How MY failed flying trip turned successful..

They invited me, they badgered me, they told me I MUST come! The Ohio Bush Pilots group are aviation enthusiasts to the core...we connected quickly and the plan was for me and head honcho Judy from LLT (Ladies Love Taildragger's) to go and finally meet "face to face".  The "boys" were thrilled we were coming...at least they told us that...:-)

I'm thrilled to belong to this group of LLT members as we share flying stories, pictures and adventures.. I SO dig that!

If it includes Girly Plane, I'm ALL about that....passion has a funny way of rearing her head and I easily follow.  What is it that drives you; what makes you giddy....tell me tell meeeeee....

Trips and adventures go hand in hand and for me it's my steadfast curiosity that gets me excited to explore the wide open sky...or really anything. Just ask my buds I'm always asking questions...

So this past week I did my flight planning for the trip West to the OBP fly-in...check, packed Friday morning..check...cleaned and spiffed girly plane...check... Installed new muffler shroud's -  me, myself and I.. had my mechanic look over all approved....check...step back a minute...I am super proud of installation...even steven with the boys...hehe....I love  wrenching, helps you understand the mechanics of plane a big plus if you are a pilot, I really encourage you to do a "hands on" annual with your mechanic.

Okay, now where was I....Oh -Adventure day - I rise and shine early, rush to the airport and sit for 4 hours....sigh....we are totally socked in the weather gods have decided to make me learn patience.  So, I check weather about 100 times on my phone and make the call. 

My one bud reminds me that I came out to fly so get going! Big day for us, never been this far West and I'm beyond excited to meet everyone and see some cool planes.

So, I pack her up and ready-set-go I decide to let my bud know I'm on my way...my signature wing-ova his house...after a low pass....Btw- if you tell anyone I won't confess to this...;-)

I climb to about 3500 feet and ahead of me is a very, hazy sky with clouds higher than I am. I wasn't in the least bit skeered only a wee bit cautious as I continue ahead to unchartered territory...for gods sake I sound like I'm in a horror movie, funny, but each trip I make is another notch towards accomplishment ,skill, and learning and growing.

The further West I get the bigger the mountains seem and suddenly the lower the clouds appear to be as they gently tug and skim my wings and the visibility ahead is now getting skunky. So I say "girl" what do you think and ever so slowly she rolls to the left and I coax her around and head East. I'm not disappointed...truth, I'm relieved. As PIC "pilot in command" or BIC as my one bud calls me...trust me you should know what that stands for. It is up to me to make the call and flying can be dangerous itself if you don't heed the cautious undertone you might feel. Listen, no amount of ego is good to have when our hobby is thrilling in itself when we are in the air, right?

It's at this point I realize I'm once again starving, weak and thirsty for a beer...why do I always seem famished and dying to have a beer after I fly?

It is now becoming quite turbulent skimming these rather large beautiful, colorful mountains, I decide to make this an adventure anyway and go land at a few new airports. Hagerstown is up first and as I crest the biggest range of all I look down and I am looking at acres of quansi huts covered in grass and probably one million military vehicles. Well maybe I'm exaggerating, but its a lot.  I grab my map and seriously, I mean seriously I think I can't be near Camp David?!? I look at my GPS to verify and it goes blank and now I am freaking out, I kid you not!

Okay, breathe, think..wait Hagerstown is West of Camp David c'mon girl!...so, I follow my compass East and decide maybe just maybe I need to click my shoes three times and go home.

As I fly over a small grass strip located in Shippensburg, Pa I realize it's been a long time since I landed there, so I do and make a bee-line over the South mountain and head home.

While, flying this last leg, I realized I might have failed at my attempt to get to OBP and meet new friends but I was successful in my resolve and decision to go home as I had that underlying "gut-feeling". I will have another opportunity to meet these fine folks and Ms. Judy had the same issues and made her own decision to not go due to the weather.

My first call when I land ALWAYS goes to hubby/hubster and I told him I decided tonight to sleep in your bed....lol.  His reply "well I have quite a few calls to make"' damn it- I said what for? He had planned a boys party with the infamous Kralltown girls...seriously? So, needless to say, the party was cancelled, I had to drive to get something to eat and ended with a beer in my hand while writing this.  LG - life is good.

May you have clear skies and successful endings.

Pictures depicted below are;
1.  leaving home 2. Mountains to the left..left...3. In awe of our amazing sky 4.clouds ahead 5. House in colors 6.military base where I was skeered...