of the flight path from KORS and KHQM and a CVL with a BB escort near Whibdey Island. Probably a good thing I didn't fly the SBD, or I'd still be in the Chief's Mess with coffee and donuts.....

[Willy]

No pics, but an interesting time landing at Bozeman this afternoon. There I was on final with a couple of the grandkids watching over my shoulder and from their comments about fires, I think they were hoping to see a crash. The closer I get to the runway, the more to the left I'm going. I did a quick wind check and realized that I had a 25kt crosswind. O' course this is about the point that I'm heading sideways for the trees next to the airport. Kicked in a bunch of rudder and some more throttle and got it started back to the right but at about a 45* angle to the runway to crab it in. Just above the runway I straightened it back out and managed to bounce the heck out of it a couple of times hard enough that I was expecting to make the grandkids happy with a bonfire. But somehow the Bonanza held together long enough for me to get it stopped.

Why is it that things go all fouled up just when you have an audience?

[Willy]

Here's a pic of the luxury accommodations provided by the Race Committee in Heber, Utah (36U). The "facilities" are in the little wooden building with the half moon on the door behind the "hotel"..

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[epwatson]

This wasn't my run, but it was a test run i did the day before my first flight. :) hehehe but pretty similar. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QS8Gd9FzWO8

[MM]

Beautiful video, Eamonn.

[Willy]

Just finished a nice flight from Heber to Moab in Utah. Went through some scenic mountains and checked out the traffic on a highway.

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The landing didn't go so well though. Had a 25kt crosswind at Moab and ended up setting it down in the grass. Then I hit a gopher hole and lost the nose wheel, skidding to a stop. Left a nice bonfire back there where I hit the hole too....

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This banker fellow is making noises about catching a bus....

[RedGreen]

Couldn't help myself, had to buzz downtown Seattle on my way out. ;)

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c263/JackRyanWMU/TwinBon1_zps82c334bc.jpg (http://s29.photobucket.com/user/JackRyanWMU/media/TwinBon1_zps82c334bc.jpg.html)

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c263/JackRyanWMU/TwinBon2_zpsb8391786.jpg (http://s29.photobucket.com/user/JackRyanWMU/media/TwinBon2_zpsb8391786.jpg.html)

[Willy]

There I was on short final to KSQL and the finish line and this Beech 18 pulls out onto the runway in front of me, so although it put me to having to hop some trees, I shifted to the right to land on the taxiway..

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Having cleared the trees, I realized that I was a bit high and rapidly running out of airport. So following Flight 19 tradition, I dove for the ground. But I hit a little hard and that hastily repaired nosewheel packed it in. Anyone interested in a slightly bent Bonanza?

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Anyway I made to the Top of the Mark and drinks are on me until the next guy makes it in. Just tell the barkeep to put 'em on Moses' tab!

[Moses03]

Just tell the barkeep to put 'em on Moses' tab!

Last I heard, PRB was buying!

[Willy]

That'll teach him to go out of town! :icon_lol:

[PRB]

Hey wait! I just got my tire fixed, so I can leave Bowerman!! :icon_lol:

[Moses03]

Had my first "Top Of The Mark" moment on the leg into Steamboat. Thought I would be cute and approach runway 14 from a sharp angle and fairly hot to cut a few minutes of time. What I didn't fully consider was that there was a 23knt crosswind going on. The Viking has a large rudder area and it will weathervane as much as it can so when I touched down hard I bounced and then crabbed and bounced again. As I was wrestling the mad Viking, it got away from me and I veered off the runway towards the ramp into a spin and busted a main. Thankfully Lionheart modeled in plenty of scrape points so I was able to slide to a stop before hitting a parked Mooney. Damaged the said left main, left wing and part of the tail. Hope they have Bellanca parts in the area!

My passenger slowly got out of the plane and muttered something about heading over to the motel to change his pants...

[Great Ozzie]

Thankfully Lionheart modeled in plenty of scrape points so I was able to slide to a stop before hitting a parked Mooney.

Wow... inconceivable.

Glad you walked away from that one. Gonna need a whole lot of duct tape and bailing wire for that one.

[PRB]

Minor damage. Nothing a little duck tape, chains, rope, and a little welding can't fix.

[Willy]

Don't forget to check the cement blocks after that landing!

[PRB]

Nice flight across Oregon. Kodaks show Mt. St. Helens passing to the north, and a short low level diversion up the Columbia River, as we approached the Hood River area. The landing at Ken Jernstedt was uneventful. Forgot to check for cement blocks before I took off from Bowerman, but apparently Lana chased off any evil doers with nefarious intentions while I was away...

[PRB]

A fun flight up the east side of the mountains formed by the infamous Cascadia Subduction Zone. In fact several of the more prominent volcanoes were visible to the west throughout this leg. The airport is on the shore of the Columbia River, and as we approached the river from the south we had to “schooch” on over the Wenatchee mountains, which was quite a lot of fun for me, but maybe not so much for my banker passenger. I think he's starting to have second thoughts about my abilities as an airplane driver. Come to think of it, that would make him sort of smart, but I'm not telling him that.

[MM]

Cloudy rainy day over Arizona. Go figure. Not quite the movie set photographs, but plenty of moody pieces through the Pablos.

[Willy]

Landed in Boulder and it looks like there's an airshow in town. Either that or the RAF is here for the skiing....

[jt_dub]

Jeff's Centurion Silver Circuit is complete. A terrific route and great fun. I really enjoyed this event. I'm buying until the next pilot arrives.

Some highlight snaps from run.

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[PRB]

Nice pics Jeff, and well done!

[Willy]

Had a nice flight into Valle AZ at the Grand Canyon

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[Great Ozzie]

Ms. Murphy must be looking at the forums. She called me into the office and made her stance crystal clear.

"There will be no Magic Ship."


Famous last words?

Decided to take Ms. Monroe out to the Sitka & Spruce last night, in hopes of lubing her up before springing my request.

...After 'a few' ales...
---------------------------------------

"So uh, Ms. Monroe..."

"Murphy... or Murph... Murph... smurf... surf... ...hey surfing soundsss... like fun... you ever surf?"

"Uh... No... Ok Murph, I got another entry."

"Fire away. Cheers *clink* by the way."

"I was thinking of using the X-15 from Xtreme Prototypes. But I'll need an Altitude waiver.... and I'll need some sort of, ehem, (big) fuel cost adjustment. Also, in the interest of transparency, there are turbines... but those just for some pumps. Got to be some pistons in that engine somewhere."

"Want another ale?"

"No ma'am, thanks... about the X-15..."

"No Problem.... and cut out the 'ma'am' stuff... itsss Murph." "Anywho... I think someone already flying a P-51... you like P-51s?"

"Yes... but.. no problem? What about Berinsky?"

"Burrr who?"

"Berinsky... your chief pilot... won't he have a problem with it?"

"You're my new chief pilot..." *clink*

"No, no... that's not what I want... I'm just looking for approval for a fast plane."

"Fast plane... Fast plane... How about a P-51? I really like P-51s... P-51s are fast planes..."

*Sigh*... (too much 'grease')

"Oh... oh... sure... no problemo. X-whatever you want. You just tell 'em ol' Murph sent ya..."

"Wow great... just one more thing Murph... there's no room for the banker..."

"Don't like bankers anyway... just take good pictures..."

Oh boy... maybe this wasn't such a bright idea.

---------------------------------------

Xtreme Prototypes X-15-3B - FSX version

[@ 100,000ft]
KTAS = 2668kts
M = 4.485
Fuel Burn = 46,585lb/hr

max_indicated_speed=2700
max_mach=6.700
Critical Altitude = N/A

No Turbo/Super-charging


Example Flight (OR12 - KSUN):
http://fs-duenna.com/flights/ShowFlight.php?detail=flight&value=d57n3TrAphrdCCzrBlZKHzyqXwE

(available in 1080p in selected locations)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CafGbVVwT58

[Willy]

You sure that wasn't Miss Murphy Munson? She's quite the party animal...

[srgalahad]

One of the entertaining things about working undercover as a janitor at the Top of the Mark is getting to listen in to, and learn about the 'encounters' of the guests.

Maybe I shouldn't tell tales, but it seems the "Murph" or Ms Murphy that GO was chatting up was one of the family sales reps for
https://www.4showhorsetack.com/images/31-001.JPG

After he passed out.. err wandered off, I heard her say something to her friend about "how that fella was looking to get his clock cleaned..."

We got to kidding about it in the break room and one of the guys said that when he worked at Santa Anita race track they used Murphy's to wash horses... and then he added 'saddles' but I think he was chuckling about something else :icon_eek:

[Willy]

While the banker was doing his business, I did a quick tour of Las Vegas (1959)

[Willy]

Deposited the Banker in San Carlos to end my Gold Class run. Now to prep the CDM for the Bronze....

Drinks are on Moses again!

[PRB]

Moses does owe us a couple of drinks, measured by weight, compared to a couple of cement blocks left on board various planes, here and there...

[Moses03]

Moses does owe us a couple of drinks, measured by weight, compared to a couple of cement blocks left on board various planes, here and there...

Pfft!

[oldpropfan]

So what to do after the event is over and the bar tabs are getting ever higher? Fly again but in another class, a possibility for sure. Maybe fly the course in reverse, now that sounds interesting. Lets get a bigger plane, just to up the challenge some. Have all of our ill gotten Vegas winnings, should be some classic yet sensible. I know, buy a cargo plane to carry stuff from place to place, make more money.

Grabs vintage bottle of Reposado tequila and heads to elevator. Now which floor was Ms. Monroe's room on?

Two days later - Contracts coming in fast and furious, grab half repainted plane ( bought from airline that didn't seem to be using it much ), and head back to Mariposa with 7000 lbs cargo for CDF.

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll279/oldpropfan/departinKSQL_zpsd397cca6.jpg

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll279/oldpropfan/landingO68_zpsa8c2d4f8.jpg

The wholly unauthorized ( he's flying a what? ) plausible deniability run is on! :cool:

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[Great Ozzie]

Hi all,

A link to SmugMug of the Beech Duke on the "Gold Course".

-Rob O.

http://greatozzie.smugmug.com/photos/swfpopup.mg?AlbumID=29369566&AlbumKey=wjw9Nc

Great fun!

[Willy]

Taking off from KHQM in the CDM, it almost lived up to it's nickname. Taxi to the active seemed about normal. The start of the takeoff it seemed a bit slow, but nothing major. Once it got off the ground though, it began to try to kill me. I could just barely stay above stall speed while wobbling through the trees as it wouldn't climb above them. A quick glance at the engine gauges revealed the problem. The rear engine was stuck at idle. A quick reselect of the engines freed it up and I was able to climb out of there and head on to Hood River.

I've heard about pilots in the C337 unknowingly taking off with the rear engine out and single engine takeoffs being verboten in it. Now I know why.

No pics as I was somewhat occupied while all this was going on....

[MM]

Some excitement over the Olympic Peninsula. It started as a routine flight with the usual grumbles from the pilot about headwinds. After passing Mt Olympus, dark clouds started to appear on the Pacific side and the METAR gave 3 miles visibility. So put the Red Baron on autopilot to descend and started to fiddle with the navigation radios. (New stuff here, so I was concentrating…more than I should have been.)

Then I looked out the windscreen to discover a detailed view of the Olympic National Park's finest evergreen trees. Close up. Needless to say, I punched the autopilot and pulled back the stick! Whew!

No worries, mate.

The rest of the flight was uneventful, with the visibility turning out ok and the landing as smooth as a baby's cheek. The only disturbance was the pilot's heart thumping almost loud enough to hear against the wailing screams of the middle-aged banker.

[Moses03]

Needless to say, I punched the autopilot and pulled back the stick! Whew!



POW!;)

[PRB]

POW!;)

That'll learn it!

[Willy]

Always keep a sharp stick handy for use on the autopilot. Either that or a 357 Magnum.

[paiken]

The banker needs new underwear, too!

[Craig Taylor]

Always keep a sharp stick handy for use on the autopilot. Either that or a 357 Magnum.

Another game I've played, X3, refers to it as the "auto-pillok." With good reason, too. :icon30: :pop4:

[Great Ozzie]

Flying into Page Municipal (very) early this morning... could have been a bit nerve-racking due to the incredibly dark night (despite the new crescent moon) and nearly featureless terrain.

However, trusting the Sectional Chart's MEFs (Max Elevation Figures) and the precise navigation the GPS provides... that and flying the GPS Rwy 15 Approach... comforting to know those "lumberjacks" keep the clearzones free of firs.

And... faith in the recent engine swap to a "Power-By-Victor" Gold Edition of the IO-550 by Victor Aviation. Sounds different and certainly feels different (much smoother) than the previous Continental that was in there. Typically the weird sounds an engine will make grow proportionally with the distance one is away from land (over water) and/or the darker the night becomes.

It's a beauty to look at too (from their website)...

[spokes2112]

Need to put that powerplant in the lawnmower !! Sweet!

[robert41]

strange "hill" near Heber, 36U? In FSX.

http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n39/rm111/FSX/2013-5-13_19-25-8-123_zpsa6479387.png (http://s108.photobucket.com/user/rm111/media/FSX/2013-5-13_19-25-8-123_zpsa6479387.png.html)

[Craig Taylor]

It looks like you found Orthanc. Look for a white robed man at the top. :icon_lol:

Seriously though, I'm guessing it's some bad mesh data. Are you using default in that area, Robert? Nice picture!

[MM]

The guys at Orbx did a great job on Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. Here's a tip of the cap to their artistry.

[Craig Taylor]

Very nice shots, Mike. Looks like we really missed out on some nice scenery with the high route. Think I'm going to have to try the Low Course. Probably in the default Mooney. I don't have much time it that one.

Well, I made it to Sequel yesterday. This is probably the first event I was able to finish in a very long time. Whew! I really enjoyed the Duke, but the combination of it plus AS2012 and Orbx scenery almost brought my PC to it's knees. As a consequence I had to move display quality down a little (but still within RTWR specs), so no good pictures to share. Sorry, fellas.

I lost the favorable winds aloft the last few legs, but sometimes you have to fly when you can, not when you want to. Rob beat me in the other Duke by a good margin, and that was with an extra stop! Rob, you must have really flown the heck out of your Duke those last few legs. :applause:

Good luck to the rest of the guys still on the course.

[Great Ozzie]

Think I'm going to have to try the Low Course. Probably in the default Mooney. I don't have much time it that one.

I may have to tag along...

ACES did a nice job with a number of default aircraft... and I think that one of them.



Rob, you must have really flown the heck out of your Duke those last few legs. :applause:

Winds. :mixedsmi:




Just got a notice the (virtual) FAA wants to pull my (virtual) ticket. Seems they think I violated the (virtual) airspace above the (virtual) Grand Canyon... especially over the (virtual) Bright Angel Flight Free Zone.

Seems I won't be (virtually) violated as Goldman Sachs trumps the FAA when it comes to their pull with the current (virtual) Administration.

[Craig Taylor]

Sure, Rob! The more the merrier. I'll let you know when I get back in town.

[robert41]

It looks like you found Orthanc. Look for a white robed man at the top. :icon_lol:

Seriously though, I'm guessing it's some bad mesh data. Are you using default in that area, Robert? Nice picture! [/INDENT]]

Thanks Craig. Default FSX with GEX.

[flyon]

I found an issue with KTEX, but I haven't seen anyone here address it yet. Nor did I see anything mentioned about it in the Western Roundup pdf's. Or possibly you FS9 guys have it already fixed. I wasn't so lucky.
It's only in FS9, being this glitch doesn't show up in FSX.
Hopefully this post can help out other newbies who might run into the same thing I did, but now be able to fix it, without losing valuable stick time (like I did tonight) in finding a fix:

I'm getting ready to do the KASE Aspen to KTEX Telluride flight, being I know it's a bear of an approach. So I did a practice run beforehand.
On the approach to runway 9 , I have an ILS transmitter shed in the middle of the runway, right where I need to put this bird down:

8712687127

Not only is this gonna make the landing real fun (being the 414 doesn't take to landing in grass quite well), but takeoff to KGCN isn't going to be pretty either. The 414 isn't the greatest STOL aircraft...

I was thinking that maybe this ILS shed had 'pass-through' qualities built in.
I was wrong on that theory, being the plane went BOOM on impact:

87128


I couldn't find a fix here for this shed in the SOH search.
I thought I found a fix at FlightSim, but the link in this thread doesn't work: http://www.flightsim.com/vbfs/showthread.php?70561-KTEX-runway-09-ILS-shack&highlight=ktex+runway . It takes you to the home page, but that's about it.

After looking through many posts there at Flight Sim, I found how to get rid of the shed.
I had to put an 'exclude file' in the Scenery CFG, 5 kb in size. The text needed goes in at the very end of that file, and in sequence.

Make a copy of the stock Scenery cfg, and stick it on the desktop.
Now in the FS9 Scenery CFG, you cut and paste this at the very end after everything else listed there, and number it accordingly.

[Area.0xx]
Title=Telluride
Local=scenery
Exclude=N37 57.34,W107 55.05,N37 57.33,W107 55.03,all
Remote=
Active=TRUE
Required=FALSE
Layer=0xx


For example, in my case, it looks like this:


[Area.037]
Title=Propeller Objects
Local=Scenery\props
Layer=37
Active=TRUE
Required=TRUE


[Area.038]
Title=Addon Scenery
Local=Addon Scenery
Layer=38
Active=TRUE
Required=FALSE


[Area.039]
Title=Ultimate Terrain - Canada/Alaska
Local=SCENERY\UTCANADA
Layer=39
Active=TRUE
Required=FALSE
Remote=


[Area.040]
Title=Ultimate Terrain - USA
Local=SCENERY\UTUSA
Layer=40
Active=TRUE
Required=FALSE
Remote=


[Area.041]
Title=Telluride
Local=scenery
Exclude=N37 57.34,W107 55.05,N37 57.33,W107 55.03,all
Remote=
Active=TRUE
Required=FALSE
Layer=041



As stated before, I had good intentions on doing this leg tonight, but got caught up in tearing down this confounded shed...lol

[Willy]

Finished my third and final time around. Drinks all around!

[PRB]

Whoohoo, drinks on Willy!

I had a fun filled flight to Yellowstone, Bozeman, Gallatin. For the first time I got some stinko weather to play in too. Here's some kodaks of the flight:

[PRB]

Some kodaks of the flight down to Jackson Hole. There were considerable mountainous terrain issues to deal with on this leg. I had to make a detour early on to avoid some particularly scary looking hills, then we almost had a CFIT whilst motoring along in the clouds, then, upon breaking out onto the high plains north of Jackson Hole, I could see the mighty Tetons ahead. I zigged to the east to pass over the lake, which set me up for a nice approach into 19. Got in some ILS practice during the landing.

[CavalierDuck]

Some photos of the Grand Canyon on my way in to KGCN from KTEX today.

This was my first experience of the Blue Sky scenery, having installed the tiles covering the Grand Canyon area just before my flight. I'm certainly impressed with the results and I can see I have a lot of downloading ahead of me!


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[Great Ozzie]

Looks like El Guapo topped MM by 7 seconds...

Scuttlebutt is Ms. Murph is going to dock him 1 second for every arrival / departure post he didn't split up (seems there are 'a plethora' of them)...

So Mike still safely in the lead. :icon_lol:

[PRB]

What does it mean, El Guapo, to have a plethora?

[PRB]

Here's a couple of kodaks of the approach to airport in the Kaibab National Forrest, on the south rim of the Grand Canyon. It's pretty high out that way!

[PRB]

Couple pics from the flight to Vegas. The first shows the vast expanse of the Great Western Desert. I steered south to the VOR station at Peach Springs (PGS) in order to avoid what looked like pretty biggish hills on the direct line to KLAS. From there we zigged back north to the Boulder City VOR (BLD) and then into the giant airport south of the City of Sin, where I made a passable ILS approach to runway 25L.

[Great Ozzie]

What does it mean, El Guapo, to have a plethora?

I know that I, Jefe, do not have your superior intellect and education. But could it be that once again, you are angry at something else, and are looking to take it out on me?

[Dumonceau]

What does it mean, El Guapo, to have a plethora?

El guapo: the handsome one
a plethora: a multitude

Cheers,

Dumonceau

[PRB]

I know that I, Jefe, do not have your superior intellect and education. But could it be that once again, you are angry at something else, and are looking to take it out on me?

:icon_lol: :icon_lol:

Approach to Furnace Creek.

[teson1]

I don't know what it is, but every time I get to the Grand Canyon, I just have to go down there. :icon_lol:
Great fun skimming the waves.
I hope the banker in the left seat enjoyed it as much as I did. Seemed a little pale.

[PRB]

Here's a pic from the flight from Furnace Creek to Lee Vining. I had just jumped over the Inyo Mountains and into the Owens Valley. This is the freeware Death Valley scenery by OZX.

[Spookster67]

I don't know what it is, but every time I get to the Grand Canyon, I just have to go down there. :icon_lol:
Great fun skimming the waves.
I hope the banker in the left seat enjoyed it as much as I did. Seemed a little pale.
It's funny, but it has exactly the same affect on me...

87864 87865

[teson1]

It's funny, but it has exactly the same affect on me...
:icon_lol:
Great minds think alike ... :wavey:

[Great Ozzie]

Thanks bud, things just got busy

Uh-huh... yeah...

I got the inside scoop...

Eamonn (and a couple other racers) landed... met a local "hottie" and decided to "put down roots" (marriage, kids etc.)