pilots in the house!!!!!!!!!1111!!!!!

[Larryjk]

Gave it up when I retired from my job which required me to fly often about 12 years ago. I really miss it occasionally. You never forget how; it just might take a little longer to get it down gracefully. I especially miss flying in the mountains. They say the clouds have a silver lining, but I remember that in Colorado the lining was granite!!!!!!!!!! The mountain turbulence could have you asking yourself what in the heck you were doing there. I used to look for unfortunates who didn't return from flights into the mountains. That will keep your attention level up.

[Dan Morris]

Originally Posted by Larryjk

Gave it up when I retired from my job which required me to fly often about 12 years ago. I really miss it occasionally. You never forget how; it just might take a little longer to get it down gracefully. I especially miss flying in the mountains. They say the clouds have a silver lining, but I remember that in Colorado the lining was granite!!!!!!!!!! The mountain turbulence could have you asking yourself what in the heck you were doing there. I used to look for unfortunates who didn't return from flights into the mountains. That will keep your attention level up.

LOL, I shared some single engine time with a guy that was a United Senior Instructor.......he was always saying a prayer to 'The Cloud God'.......CAP in Colorado still has 150+ aircraft they have never located!!!! Even when hunting, I'm still on the lookout for aluminum slivers...... Mountain flying is totally different than the flat lands where I learned!
Dan

[Larryjk]

Dan Morris, We did pretty well while I was flying down there (Canon City). I think most of the airplanes we looked for were found, some much later. We would usually get the "call-out" about 10:00 pm and sit down and look at the maps to try to figure out where "they" went wrong. Usually had our Cessna 182 off the ground at daybreak. There were about 6 of us that could get time off to search and we had a 182 stationed there for our use. That was why we always had it in the air when someone was missing. At that time there were still some wreckage that wasn't marked and we would get calls on old wreckage. Some were quite interesting. There is the wreckage of a Super Constellation on the west canyon of Mt. Blanca (east of Alamosa) that requires a full flap, power off pass coming down hill to get close enough to see it. Just ground up aluninum. There are many around the state like that. Many memories!

[Reloader449]

Might as well bump this one again. I fly "on the cheap" in our 26 year old Rutan VariEze homebuilt. Wife and I are the third owners, had it about five years now. Three times to Oshkosh, once to Rough River, Kentucky, Nellis AFB Aviation Nation, Burt Rutan's BD party last year- total of 40 airports in 15 different States in just five years. And three Aileron Rolls.

Maintenance is nearly a full-time job, but we fly it a lot. Been flying it long enough to feel absolutely inseparable.