B26 Adventure

[chopper_nut]

I was sort of inspired by G-HEVNs flights from the UK to here and back again so I decided to do one of my own.

Just have to clarify a few things first. 1: I am not a millionare, 2: I do not own a B26, 3: I do not have a multi rating, 4: I am still completing my PPL!.

The only thing that is real in this story. Airspray had 15 B26s and have sold all but two. The model I am using is of one of those two, C-FPGP.

I will be doing this "adventure" in a series of hops and writing the reports in diary form.

Background: I remember the first time I fell in love with the Invader. When I was living at home, Mum bought home a video for Dad called 'Always'. I had never seen it but when Dad got excited about it, I became curious. The opening scene is one of the best in film. Two guys sitting in a little tin boat on a lake. In the background a PBY Catalina starts decending onto the lake. This isnt a military Cat though, its painted red and white. The aircraft lands on the lake and wakes the two guys in the boat up. The Cat is getting close now and the fellas are trying to start their engine, without success. At the the last second, the PBY pulls up and the two guys dive into the water. Great stuff. I learned later that the aeroplane was picking up water into a belly tank to go and drop on forrest fires. The other main aircraft used in the film was the B26 Invader. I had known of the Invader for some time but something about the sight of it in a civillian scheme all dirty and flying low into valleys to drop its water and fire retardent really got me fired up. I was now hooked on air tankers.

I am not going to write you a huge essay on air tankers here because there is enough information on the internet about them already. Red Deer based Airspray Ltd, recently retired the last active B26s in the world and most were snapped up quickly by collecters and museums. I think the one that arrived in Aussie recently was one of these. C-FPGP is one of two still sitting at Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. The flight sim model I am using is SOH (Sim Out House) B26 B/C.

Right, enough of the fact, now onto the fiction



18-5-07
Red Deer, Alberta
Canada

I got on the road quite late in the morning after overnighting in Calgary some 130km south of Red Deer. On the way up the road, I was 'passed' by a yellow and black F86 Sabre. I arrived at Red Deer about 1100 and quickly found the airport. Upon driving into the carpark, there in front of me was a yellow and black F86. I had a quick chat with the pilot and found out that it was Airsprays target towing division. I had a meeting with the Operations Manager at 1130 so I didnt have a lot of time to look around. After I had met the Ops manager and had a quick chat with him, I was taken out the back.

The guys had been really good and given both the aircraft that were left, a good wash and fitted the props back on. The water tank had been taken out of the bomb bay and the doors were hanging open.

When I climbed up onto the wing to take a look, I was amazed to find that the aircraft was in fact in very good condition. There were no panels missing, no birds nests under the cowlings. The paint was a bit faded and the tyres were flat but otherwise it looked like it was still in service. When I poked my head into the cockpit to have a look, I was amazed to find that all the instruments were still there and oddly enough, the only thing missing was the yoke. The chief engineer came out at this point to find out who this mad Kiwi was and I found out that it had been pinched for one of the other aircraft that had been taken away. He promised me a spare one.

The engineer said that his team had cleaned out all the inhibiting oil and that the engines were in perfect condition. He then proceeded to fire them up to prove his point. I wasnt complaining! After pulling the props through and carrying out all the pre start checks, we heard the starter motor whine and 5 turns later, the engine caught.

The second engine caught just as easy and we were soon standing there listning to the beautiful rumble of two P&W R2800s. The engineer cycled through the prop pitch to make sure everything was in order and he also lowered and raised the flaps. Just when I was beginning to really appreciate the sound, the engines were shut down. Before I knew what was going on, I had signed an agreement to purchase C-FPGP. It wasnt untill I was on my way to find a hotel in town that I realised that I would have to get it onto the NZ register and then the mammoth task of flying an old aircraft back across the expanse of the Pacific Ocean. Oh man, I need a drink.

[Naki]

Nice one Chopper nut - I have been meaning to down load this model for sometime - I also have an article on Airspray in my vast mag collection - must dig this out and have another read so I can refresh my memory for your forthcoming trip.

[Ian Warren]

A/B26 Douglas .. we plane nutters no the rest .. Martin was 1st designation with 26 , A/B going to Invader mid/late 44 .. This plane Type has always been messed with ... Its a Douglas Invader ! WW2 A/B26 .... Attack Bomber 26 ...

The design followed the Havco/Boston A20 design .. basicilly same config but bigger engine and .. confusution created from design update when was called a A-26-B due paper joc's .. abillity to correct ... in engineering still happens today .

Chopper .. the INVADER is one super CHOICE! .. Lookin forward to follow your adventure You can put this thing down into any Cabbage Patch ! lookin forward to ya flight pics

[G-HEVN]

So, you've bought a plane that has no yoke, may not actually be airworthy (you haven't actually seen it fly, yet alone flown it yourself...), has engines that may not have any oil in (I'll bet the engineer shut them down just before they would have seized!). If you're going to fly that thing all the way back to NZ, I really must watch - from a safe distance...

I hope you've at least got the POH and log books for the insurance claim!

Or you could take a screwdriver to it, stick it in a box, and arrange a lend of one of these:

Be much easier. (just remember to take lots of reading material, and a cushion!)


(BTW, )

[chopper_nut]

I have been assured that it is in fact airworthy, the engines have oil in them, they just had inhibiting oil in them while the aircraft was being stored. The operations manager at Airspray is going to give me a rating on her in the next few days after the check flight which should happen today. All that I have to do is bung it on the NZ register so I can fly it solo. I may have to use a transport for some of the journey. Ill just have to see if I can get the aircraft on one where and when I want it.

[chopper_nut]

19-5-07
Red Deer, Alberta
Canada

Had quite an early start today, even so, when I arrived at the airport, the crews were already hard at work on the aeroplane. The tyres had been inflated, new yoke installed and the tanks had been cleaned and filled. Because the aircraft had only just come out of service, the airworthiness certificate was still current as were the chief pilot and the ground staff. The aircraft required only a few hours of prep to get it running again. As with the previous day, the engines started first try and after a short time running, the aircraft taxied past a rather large group of us all standing there wondering if everything was going to work on her!

We raced over to Airsprays offices and climbed the three floors to stand on the roof to watch the moment of truth. The Invader taxied slowly along to get to the holding point and the pilot conducted a high power run up to check the Ts and Ps.

When the pilot was satisfied that everything was in order, he taxied onto the runway and ran the engines up to about 50% power before releasing the brakes and accelerating down the strip. C-FPGP lifted into the sky at exactly 1035 and after a brief climb vanished from sight. There was little for the rest of us to do untill he got back so we went downstairs and into the mess. After an hour or so of talking shop, the radio crackled with the pilots voice announcing his position to the tower. We made our way back onto the roof and after a few minutes spotted the speck in the distance. Instead of breaking into the circuit like we thought he would, he decided that it would be fitting to buzz the airfield. I just about dived for the ground when he passed over the top.


He then broke into the upwind leg of the circuit and began to slow the aircraft down.

After confirming with the tower that the gear was down and locked, the aircraft banked around onto a short final and with a screech and a puff of smoke, the Invader came back to earth.

We now know that the aircraft works as it should. I have gone through the log books and documentation for the aircraft and they all appear to be in order. I have also sent a copy of these to CAA.
I have talked to CAA in NZ and they have some concerns about me flying this aircraft on the NZ register long distance. It will take some sweet talking to pull this off I think.

[G-HEVN]

buzz the airfield

Low Approach and Go Around. Honest, guv.

(btw, get your instructor to demonstrate one, if he hasn't already - it's rather fun )

[chopper_nut]

Yeah I have done a few myself. The best one for me though was a few weeks back when Vincent Aviation were doing the calibration for the ILS at WLG. I had to escort some surveyors out onto the runway edge to get some shots. I had to call the tower to get a clearance to stand out there. He asked me if I was happy for the 'Cal' flight to continue and I said of course. We were standing out there when I happend to look to my left and here was this Cessna 406 at about 50 ft coming straight at me. He wasnt even on the runway center line. Sure he was doing it on purpose!

[chopper_nut]

21-5-07

Red Deer, Alberta
Canada

Im starting to get the impression that the NZ CAA doesnt actually want to have anything to do with me. Everytime I try and meet their requirements, they throw me another set of rules and tell me why I shouldnt be doing what I am. I think I may be here for a while. On a brighter note, one of the engineers has put me up in his spare room so I dont have to keep forking out for hotel rooms. The pilots and ground crew that arnt out on station at the moment invited me out on Saturday night to sample the night life. I was amazed that Red Deer actually has a night life. We had a great time that took my mind off the mammoth tasks I have ahead of me. Dave, the guy who put me up, took me down to Vancouver on Sunday morning. We were both a little worse for wear after our exploits on Saturday but we made it down there. Unfortunatly the weather was absolute rubbish so all the aeroplanes at the GA fields were locked away in the hangers. The only things we saw were some news helicopters and some biz jets. The weather was so miserable, I couldnt even be bothered getting the camera out, or mayby it was the hangover. I got some shopping for the family done.

This morning dawned a little better than yesterday but not much. I jumped into the car with Dave way too early for my liking. After the quiet of last week and the weekend, the airport was bustling. There were quite a number of aircraft comming and going, even at this ungodly hour.

This came in from the Yukon for maintainance just before we got there. No prizes for guessing which airline used to operate this!

Once the pilot found out I was a Kiwi, I was given the grand tour of the aircraft. I got soaked taking these.

Terrible photo, I know but it was just so dark. Still, shows the very British layout.

Beaver from the wilderness. Canada is full of them but any aircraft that has your surname written on the side deserves a photo! The pilot is just about to fire her up here.

A private EC135 that arrived last night.

A little MD500 a long way from home and a good reason why Americans shouldnt be allowed to paint helicopters!!

There were heaps of other aircraft that came in during the day but these were the most interesting. Perry, the operations manager said that he is going to start doing my type rating in the next few days if the weather clears up. At least that wll be one less hurdle to overcome.

[chopper_nut]

29-5-07
Calgary, Alberta
Canada

Its funny how one often feels like he, or she is banging ones head against a brick wall when dealing with aviation. I was starting to get frustrated a few days ago with the lack of cooperation from CAA in NZ. However, eventually, and with no words of support, I was given the rego ZK-NDB for the Invader. The weather had cleared over the last couple of days and Perry was able to give me the type rating. The B26 is a funny aircraft to fly, while its quite a large aircraft, it handles like a fighter and yet the single engine performance makes it handle like a slug. Amazing what the torque does to the flight characteristics. On my last night in Red Deer, I was treated to another potentially all night meal and drinking session, which of course I partook in untill around 2200.

This morning Dave, the guy I had been staying with, and myself piled into his car at 0800 and drove to the airport. The weather was pretty good for flying, not much wind and a few clouds at about 8000ft. It was cold though so I made a point of not packing my bomber jacket and gloves. The aircraft was parked on the line with full tanks and the somewhat hung over mechanic was just giving the wind screen a polish. I went inside and filed a flight plan, had a coffee and strolled back out to the aircraft to find a crowd gathering to see me off. Nice people these Canadians!

After preflighting and making sure that all was in order, I set about saying my goodbyes to the crew that had been my family over the last few weeks. Some of the guys were quite sad to see their aircraft go, and who can blame them. I climbed aboard and began firing her up for the last time at the spirtual home of the Invader. The temperatures were taking a long time to come up so I began to move slowly to the holding point of runway 34.



After a while, I decided that the temps were all within limits and wernt going to go anywhere anyway, I announced on the traffic freq that I was lining up. One last look around the cockpit to check everything, landing light down and on and transponder to mode c. I held the aircraft on the brakes and ran the engines up to about 2000rpm, checking the Ts and Ps again, I released the brakes and went to full power. The old girl slowly gathered speed down the strip untill all of a sudden there was no noise of the tyres on the ground. After a look around to check everything, I slapped the gear up and brought the flaps in.



I then flicked the radio over to Calgary control and announced myself to them. After a few minutes I happened to look back over my shoulder and saw the airport vanishing into the distance.



There wasnt a lot of activity on the radio so I could sit back and enjoy the view a bit. There wasnt a lot to see really, the gigantic engines and nacelles on the Invader arnt good for sightseeing!



It was bittely cold in the cockpit at this altitude and I was glad that I had my winter flying gear on. Quite a lot of visible moisture was in the air in the form of cloud so I engaged the carb heat just to be on the safe side. Canada is a very beautiful country and just when I started to be able to enjoy the view, the radio started to give me problems. I could transmit ok but the reciever was very crackly and broken. The guys at Calgary could hear me ok and I could more or less make out what they were on about but just in case, I set the transponder to 7600. I was already under their control so I continued with the track to the airport. Before I knew it, Calgary was sprawled out under me.



The airport appeared ahead of me and I began slowing the aircraft up for landing. When the gear is extended in the Invader, it requires quite a lot of power to keep the thing flying, this can be quite a trap for new pilots going into short fields where the natural thing to do is to kill the power over the fence. If you do this in the Invader with any height on, it has the potential to kill you.





After a somewhat rough landing, I taxied over to the GA area and shut her down. By coincidence, a guy was out on the ramp installing a radio in a Cessna 207. I went and had a word to him and he took my radio away to have a play with. I went and checked myself in to the airport hotel and then caught a taxi into Calgary to do some touristy stuff, shopping, sightseeing and the like. I have just had a reasonable meal in the hotel and am off to have some shut eye.

CYQF - CYCC = 69.5nm

[ardypilot]

What scenery is that you have for Calgery?

[chopper_nut]

Haha, its just the default scenery!

[G-HEVN]

Hurrah! We're off! One small step etc...

[Naki]

What happened to your delivery trip choppernut? Did your B-26 break down?

[chopper_nut]

29-6-07

Seattle, Washington
USA

Finally got back into Canada after a month back in NZ dealing with a family emergency. Upon arriving in Calgary, I rang the airport company to try and get a ride out to the Invader. After much stuffing around trying to convince the authorities that I was not a terrorist, a white van came and picked me up. We spent the next 15 minutes trying to work out where I had left the aeroplane. I started to get worried that someone had pinched it (turned out in the end that the guy who fixed the radios moved it over to his hanger) Satisfied that all was in order, I went and found a hotel close to the airport to spend the night and sleep off the jet lag.

I arrived at the airport early this morning as I had to file a flight plan and go through the aircraft fairly thouroughly after being parked up for a month. It was mighty cold fumbling around on the wings peering into all the little crevaces where birds could make nests.



After spending about an hour filing the flight plan and completing associated paper work, I did one final walk around, thanked the chap who did the radios and climbed aboard. I had done some flying in a Piper Cub around the South Island when I was home so the Invader seemed really alien to me. I took a little longer in starting up just to be sure that I hadnt missed anything.

After I was satisfied that everything was running as it should I taxied slowly out towards the holding point. I completed my pre takeoffs and announced that I was ready to roll. The aircraft performed perfectly during the takeoff and I was soon climbing out into the cold Canadian sky.





It was strangely reassuring to hear the deep throaty rumble of the engines instead of the tinny roar of the jets that I had ringing through my ears the previous day. I settled a little lower in the cockpit and turned up the coller on my leather jacket in the vein hope of keeping warm.



The lowest altitude I could get IFR enroute was 14000ft. This irritated me as it meant that I was going to be really cold and I would also have to break out the oxygen bottle to stay awake. At least the scenery was good.



After checking the Ts and Ps for what seemed like the hundredth time, I remembered a vital piece of equipment that I had in my flight bag that would make the trip a little better. After a bit of searching, I found my iPod and the headset adapter. At least I would have something to listen to.



The trip home was good in that I managed to load most of my CDs onto the iPod and I had a chance to buy the adapter. As I settled down again, I finally had a chance to gaze a little at the scenery while the Guess Who's Live at the Paramount started through the headset, magic!! (The slightly older people reading this will appreciate the music!)



The Canadian wilderness gave way to the American wilderness. I was handed off to a controller in Seattle and all of a sudden the radio seemed to get a lot busier. I took one last look back at Canada and edged the propeller levers open a little more so that I could get a little more speed out of the old girl. The thing that you dont realise when your flying around NZ is that even in a reasonably fast aircraft, it still takes a fair amount of time to get anywhere in North America.





The countyside seemed to roll on forever untill I spotted the grey mass on the horizon that just had to be Seattle. Sure enough, the radio chatter picked up, so I unplugged the iPod and pulled out the plates for Seattle Tacoma.



After being pushed around the sky by a presumably sane controller for about 10 minutes, I spotted the airport in my two o'clock postition. Slowing the aircraft up so I could get the flaps extended, I noticed that one of the ammeters showed that the left hand generator wasnt working, another thing to fix that could take a couple of days.





After landing and clearing customs, I went in search of the local mechanic. Naturally there were no spare generators lying around the workshop and with my container already half way to NZ I got on the phone to Canada. It turned out that Perry, the ops manager at Airspray was bringing one of the firms Electras down to California to help with a fire. He said that if I could wait for a couple of days then he can drop me a spare on the way through. Looks like I will have a couple of days to look around Seattle.

CYCC - KSEA = 392.7nm

[jastheace]

great story, and great pictures, will be keeping an eye and an ear out for this one!!

[chopper_nut]

1-7-07

Sacremento
California
USA

Perry arrived at about 0400 this morning with the generator. I arranged to be woken at 0330. Just as I was checking out of the hotel, I heard the shrill scream of the Electra taxing to the ramp. I raced over to the aero maintainance crowd, I forget what they call themselves, and greeted Perry. Within a few minutes, the generator was in the hands of the engineer and being installed into my aircraft. Most of the prep work had been done the previous night so within 30 minutes, Jerry, the engineer, had the generator installed. I started the engine and ran it up to about 2200rpm. I checked the ammeters and they both appeared to be doing their job.

The sun was comming up now and with time pressing on, Perry fired up the Electra and headed south. I filed a flight plan and completed my pre start walk around. After thanking Jerry and paying him for his services, I began to fire the old girl up once more.



I completed the usual checks and procedures and before long I was making my way out to the active runway.



I got the gear up early and trimmed to get the best attitude for the climb, about 1700fpm. The whole start, takeoff and climb out seems a bit like a blur now. I really shouldnt be rushing things with an aircraft like this. Ill have to be a bit more cautious in future.

I climbed up to my assigned altitude of 9000ft and was treated to a superb view of Seattle at dawn on the way. This is what flying is all about!



Once the radio chatter died off a bit, I plugged in my iPod once more and was treated to the very Californian sounds of The Eagles. Hotel California always sounds better when you are flying at 9000ft with the sun comming up!



The tundra of Washington State gave way to the tundra of Oregon. It wasnt quite as cold today as it had been when I flew down from Canada but at this altitude it could have been 30 degrees on the ground and I would still have been cold up there! I bored along through the sky without seeing another soul for nearly two hours. Its funny but its something that only other pilots who fly cross country would understand. When you are in a situation where you are flying an aircraft you love, the weather is perfect and you can look out the window and admire the view, all of a sudden the world doesnt seem so bad anymore. I couldnt help but smile to myself at that moment.







Eventually, Oregon passed and I was into California for the first time in 11 years. The change in country was almost immediate, and depressing. After the ruggard beauty of Oregon and Washington, California was flat and boring.



After what seemed like an eternity, I was directed towards the airport at Sacremento. Even at this time of the morning there wasnt much traffic around and the approach was a simple affair. I slowed up for a landing and dirtied the aircraft up faily early so there wouldnt be this rush of trying to get the gear down. The extension speed is 145mph and the old girl just doesnt want to fly that slow!



After landing, I was given permission to taxi to the GA area. A funny thing happened while I was making my way over there, an American aircraft, it looked like a Piper Aztec, made a complete arse of himself by running off the runway just after me. The aircraft lost the nose gear when it slid sideways and hit a hollow in the ground He wasnt hurt but his pride sure would have been!

I shut the Invader down and Im off now to take some photos of aeroplanes. Some quite interesting stuff here.

KSEA - KSMF = 522nm

[chopper_nut]

5-7-07

Ramona
California
USA

The flight from Sacremento down to Ramona was fairly uneventful. I was amused by the amount of GA traffic. Nearly every man and his dog were out flying their machines. Nice day for it though. I got airborne out of Sacremento fairly late in the day and climbed out to 9000ft en route to Ramona.









The further south I got, the thicker the haze became. A bit of a bugger really.



I went totally IMC for a time before I popped out with the airstrip right in front of me.

I landed without incident and after parking the Invader up on the ramp, I went and introduced myself to the other pilots who were sitting around looking bored. It turned out that there was a fire blazing up the valley but the aircraft were not required at that point. I took some of the guys over to crawl over my aircraft. One of the slightly older guys had flown Invaders so he was really impressed to see one being flown again.

Ramona is quite different to what it used to be. When I say that, I mean the aeroplanes are different. My last visit here in 96 was in the middle of the phase out of DC4s from active service in fire operations. Now the DC6s and DC7s have almost vanished. Even the S2 Trackers that used to populate nearly every CDF base in California have vanished to be replaced by turbine engined machines. What is sad though is that the really old machines have gone. The Privateers, O2 spotter aircraft, a lot of C130s have been grounded. Even some of the early P3s have gone.

Jeremy, one of the pilots who was due to go off duty that night, asked if I had a place to stay for the night, which of course I didnt. At 1700 we jumped into his truck and took off towards the town. After meeting his family, we went out for a meal at some Mexican restaurant, the name of which escapes me now but I remember thinking that I wouldnt want to be getting into an aeroplane with anyone after eating that food! The talk soon turned to shop and we got into some sort of alcoholic beverage which I can still taste in my mouth now.

The next day dawned much like the last except without the haze. Jeremy suggested we fly over to San Diego in his Cessna. I wasnt in any real rush to leave the US at the moment so I quickly agreed and we set off for the airport. The scene was the same as the previous day with the pilots lounging around waiting for the call to go.

We pulled his Cessna 152 out of the hanger and fired her up. Jeremy isnt instructor rated so he sat in the left hand seat. I didnt really mind though, it was a good chance to go flying without having to worry about anything.



There was surprisingly little traffic around as it was such a nice day. We bombed through the sky at a very respectable 100kts.



It wasnt long before we were being given joining instructions for Lindberg Intl. San Diego is quite crowded with four airports within the city limits. Back in 1978 there was a collision between PSA82, a 727 and a Cessna 172.



This image scares me a little but it is an important reminder about situational awareness. The crew of the 727 were cited as being at fault for not maintaining visual contact with the Cessna. Its something for every pilot to keep in mind and its something I hope I never witness.



I soon spotted the airport to our two o'clock and Jeremy began to slow the aircraft up a little. Im not sure who put a carpark right off the end of the runway but it sure would be a fantastic place to go and take photos.




We parked the aircraft, caught a ride out to the terminal and walked down to town and had lunch. I dont remember much about San Diego from my first visit. I remember going and sitting at the Naval air station and watching the F14s come and go, that was cool but I dont remember the town much at all. Its a very pleasent city, much like Auckland.

The flight back to Ramona was uneventfull but when we landed, all hell had broken loose. The wind had shifted and the fire was now rapidly becoming uncontrolable. Most of the aircraft had left by the time we arrived back. The last S2T was just taxing out when we shut down.



It was getting late so we decided to go and call it a day. I have some serious planning to do now. Mexico is next and then I hit the really hard stuff, South America, where some of the natives arnt too friendly. I might have to try and procure some protection for myself and the aeroplane. Thats a few days away yet though so for the moment, Im just going to enjoy Southern California.

[chopper_nut]

9-7-07

Tepic City
Nayarit
Mexico

I have been wrong about a few things in my life, girls mainly, but the one thing that really surprised me was the American 'way of life' if you will. Jeremy, my host over the last few days, drove me to the airport at about 0700 this morning. He is my age, flying tankers for a living, has a beautiful wife, two beautiful kids, a modest but very nice house, heck, he even has the obligitory family dog. Its the perfect family. How many guys my age have that back home? Very, very few I think. Mayby I will return to America to live one day. I was still thinking about it when we pulled up to the airstrip. I walked over to November Delta Bravo, passing some very tired and dirty smoke jumpers who as I found out, had just been pulled off the fire after 2 days straight. Jeremy brought out a mug of very sweet and very instant coffee just as I was pulling off all the covers and removing the control blocks. As I was doing this, the first sortie took off for the day, Its a mighty impressive sight to see these aircraft used in this role.

The previous day, I called a friend of mine who is in San Diego for a few days. It turns out that he had a Garmin handheld GPS unit and he was prepared to lend it to me for the rest of my trip. Given some of the stories I have heard about radio beacons being blown up and the like, I thought this would probably come in handy as a secondary nav aid.

I filed a VFR flight plan to San Diego, said my farewells to the pilots and crew and walked towards the Invader, flanked by Jeremy who was in the middle of telling me what to expect in Central America. I did one final walk around and paused to shake my new friend's hand before climbing aboard.



I fired the Invader up, and because there was very little wind and after the morning rush of tankers, it was also quiet. I had the field to myself so I elected to depart straight for San Diego. I flicked the obligitory salute to the pilots lounging around and taxied out to the holding point.



Once airborne, I swung the aircraft around to fly straight into San Diego. After the journey three days ago in the little 152, the trip was very quick and very soon I was being pushed around by ATC. I was slotted in the traffic pattern and I got the aircraft slowed up for landing. I did this early because I knew that with a busy pattern like this, it doesnt take much to cause everything to fall apart and I didnt want to be the one who came thundering in for no reason.



I removed myself from the runway as quickly as possible and made my way over to the cargo apron where I spotted a security vehicle with a figure beside it who appeared to be waving at me. I trundled over there slowly and shut down. I climbed down the boarding ladder and made my way over to the car where Simon was waiting for me. He handed me the unit and we made small talk while the morning rush passed. The security guard didnt seem to be in any hurry to finish the paper so we leaned against the aircraft and just chewed the fat for quarter of an hour or so.



After Simon had been whisked away back to the secuirty gate by the guard I walked over to one of the freight outfits to file an IFR flight plan.

With the unit on board and with me sort of knowing how to use it, I fired up the Invader again and taxied out to the holding point. I managed to beat a United 737 so I was given clearence to line up and go.



Climbing out into the warm Californian sky, I was cleared to 9000ft which worked for me as I had no need to break out the oxygen bottle. I crossed the border into Mexico at San Ysidro and while looking out for other traffic, I spotted several dark green or black helicopters. They looked like MD500s or something similar. I thought this was a bit odd, it wasnt untill a little while later I realised that I had seen these on my 96 trip. They are border security choppers equiped with Night Sun and various other pieces of equipment to spot people illegally crossing the border. Once in the cruise, I fiddled with the mixture and prop levers and once I was happy with the speed vs economy ratio, I pulled out the iPod, and settled back to enjoy the view.



I was on cloud nine at this point, everything in the aircraft was alive with the deep throaty roar of the engines, I had The Band (once again, the younger readers might want to find out who The Band were) piping through the headset and I was nice and warm under the beautiful blue sky.






My first point of call for the day came into view. I was vectored straight onto finals for runway 20 at Gen Jose Ma Yanez Intl. There was no traffic at all here so once again I had plenty of time to sort the aircraft out.




Despite having no pressure, my landing was a little rough but soon I was making my way over to the pumps to top up the aircraft, clear customs and a quick lunch in the 'terminal'



I wanted to get some decent distance covered today so despite the weather not looking too flash to the south I decided to have a crack at getting to Tepic for the night. I filed another IFR plan and set about getting the old girl airborne again.



As soon as I climbed to my cruise of 9000ft, I realised that the weather wasnt going to give me any problems at all. There was a bit of vertical development but nothing I hadnt faced in this aircraft before.






This was by far the most stress free flight I had made so far. I was soon in contact with Tepic tower and the radio traffic increased somewhat. The iPod came off and I started the descent down into the basin. Tepic sits in the shadow of the Sangangüey volcano and lies on the banks of two rivers. By world standards it is a small city of just over 300000 people. After talking to some english speaking guys at Yanez Intl, I was fairly confident of finding decent place to stay here.



There was a bit of cloud around and so it took a while for me to spot the strip and with some s-turns to get the height and speed under control, I was on finals.




I vacated the runway as quick as I could and taxied over to the ramp and shut the machine down.



After putting the Invader to bed for the night, I walked over to the so called terminal and tried to organise some transport into town. I bought a Spanish phrase book before I left the states but it was clear now that there were some glaring errors in it as I wasnt getting anywhere in trying to communicate my intentions. Finally one of the instructors who had been out flying walked in. I knew that at least he would have a reasonable command of the English language and sure enough after some rapid fire Spanish, an old Chevrolet arrived in a cloud of oily smoke. The hotel here is okay, not flash but not really a dive either. I made sure to take my ex military ration packs and my bottles of water out of the aircraft as I am not entirely confident in the water system here and I sure as hell am not game enough to try the local cuisine. Im off to get some shut eye now, Its been a long day.

KSAN - MMGM = 459.7nm

MMGM - MMEP = 518.7nm

[Duckman]

Now these are groovey shots.... Spot on bro!