Where have you been? What have you seen?
#1456428
Tuesday 17th saw Mike and I depart northbound (sort of parallel with the eastern side of the Rockies). Our plan was to reach northern Colorado and head east through Nebraska and then east to Illinois, so as to avoid further tears & bloodshed in the central areas beset by storms.

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(above: fuel & breakfast stop: Lamar, CO)

The whole area of NE New Mexico, SE Colorado and the associated bounding parts of Texas & Oklahoma are beef raising country. The cattle are ranch-born to adulthood, but are finally fattened for market in huge ugly pens, enough to put you off beef.

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(above: beef cattle)

We overnight at Fort Morgan, CO. A small airfield to serve a vast farming community in the supply of crop-spraying services. We kipped in the pilot's lounge (as is our wont).

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(Above: Fort Morgan)

We now find ourselved in the envious position of not being in a hurry at all, so we decide to take some scenic diversions before continuing east. First stop Fort Collins, CO, then Laramie, Wyoming.

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(Above: evidence of recent rains; floods at 7500MSL near Laramie)

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(Above: one point for the aircraft type, three points for identifying the purpose of the anterior proboscis)

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(Above: Laramie)

Eastbound next, and a climb to 9500MSL to clear the aptly-named Pilot Hill just east of Laramie before descending past Cheyenne, at a more sensible 5000 feet or so, and on to Nebraska.

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(Above: Nebraska farmland)

Wednesday evening saw us at North Platte for the night, in good company. One of the few north-south runways in the area and a 30kt southerly saw all sorts dropping in here for the night.

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(Above: North Platte and a 1929 Travel Air as company)

More to follow.
Paul_Sengupta, Flyin'Dutch', Morten and 2 others liked this
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By Dave W
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1456606
Rob L wrote:Image
(Above: one point for the aircraft type, three points for identifying the purpose of the anterior proboscis)


I expect it is a magnetometer for geological survey purposes. (See also e.g. on the back end of Nimrods for other but similar reasons), Aircraft looks like a Cessna 180.


Rob L wrote:Image


I do believe I've used some of their European offshoots over the years.
#1457191
We spent the following morning (Weds 18th) doing some tourist stuff in North Platte. The place is famous for the largest "hump yard" (ooeer missus) in the US. Basically they receive trans-continental trains and divide up those train cars for onward distribution. The mile-long train of cars are raised on a gradual hump and each car (or cars) is then uncoupled and routed under gravity down the other slope to its new siding & engine.

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(above: North Platte hump yard)

We also had a play in Cody Park Railroad Museum on the 4-6-6-4 Challenger locomotive.

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Later the same day we flew north-east to Yankton, right on the Missouri, up and down which Lewis & Clark explored between 1803 & 1806. The country between our two airports was a lot more rolling and green than I expected; perhaps it's Kansas and not Nebraska that is covered in corn & wheat fields.

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(above: Missouri River)

Next day saw us meet up with our friend Jim (who came on the September tour last year) and two other Taylorcraft owners for a five-ship flight to Independence Iowa for lunch:

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And yesterday Mike & I returned to Dacy. It's taken 7 months for my Taylorcraft to return "home", but the engine performed impeccably.

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(Above: a summary of the route flown)

A few statistics:

Hours flown: 50 appx, 32 airfields, 11 States
Miles: 5000 appx
Dave W, mick w, Paul_Sengupta and 8 others liked this
#1457992
What a fantastic trip and pictures, my guess for the aircraft are:-

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(above: One point to name the type)

Bellanca Aircruiser

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(above: two points to guess the type)

Convair 102

Both rare and unusual aircraft.