First flight of 2008 -- Madison, WI (KMSN)

[Jay Honeck]

Today was one of those picture-perfect winter days -- crystal clear,
blue skies, light winds, and extremely, painfully cold. Luckily,
Atlas -- our Cherokee Pahfinder -- has cylinder head and oil pan
heaters, and the passenger compartment gets warm enough to fly in
shirtsleeves no matter what the weather -- so it was time to take
advantage of our first decent flying day in weeks!

The last time I landed in Madison, WI was as a student pilot, many
moons ago. My crusty old CFI had taken me there on my first long
cross country flight, and introduced me to my first $100 hamburger.
At the time I was googly-eyed about flying anywhere for lunch -- but
in retrospect it was a pretty seedy place. In recent years I had
heard that the new on-field restaurant there was great, but we'd just
never managed to fly that way. So, today was the day -- and what a
great place to visit it was!

The flight up was outstanding. Other than having to shovel the hangar
out (again), and freezing our dingleberries off whilst pre-flighting,
it was our best flight in months. Atlas fairly leapt off the runway,
and we were at 3000 feet and climbing before we were out of the
pattern. Heading northeast over hundreds of square miles of snow-
covered cornfields, we enjoyed 80 minutes of uninterrupted
aviation... Heaven above the earth!

Landing at MSN was simplicity itself. Madison is a mildly busy Class
Charlie airport, with all the amenities but none of the usual hassles
of a big-city airport. The controller cleared Mary to land when we
were still on a ten mile base for Rwy 32, and our only traffic was a
medical helicopter -- and two ANG F-16s screaming in for an overhead
break, right over us as we touched down! It was like flying into an
airshow, and it was great fun.

The restaurant on the field, The Jet Room, is located inside the FBO,
Wisconsin Aviation. It's moved and been extensively remodeled since I
was there in the early 90s, and is quite nice, with a very well done
aviation theme.

Food-wise, they've really got the pilot crowd nailed, with breakfast
served till 2 PM daily, and some great burger selections. They have a
great selection of eggs benedict variations, the pancakes are great,
and the service is home-grown. We sat at the counter (the only seats
available) and had a great view of the griddle, which was a ballet of
precision throughout the rush. The owners -- a fine couple who own
and fly a Cherokee 180 and a Piper Colt -- really run a tight ship.
Prices are reasonable, the view of the ramp (and more F-16s) is
oustanding, and we just couldn't have picked a nicer place to visit.
And -- there is no ramp fee charged at Wisconsin Aviation.

Our flight home was just as enjoyable, with an easy departure and
stunning, 100 mile visibility. 75 minutes later I was rewarded with
one of those landings we all dream about -- a truly great way to end
spectacular flight.

Anyone looking for a great place to visit -- and eat -- can't do
better than the Jet Room in Madison. I'm kicking myself for not
visiting there sooner.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Dallas]

On Wed, 2 Jan 2008 18:39:49 -0800 (PST), Jay Honeck wrote:

> Today was one of those picture-perfect winter days -- crystal clear,

I flew yesterday... it was so clear you could see the curvature of the
earth. In the center of this photo is downtown Dallas 40 miles off.
(Jay, note the green earth below... just in case you forgot what it looked
like. :- )

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v101/Dallas52/Dallas/NewYearsDay0804.jpg



--
Dallas

[Mike Adams[_2_]]

Dallas > wrote:

> it was so clear you could see the curvature of the earth.

I wasn't flying but was skiing this weekend at Sunrise in eastern Arizona. I could clearly see Mt.
Humphreys near Flagstaff. I plotted the distance on Google earth and it's 153 miles. Amazingly clear!

Mike

[BT]

First flight of 2008.. and the newly minted pilot did not get to fly?
bummer dude.. yah, I know.. it will be a few more hours before he can
qualify for the "ATLAS"

My first 9 flights of 2008... towing gliders up to work the ridge lift with
north winds in 1 Jan 2008.
BT

"Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
...
> Today was one of those picture-perfect winter days -- crystal clear,
> blue skies, light winds, and extremely, painfully cold. Luckily,
> Atlas -- our Cherokee Pahfinder -- has cylinder head and oil pan
> heaters, and the passenger compartment gets warm enough to fly in
> shirtsleeves no matter what the weather -- so it was time to take
> advantage of our first decent flying day in weeks!
>
> The last time I landed in Madison, WI was as a student pilot, many
> moons ago. My crusty old CFI had taken me there on my first long
> cross country flight, and introduced me to my first $100 hamburger.
> At the time I was googly-eyed about flying anywhere for lunch -- but
> in retrospect it was a pretty seedy place. In recent years I had
> heard that the new on-field restaurant there was great, but we'd just
> never managed to fly that way. So, today was the day -- and what a
> great place to visit it was!
>
> The flight up was outstanding. Other than having to shovel the hangar
> out (again), and freezing our dingleberries off whilst pre-flighting,
> it was our best flight in months. Atlas fairly leapt off the runway,
> and we were at 3000 feet and climbing before we were out of the
> pattern. Heading northeast over hundreds of square miles of snow-
> covered cornfields, we enjoyed 80 minutes of uninterrupted
> aviation... Heaven above the earth!
>
> Landing at MSN was simplicity itself. Madison is a mildly busy Class
> Charlie airport, with all the amenities but none of the usual hassles
> of a big-city airport. The controller cleared Mary to land when we
> were still on a ten mile base for Rwy 32, and our only traffic was a
> medical helicopter -- and two ANG F-16s screaming in for an overhead
> break, right over us as we touched down! It was like flying into an
> airshow, and it was great fun.
>
> The restaurant on the field, The Jet Room, is located inside the FBO,
> Wisconsin Aviation. It's moved and been extensively remodeled since I
> was there in the early 90s, and is quite nice, with a very well done
> aviation theme.
>
> Food-wise, they've really got the pilot crowd nailed, with breakfast
> served till 2 PM daily, and some great burger selections. They have a
> great selection of eggs benedict variations, the pancakes are great,
> and the service is home-grown. We sat at the counter (the only seats
> available) and had a great view of the griddle, which was a ballet of
> precision throughout the rush. The owners -- a fine couple who own
> and fly a Cherokee 180 and a Piper Colt -- really run a tight ship.
> Prices are reasonable, the view of the ramp (and more F-16s) is
> oustanding, and we just couldn't have picked a nicer place to visit.
> And -- there is no ramp fee charged at Wisconsin Aviation.
>
> Our flight home was just as enjoyable, with an easy departure and
> stunning, 100 mile visibility. 75 minutes later I was rewarded with
> one of those landings we all dream about -- a truly great way to end
> spectacular flight.
>
> Anyone looking for a great place to visit -- and eat -- can't do
> better than the Jet Room in Madison. I'm kicking myself for not
> visiting there sooner.
> --
> Jay Honeck
> Iowa City, IA
> Pathfinder N56993
> www.AlexisParkInn.com
> "Your Aviation Destination"

[Ron Natalie]

Jay Honeck wrote:

> Anyone looking for a great place to visit -- and eat -- can't do
> better than the Jet Room in Madison. I'm kicking myself for not
> visiting there sooner.
> --

Margy and I bailed out of Oshkosh early one year and flew down to
Madison and rented a car there so we could do some touring of the
Frank Lloyd Wright stuff in the area. Real nice airport and as
you noticed, no big thing to get into. There was weather bearing
down on the airport and they offered us any runway we wanted.

[Jay Honeck]

> I flew yesterday... *it was so clear you could see the curvature of the
> earth. *In the center of this photo is downtown Dallas 40 miles off.
> (Jay, note the green earth below... *just in case you forgot what it looked
> like. :- )
>
> http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v101/Dallas52/Dallas/NewYearsDay080...

Sweet! My eyes start to crave green right about now.

We've grown lazy and complacent after ten years of mild winters in
Iowa. In the past there have been some New Years Day flights where we
were able to land on grass strips -- but surely not this year. Not
without a ski-plane. It's been brutal.

Amazingly, the weatherman is predicting a major warming trend for the
weekend, with RAIN predicted for next Monday. Liquid water? I'll
believe it when I see it -- the OAT right now is -1 degrees
fahrenheit.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Jay Honeck]

> First flight of 2008.. and the newly minted pilot did not get to fly?
> bummer dude.. yah, I know.. it will be a few more hours before he can
> qualify for the "ATLAS"

He could have come with us (or gone flying on his own) but chose to
spend his last day of Christmas break with his girfriend -- whose
mother won't let her fly in a light plane!

Joe has not flown solo since giving me a ride, the day after passing
his checkride. The weather here has been absolutely appalling, with
weeks on end of unflyable conditions. I don't know how our FBO gets
through times like this.

> My first 9 flights of 2008... towing gliders up to work the ridge lift with
> north winds in 1 Jan 2008.

Cool! I'll bet that never gets old, even doing it every day.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Jay Honeck]

> Margy and I bailed out of Oshkosh early one year and flew down to
> Madison and rented a car there so we could do some touring of the
> Frank Lloyd Wright stuff in the area.

Did you get to Racine? Lots of FLW stuff there, thanks to Johnson
Wax.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[RST Engineering]

> Cool! I'll bet that never gets old, even doing it every day.


As a friend of mine that plays the tuba once noted, after a few years of
doing it, even Mozart comes down to the same old suck and blow, suck and
blow...

{;-)

Jim

[Gig601XLBuilder]

Jay Honeck wrote:
> He could have come with us (or gone flying on his own) but chose to
> spend his last day of Christmas break with his girfriend -- whose
> mother won't let her fly in a light plane!
>

Sounds like time for a new girlfriend.

You know thinking back never once did the parents of any girl I dated in
either high school or college ever have a problem with them flying with me.

I do remember that most dads were impressed with the cert and if I dated
the girl long enough sooner or later asked me to take them up. Usually
to fly over their deer hunting leases right before deer season.

[Bertie the Bunyip[_19_]]

Jay Honeck > wrote in news:d2cf915f-425a-4728-859e-
:

>> Margy and I bailed out of Oshkosh early one year and flew down to
>> Madison and rented a car there so we could do some touring of the
>> Frank Lloyd Wright stuff in the area.
>
> Did you get to Racine? Lots of FLW stuff there, thanks to Johnson
> Wax.
> --


Great flying stuf there Jay.


Bertie

[Bertie the Bunyip[_19_]]

Jay Honeck > wrote in
:

>> First flight of 2008.. and the newly minted pilot did not get to fly?
>> bummer dude.. yah, I know.. it will be a few more hours before he can
>> qualify for the "ATLAS"
>
> He could have come with us (or gone flying on his own) but chose to
> spend his last day of Christmas break with his girfriend -- whose
> mother won't let her fly in a light plane!
>
> Joe has not flown solo since giving me a ride, the day after passing
> his checkride. The weather here has been absolutely appalling, with
> weeks on end of unflyable conditions. I don't know how our FBO gets
> through times like this.
>
>> My first 9 flights of 2008... towing gliders up to work the ridge
>> lift with north winds in 1 Jan 2008.
>
> Cool! I'll bet that never gets old, even doing it every day.
> --


Wheras your non life must be duller'n dishwater.


Bertie

[Bertie the Bunyip[_19_]]

Jay Honeck > wrote in news:eacc52d2-5625-4203-bff6-
:

>> I flew yesterday... *it was so clear you could see the curvature of the
>> earth. *In the center of this photo is downtown Dallas 40 miles off.
>> (Jay, note the green earth below... *just in case you forgot what it loo
> ked
>> like. :- )
>>
>> http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v101/Dallas52/Dallas/NewYearsDay080...
>
> Sweet! My eyes start to crave green right about now.
>
> We've grown lazy and complacent after ten years of mild winters in
> Iowa. In the past there have been some New Years Day flights where we
> were able to land on grass strips -- but surely not this year. Not
> without a ski-plane. It's been brutal.
>
> Amazingly, the weatherman is predicting a major warming trend for the
> weekend, with RAIN predicted for next Monday. Liquid water? I'll
> believe it when I see it -- the OAT right now is -1 degrees
> fahrenheit.
> --
> Jay Honeck
> Iowa City, IA
> Pathfinder N56993
> www.AlexisParkInn.com
> "Your Aviation Destination"
>


More great aviation sutff there, fjukwit


Bertie

[Dallas]

On Thu, 3 Jan 2008 06:45:17 -0800 (PST), Jay Honeck wrote:

> I'll believe it when I see it -- the OAT right now is -1 degrees
> fahrenheit.

Ouch... reminds me of a line from a Ron White stand up performance.

He looked at the thermometer and it was reading zero.

His wife asked him what the temperature was and he replied, "There isn't
one..."


--
Dallas

[Ross]

Dallas wrote:

> On Wed, 2 Jan 2008 18:39:49 -0800 (PST), Jay Honeck wrote:
>
>
>>Today was one of those picture-perfect winter days -- crystal clear,
>
>
> I flew yesterday... it was so clear you could see the curvature of the
> earth. In the center of this photo is downtown Dallas 40 miles off.
> (Jay, note the green earth below... just in case you forgot what it looked
> like. :- )
>
> http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v101/Dallas52/Dallas/NewYearsDay0804.jpg
>
>
>
Dallas, where are you based? Check out the identifier below. I completed
my IPC and a couple of days later flew to Fayetteville, AR. Beautiful
days down here in the south. It has been cold the last couple of days.

--

Regards, Ross
C-172F 180HP
KSWI

[Dallas]

On Thu, 03 Jan 2008 11:44:23 -0600, Ross wrote:

> Dallas, where are you based? Check out the identifier below. I completed
> my IPC and a couple of days later flew to Fayetteville, AR. Beautiful
> days down here in the south. It has been cold the last couple of days.

KHQZ is my base, I live in the middle of Dallas.

Yeah... these 44° days are killing us. LOL.... :- )


--
Dallas

[Marco Leon[_4_]]

"Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
...

> Other than having to shovel the hangar
> out (again), and freezing our dingleberries off whilst pre-flighting..

Umm, Jay, do you know what a "dingleberry" is??

Marco

[Ross]

Marco Leon wrote:
> "Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>
>>Other than having to shovel the hangar
>>out (again), and freezing our dingleberries off whilst pre-flighting..
>
>
> Umm, Jay, do you know what a "dingleberry" is??
>
> Marco
>
>
I was told it is the balled up lead deposits in the spark plugs that
needs to be cleaned out while servicing them. This by a 50+ year A&P.

--

Regards, Ross
C-172F 180HP
KSWI

[Marco Leon[_4_]]

"Ross" > wrote in message
...
> I was told it is the balled up lead deposits in the spark plugs that needs
> to be cleaned out while servicing them. This by a 50+ year A&P.

Perhaps I heard from a more contemporary source.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/dingleberry

Marco

[Jay Honeck]

> Umm, Jay, do you know what a "dingleberry" is??

Yep.

;-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Gig601XLBuilder]

Marco Leon wrote:
> "Ross" > wrote in message
> ...
>> I was told it is the balled up lead deposits in the spark plugs that needs
>> to be cleaned out while servicing them. This by a 50+ year A&P.
>
> Perhaps I heard from a more contemporary source.
>
> http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/dingleberry
>

n. Vulgar Slang

1. A piece of dried feces caught in the hair around the anus.
2. An incompetent, foolish, or stupid person.


So basically MX?

[Maxwell]

"Marco Leon" > wrote in message
...
> "Ross" > wrote in message
> ...
>> I was told it is the balled up lead deposits in the spark plugs that
>> needs to be cleaned out while servicing them. This by a 50+ year A&P.
>
> Perhaps I heard from a more contemporary source.
>
> http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/dingleberry
>

Dingleberry is a bit dated though, the new word is actually klingon.

Hince it is said that the simularity between StarTrek and a roll of toilet
tissue is that - both go around and around your Uranus looking for Klingons.

Don't know how that would relate to spark plugs.

[Margy Natalie]

Jay Honeck wrote:
>>Margy and I bailed out of Oshkosh early one year and flew down to
>>Madison and rented a car there so we could do some touring of the
>>Frank Lloyd Wright stuff in the area.
>
>
> Did you get to Racine? Lots of FLW stuff there, thanks to Johnson
> Wax.
>
We had planned on doing a "flying week" around, but as Ron said Madison
gave us "any runway" as there were level 5's just south and the weather
stayed awful for the entire week, so we drove. We missed the tour of
the Johnson Wax building, but did spend quite a bit of time at
Wingspread where I struck up a conversation with the gardener. I now
have ferns from the Wingspread garden in my garden :-). We met someone
we voluteered with at OSH on the street in Chicago and general had a
good time. A week later the weather cleared and we were flying home.
We had a friend (instrument rated and all) who planned on leaving OSH a
few hours after we bugged out and he ended up stuck on the field for days.

Margy (not from my real email address, my real one is my first name at
my first and last names.com)

[Jay Honeck[_2_]]

> We had planned on doing a "flying week" around, but as Ron said Madison
> gave us "any runway" as there were level 5's just south and the weather
> stayed awful for the entire week, so we drove. We missed the tour of the
> Johnson Wax building, but did spend quite a bit of time at Wingspread
> where I struck up a conversation with the gardener. I now have ferns from
> the Wingspread garden in my garden :-).

Wingspread is beautiful, and the Johnson Wax building is stunning. I grew
up with them always in the background.

Both are typical FLW structures, however -- maintenance hogs that are
completely impractical for human occupation. But, boy, do they look cool!
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"
> We had planned on doing a "flying week" around, but as Ron said Madison
> gave us "any runway" as there were level 5's just south and the weather
> stayed awful for the entire week, so we drove. We missed the tour of the
> Johnson Wax building, but did spend quite a bit of time at Wingspread
> where I struck up a conversation with the gardener. I now have ferns from
> the Wingspread garden in my garden :-). We met someone we voluteered with
> at OSH on the street in Chicago and general had a good time. A week later
> the weather cleared and we were flying home. We had a friend (instrument
> rated and all) who planned on leaving OSH a few hours after we bugged out
> and he ended up stuck on the field for days.
>
> Margy (not from my real email address, my real one is my first name at my
> first and last names.com)

[Margy Natalie]

Dallas wrote:
> On Thu, 3 Jan 2008 06:45:17 -0800 (PST), Jay Honeck wrote:
>
>
>>I'll believe it when I see it -- the OAT right now is -1 degrees
>>fahrenheit.
>
>
> Ouch... reminds me of a line from a Ron White stand up performance.
>
> He looked at the thermometer and it was reading zero.
>
> His wife asked him what the temperature was and he replied, "There isn't
> one..."
>
>
My daughter (now a meteorlogist) called home from school to say
degree(s) should not be singular!!

Margy

[Bertie the Bunyip[_19_]]

Jay Honeck > wrote in news:c7ff7ab6-e3cc-44ac-a791-
:

>> Umm, Jay, do you know what a "dingleberry" is??
>
> Yep.
>


Another perl of aviation wisdom from Norman Bates.



Bertie