Wow it has been (3) years since my last post! WOW! time flies when you are having fun!
Well, 3 years is quite awhile. Lot has gone on since then. After my trip to Reno, I went home to Hubbard, OR and back to work at MII. Almost a year later I started on my float rating with Ryan Smith in his PA-12 on the Willamette River, just above the Oregon City Falls. Later in the year I had the oppertunity to get my Inspection Authorization (allows me to inspect and sign-off aircraft). Then towards the end on 2009 I had some differences with a co-worker at MII and soon a door opened for me to go out on my own and create Mix Aircraft Solutions, llc. I started just working out of my garage and truck and other peoples hangers. I was doing really well and driving alot! After a year or so I ran into a gal that needed some work on her Cessna 150 at Mulino, OR. I had been to this airport before and the was another AMT in the maintenance hanger but when I got there to help Lisa, She informed me that the hanger was empty and I should try to get into it. “Well YEAH!” I said. Soon after that I made a bunch of phone calls and talked with ODA (Oregon Department of Aviation) and the told me the criteria that was needed to get into the hanger and after a couple months of waiting, I was in! Thank you Lord! A dream come true! Big bifold door, (2) service doors, office, bathroom, painted floor, storage, lots of lights!
So I have been here now for a full year in May 2012! Wow! Pictures to follow soon!
So, “The Tern” lives on the ramp and gets plenty of attention when I get the chance to fly. Last year I didn’t go anywhere special but the year before, I flew “The Tern” the South Dakota to Spearfish, SD for the International 120-140 fly-in. I left on a Friday morning, flew to Reno (landed at Spanish Springs) visited with Chris and celebrated my friend Brians 50th birthday! Saturday Chris and I went to Stead to watch the Reno AirRaces. We were on the outskirts and watched as the planes roared by. Sunday morning I left before the winds got to hard and flew up to Nampa, ID where I stopped for 3 days waiting for a friend from Portland to catch up. But due to low clouds and crummy wx between us, Micheal decided it wasn’t the wisest idea for him to continue. So, I departed in ”The Tern” around noon and continued on east. I flew to Pocetello, ID the turned south and made it to Ft. Bridger, WY where I got to practice my crosswind, high density altitude landings! At first it was going to be a 40 degree crosswind 25 mph gusting to 35 mph….but after looking at the flight guide a little more I noticed the was a dirt runway that made the crosswind only 10 degrees! yeah! Oh, and to top it off the density altitude was well over 9500’…So, after several landings and take-offs (unintentional that is) I got her planted on the runway. Now with this wind it is a bugger to get turned around, but after a couple of attempts I managed to do it and taxied REALLY slow! The FBO there had a truck that they let me borrow and I went into town to get some food, and supplies. When I came back I went to sleep in the crew lounge and got up early to beat the heat and finish the treak to SD.
So if you ever flown over Wyoming…there is not much to see. I am glad I had my GPS! However, once I got to northern WY there was more things like mountains and rolling hills that gave the landscape some texture. I even saw some old homesteads that didn’t have any roads into them. Once I got to southern SD there was some lower clouds that I had to manuever under and loose alot of altitude to land at Spearfish. About the same time a small flock of 140s were coming in from the west and we all landed about the same time. So, I stayed there and visited with everyone until Sunday morning when Kevin and I started out at 6am and flew together until Salt Lake City, UT. I then continued on to Nampa, ID where I again stayed the night and slept like a log since I had flown for a solid 9.5 hrs that day. I landed at 6:30 pm and was pooped! I left the next morning and flew an additional 3.5 hrs to Hood River, OR, where my truck was, and then drove to my house in Hubbard. (which was probably the most dangerous part of the whole trip!)
Well it is getting late, but I will try to post some pictures later of the trip.
