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Longest Trip


CT2kflyer

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I just took my longest trip:

 

Longmont, CO (KLMO) to Dodge City (KDDC), KS, to Hot Springs, AR (KHOT) to Ashville, NC (KAVL) to Apopka Orlando, FL (X04) to Perry Foley (40J), FL to Meridian, MS (KMEI) to Saline County, AR (KSUZ) to Tulsa, OK (KRVS), to Abeline, KS (K78), to Longmont, CO (KLMO).

 

What I encountered: Some very nice and helpful people in Arkansas (KHOT), Florida X04 and 40J), Oklahoma (KRVS), and Kansas (K78). Two class C airports, towered airports, and some numerous non-towered airports. Medium and low overcast, broken and scattered clouds , blowing dust, severe thunderstorms, heavy turbulence. And flight-following is a very very useful service.

 

Drove from Orlando to Sun-N-Fun ..........

 

Weathered over in Meridian, MS at the best airfield I have ever been at --- if you must stop in the southern central US, by all means stop in Meridian; Great Lounge, free food, good weather computers, and you can see a steady stream of Navy, Marine and Air Force planes stop for fuel and food.

 

Lousy airport in Saline County, AR. (KSUZ - near Little Rock) Good physical conditions, and has fuel, but a trailer for a FBO building and a non-participating airfield manager. No food, no cold water, and not much else.

 

On the other-hand, Hot Springs was great. Good people, good services, and good access to amenities. Great FBO and very nice people.

 

Weathered over in Tulsa, OK at Riverside (KRVS) -- wife and I were taken home by a gent to met his wife and spend the night. Later, by chance we had supper in the same bistro (he had a previous dinner engagement and couldn't break it). and he paid for our meals. Spent the night at his home. An honestly nice guy.......super spouse too.

 

Cold front kept us from coming to Colorado from Tulsa, so we edged the cloud banks heading north, and ended up in Abeline, KS. Good FBO manager, who gave good advise on whether to fly or stay (we stayed) and recommended a great place to eat. Battled high winds back to Colorado.

 

Total airtime enroute: 31.6 hrs (GPS recorded). (Hobbs said 36.6 hrs - taxi, run up, holding and parking)

 

Total distance flown: 3,010.3 NM

 

Longest non-stop legs: 5.2 hrs Hot Springs, AR to Ashville, NC; 4.3 Abeline, KS to Longmont, CO (headwinds), and 4.1 hrs Ashville, NC to Apopka, Orlando.

 

The CT2k is capable of long distance travel...... weather permitting. Cruises on average - at about 100-110 KTS. at 5,000-5,100 RPM.

 

Wife still likes me.

 

I still like to fly.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Congrats CT2K...Those non stop long legs, continuous flying 5 and 4 hrs...WOW! How long were you actually getting blown around? Anything you'd do different next time..flight planning wise?

I've thought about your question for a week or so now, and there are two things I would do differently:

 

(1) I'd start flying earlier in the day. Most days, we didn't get off the ground until mid-morning...... even later on some days. If we had started two or three hours earlier, it would have helped a great deal. We would have beaten some weather patterns that held us up, and we would have made better use of the good weather when we had it.

 

(2) I should have researched my stopping points better. I don't know if that would have made my choices better, but it seems logical that it should have.

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How many calendar days did this trip take?

The whole trip took 2 weeks, but our flying was done in just a few days. One day from Longmont, CO to Little Rock, AR. One day from Little Rock, AR to Asheville, NC. One short day from Asheville, NC to Orlando, Apopka. One/half day from Apopka Orlando to Meridian MS... weather interrupted for another day and a-half due to the huge front that nailed Dallas/FW with tornadoes. One short day to Tulsa, OK...... and held over in Tulsa for half of the next day ......finally got out and flew north to Abilene, KS to avoid a cold front. Finally, one/half day from Abilene to Longmont, CO.

 

So.......... about 5 and 1/2 days of really flying (6 hours was my longest day), and about 2.5-3 days of weather delays.

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Congrats CT2K...Those non stop long legs, continuous flying 5 and 4 hrs...WOW! How long were you actually getting blown around? Anything you'd do different next time..flight planning wise?

As far as getting beaten up by the winds.......... all the way from Abilene, KS to Longmont, CO .... 4.3 hrs.

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