What a great summer we have had weather-wise. I hope everyone has been able to make the most of it and get to put some air between the tires. We have been quite busy at work, making an extended family getaway adventure tough, but we have been able to fit in a few fun adventures.

The first was a trip to Three Forks, MT, to meet up with some RV10 guys from Salt Lake that I had been in touch with for quite some time. Just before our afternoon departure, a SIGMET was issued for our route of flight for severe turbulence. Winds were over 40 knots on the ground in High River. That didn’t sound like much fun, so I canceled the trip; sometimes it is just best to stay on the ground. I then committed to Oshkosh to meet up with the same guys.

Garret Komm joined me for the adventure to Oshkosh. We left bright and early on Sunday morning and arrived in Williston for our 9:00 customs booking ten minutes early. Customs was there, and there was no waiting. We filled up and were soon on our way direct from there to Osh. We leveled at 13,500’ and had a great tailwind giving 205 to 215 knots ground speed, resulting in just over three hours to Oshkosh. We landed around 1:30 Oshkosh time and set up camp. We walked the grounds and met up with all the people I had hoped to meet before the day was even over. We stayed one more day and headed out Tuesday for home after about 45 minutes of waiting to depart. They changed the direction of departures and arrivals when we were ready to take off; you can just imagine the trouble. A bit of weather to deal with, and we were home again that evening. A quick trip, but a fun flying adventure.

Next was a day trip with the family to Invermere to go swimming. We loaded up the cooler with food, brought extra clothes, and we had to bring our Airedale Terrier for her second ride in the plane. A smooth ride over the rocks, and we set down around noon. We got lucky and had a ride from the airport to the beach. We had a wonderful afternoon of swimming with the kids during the heat of the day and a great picnic. We called a cab to bring us back to the airport, but the wait was longer than the walk, so we hiked our way up the hill to the airport in the 30°C plus weather. A bit of complaining from the kids, but everyone made it. A 4:00 pm departure, and we were whizzing our way in the bumps over the mountains to get home for supper and movie night. Just over 30 minutes later, we were back at the hangar heading for home.

Our latest trip was a day trip to Crawford Bay, just east of Nelson on Kootenay Lake. This was the best day trip yet that we have had. The whole family came along, as well as the dog. We departed at about 11 AM and touched down just after lunch. Crawford Bay has a grass strip that is one way in and one way out. It’s about 2,700’ long right at the north end of the bay. They have a berm placed between the end of the runway and the road, as many planes have overshot and ended up on the road. You need to plan the day with a south wind if you want to leave during the windiest part of the day. But you have to make sure you get there early enough that you can handle the tailwind landing. Know your numbers and know your plane. A go-around could put you in the side of a mountain.

The approach is over the water, and we landed with about a 5-knot tailwind. We were loaded up pretty good with overnight clothes as well and had no issues. Right next to the runway are cabins that can be rented, and a short walk past them takes you into town to find food. There was a playground nearby for the kids, which we had to stop at.

At the other end of the runway is a great beach. We spent much of the afternoon there playing in the water and soaking up the sun. The kids loved it. A short walk down the runway brought us back to the plane. We loaded up and departed about 6 pm in the heat of the evening.

Departure is a bit of a concern as there is little choice for an engine-out landing. As soon as we cleared the end of the runway, I started a turn of 45° to the right of the runway. There is a bog on the right that you could make if you were really low, and the 45° climbing turn set us up better for a return to the runway if we had enough height. The RV10 climbs better than it glides, so it usually is never an issue as long as something does not happen before the first minute. I always like to plan for the worst case or close my eyes if I can’t come up with a good plan.

The climb takes some time going up in a spiral as the runway is right next to the mountains that you have to get over before you can head east. Not long after, we were climbing through 8,000’ and on our way. We had a nice tailwind and touched down after 50 minutes of airtime. We had a nice 35-knot wind that peaked at 40 knots on the tail for the last quarter of the flight over the mountains. We tightened the belts, expecting a rough ride through wave turbulence; but it was smooth as glass the whole way with just a ripple during the letdown. We were home in time for a late supper and a night in our own bed. We now have 325 hours on the Hobbs, and it still puts a smile on my face every time we go out.