Well, another month has slipped by, and I have managed to avoid another meeting. Thanks to Ted Beck, being president has never been so easy. The ground-bound Poker Run has just finished, and even though the weather was not at its best, I felt it was well attended, and we made the best of a mediocre day. I really do appreciate that all of you came out. We managed to soften the cost of the gathering by your generosity. We were also able to find a winner in the poker challenge. It was Gerry Theroux with a straight, followed by Pat Cunningham with two aces, and then Ed D’Antoni with a pair of nines. It was a game called “Indus Hold ’em.”

The previous weekend, we made it to the Mother’s Day Fly-In at Sundre. Close to 100 airplanes made the trip. We left at 8:30, and the garbage cans were 3/4 full at that time. What a great flight! It was the first landing on pavement for IKSR, and it was decided that both of us like the grass better.

I am hoping that by the time you read this, Troy and I are in eastern Canada somewhere. We are waiting for the weather to give us a start date. Our main goal is to get the best weather we can over the northern Ontario area. Since there are fewer strips, but lots of trees and rocks in that part of the world, we would like to travel through it as safely as possible. I am really looking forward to it since I have never been past Quebec City. Please be advised that there will be a presentation of our trip in the fall.

A good majority of you have had some training under the hood or wearing foggles. Now that Troy’s panel is complete, I had the chance to give it a try on our last flight. I was able to watch Troy give it a go, and I noticed that to follow the heading, left is down and right is up. Once you have that straight, we can focus on speed and altitude. Sounds simple enough, but what I found was that you can’t stare at one instrument too long. It seems that as soon as one instrument is stable, it puts the other two into a position where they are not supposed to be. It gives me a new appreciation for the pilots who fly IFR without autopilot on a regular basis. I am trying to convince Troy that I should fly Saskatchewan under the hood. By the last article, you recall that I have no fondness for the prairies when there is that much ground to cover.

I have been priming myself for this flight by reading the book “Undaunted.” It tells the stories of everyone from Bleriot to Lindbergh and Hughes. In great detail, it offers a look at just what it took to conquer such great distances with the barriers of oceans and continents and finally circumnavigation in the early days. With all that these flyers have accomplished and the seemingly endless hours that they have put in, two days of seven hours each will be just enough excitement for me. I don’t expect it to be easy, but as we face those difficult moments is when the true adventure begins. I am very inspired by what we are about to do. It isn’t everyone who has this opportunity to fly in the first place, but it’s even more amazing that an idea dreamt up three years ago is about to be realized.

I would be remiss if I didn’t remind us all to keep on top of your maintenance. One morning recently, we couldn’t get the plane to run the way it should. The carb had just been rebuilt, and all things had been checked out. A small pop and rough engine wouldn’t go away no matter how we adjusted the mixture. We asked the experts, and they told us to look at the induction system again. Sure enough, a gap had opened on the intake.

Once remedied, we were off like a sweater in July. In the midst of all this, we had to question if our trip would happen or not, as it was getting that close. As we were waiting to hear back from the mechanic, I thought, “there is something that we are supposed to learn from this.” The idea that I hold onto is that flying is instinctive in two ways. The flying portion is and has always been by feel. There is another side of it as well, which is that we must not reason away the voice of caution when dealing with our aircraft.

Whether you talk about intuition or the experience of those who have gone before us, there is a message to listen to that will keep you safe. All things being equal, don’t let a schedule allow things to be overlooked. Both Troy and I have agreed that there are certain conditions that will make us wait. Like the old saying, “better late than never.”

Wishing you tailwinds and no bumps.