RV7 Flying Adventures

The flight home from Wickenburg couldn’t have been more perfect. How often in November is the weather great for nearly 1000 miles? It happened on our way down and again on our way home.  Because daylight hours are short this time of year, and because we would lose an hour in the switch between MST and PST, we needed to leave Wickenburg as early as possible. So we got up at 5:30 am and were in the air by 7:30 am, just as the sun was coming up. Within an hour, we were over the Grand Canyon. When you fly over the Grand Canyon in a private airplane, they limit where you can legally fly, thus I suspect we didn’t see it where it is most glorious. The tiny corner that we saw of the enormous canyon was amazing. You might wonder why we couldn’t fly over the more famous touristy area. We suspect the Powers that Be don’t want people flying over it willy-nilly, probably because of safety considerations but also aesthetics. If you’re on the ground, admiring the awe-inspiring qualities of

 Red rock country near St. George, Ut.  St. George runway. It was getting close to sunset.  Our little plane beside the corporate jets. So cute!  Refueled and ready to go again.  The pictures above are of the Grand Canyon. Just before the sun set, we touched down in Wickenburg and our friend was waiting for us. We tried to get the RV7 into his T-hangar but both airplanes didn’t fit. We moved the RV7 to an empty hangar and then our friend took us to his winter home. He and his wife are snowbirds who live near us for six months of the year, but prefer Wickenburg’s warmer winter temperatures. Who wouldn’t? Finally, we’re on solid ground again and boy am I ever glad. Though we went out for dinner, I was too sick to eat much and didn’t regain my normal vitality until the following morning. I’ve felt great since, and we’ve been having a wonderful time with our friends.

Last Monday, we were slated to go to Arizona. We didn’t know if we could fly, or be forced to drive, but we hoped to fly. The weather reports had all been forecasting great weather for Monday, and when we got up that morning, the forecasts were correct. So instead of driving for three days, we hopped in the plane and began the 5.5 hour flight.    The snow-capped Willowas looked lovely. Joseph and Enterprise, Oregon, at the foothills of the mountains, had a dusting of frost. The weather was a bit unsettled, and we flew by lots of puffy cumulus clouds. Here we’re crossing the Snake River and Hell’s Canyon. If you look closely, you can see a dam across the river. About an hour after takeoff, we made our first stop in Nampa, Idaho, which is just a few miles outside of Boise. With three scheduled stops before arriving in Wickenburg, Arizona, and with foreshortened daylight, we needed to make fast turnarounds or we wouldn’t get to Wickenburg before the sun set. In Nampa, betw