Chapter Nine

Today is July 10th.

I left SUX, Sioux City, at seven this morning and flew to Pierre, South Dakota. Pierre might be named after some French guy but it's pronounced "Pier". Like 'walk out on the pier and go fishing'. Once again I have to compare these quirks to New York City where Madison Square Garden is a circle. They speak correct English in New York City. Geometry is their failing. Nice run to Pierre. I got to eight thousand feet today. I can cross the Rockies from Billings, Montana over Interstate Ninety.

I fueled and checked the weather at Spearfish , Montana as it is about half way to Billings, MT. I figured one stop and I'd be in Billings but there was a huge thunder head South West of Spearfish moving right at it at thirteen knots. The thunder head and I would get to Spearfish at the same time. I'm flying a really cool convertible but I can't put the top up. Matter of fact it doesn't have a top.

I scrambled to find an alternate and found a string of small airports about a hundred miles to the North. They are along highway twelve and lead to Billings in a circuitous route but they do go give me some alternate airports in case I need them. The Spearfish route had no outs if I had a problem.

Nothing

There is nothing out here. No roads, no ranches and no farms. It's almost a hundred degrees on the ground. I couldn't walk out if I went down.

I'm in Hettinger, North Dakota waiting for the wind to die down. It's blowing twenty-two with gusts to twenty-nine KNOTS. When I got here it was blowing right down the grass runway. Steady with no gusts at nine knots. I love landing on the grass. Even dried grass.

The wind never quit so I'm in a cheap motel in Hettinger, North Dakota for the night. Tomorrow is Miles City and then Billings where I get to talk to one of those guys in a tower again.  Maybe this time they won't close the airport on me.

My View

The picture titled "My View" is what I see.  The wire sticking up in the middle of the picture is my gas gage. Right where I want it. When the wire gets very short I stop to buy gas.

Yes, I do have a white scarf. 'Nuff said.

I never intended this trip to be about me but more about the people I meet on the way. I'll write a little about me here.

I have fear. YES, I'll admit it. Each day I don't know what is ahead of me. I'm way, way outside my comfort zone. I have cotton mouth up until I start the engine. I work my way through the fear each time. I just don't let fear get in the way of an incredible trip. It's about risk management, logical solutions and having outs if things don't go well. Once I'm in the air it gets much better. I can fly.

Here is what goes on in my office. All these pictures are taken today, in flight, while I'm at work. The picture of the knit fingerless glove shows the trim strap. All airplanes need to be trimmed. To climb I pull that leather thing back. Yup, it is really leather. It is something like a bootlace only thicker and longer. It runs the length of the airplane and is a big loop with the butt ends held together with some safety wire. Same wire I showed you that held the screws on the engine. I guess it is twenty feet long and is attached to the rear elevator of the plane. I pull it back and the plane goes up. When I get to the altitude I want to fly at I push/pull it forward until the plane flies level. Pretty simple.

The GPS is right above my kneeboard where the chart is. The kneeboard is held to my thigh with an elastic strap that goes around my leg. I have the map and the GPS next to each other so I can cross-reference one to the other. If one fails I have the other as a backup. So far only the map has failed. For punishment I wad it up and put it inside my shirt. The GPS is the one with the video screen on it. The paper one is the map.

It is coming at you fast now. The weather is good so the end is near.