Wednesday August 16, 2006

Tomorrow morning we "hit the air," winding up the last part of the trip. Voyager is in tip-top condition, Rusty and I are rested, and we are, much as we're enjoying the adventure, ready for its conclusion. I've built up enough memories that I'm sure I won't run out of things to tell the grand kids some day.

My take-off tour through the drainage ditch (make a note: don't take off with a soaking wet chute) necessitated support from HKS, Lost Hill Aviation and PD. I can say without reservation that all three provided every possible means of information, parts and support anyone could ask for. I'm proud to have them associated with this trip.

Weather is the major "issue" we have to deal with on the eastern half of the trip. For the first 6 weeks of the trip (except for the day I lifted off from the USS Midway) we never saw a cloud in the sky. Not one. Humidity was usually less than 20%. Our major concern was wind, which is why we developed the routine of wheels up at (or a little before) sunrise, and trying to be back on the ground by 9 or 10. By then the wind and thermals started to make flying uncomfortable. Once we reached the eastern part of the Great Plains the higher humidity and high/low fronts dominated our weather concerns. The photos below exemplify the type of weather that we've been experiencing recently. It's not unusual for there to be two or three cloud layers, sometimes moving in different directions, at breathtaking speeds.

Luckily we have excellent weather forecasting resources, and with only 5 or 6 more stops, we'll carefully thread our way through the weather systems and arrive safely at the USS Yorktown.