Yeah...I wish Jay would do more flying out here on the Left Coast so he
could scout out some good spots! :-)

Well, no Left Coast -- but we DID end up flying to Quincy, Illinois
today. (Yep, the same airport where the airliner and commuter met at
intersecting runways a few years ago, with disastrous results.)

Why Quincy? Two reasons:

a. Lower wind velocity. With temps in the upper 90s, the wind really
kicked up today, and we were taking a first-timer with us. (Joe's away
at wrestling camp.) The TAFs for Quincy showed no gusts predicted --
and they were right.

b. FOOD. The on-field restaurant is under new ownership, and we
wanted to try it out.

Our passenger (a friend of our daughters) had never, EVER flown
before. Not just never in a small plane -- never, period.

In my experience, this is dicey with anyone over age ten, especially
on a hot, sticky, windy day. Needless to say, Mary and I were
extremely careful in flight, and I made sure to place BIG plastic bags
in the seat backs, for easy access.

No worries -- she was a real natural. She gave out a little whoop
when we took off, looked out the window for a few minutes -- and then
started playing "Go Fish" with my daughter! I was actually kinda
disappointed at her blase reaction, but I guess this is better than
getting sick in the plane...

It was a beautiful flight. Once at altitude, the temps were quite
comfortable, and -- despite the wind and heat -- it was surprisingly
smooth. Our passenger got a kick out of seeing the Mississippi
River, and was surprised when she couldn't see cars on the freeway.
I don't think she quite grasped that we were over a mile high, but
that's probably okay.

The new restaurant on the field is nice (called "Tailwinds"), and the
food was awesome. Quite affordable too -- but just don't be in too
much of a hurry. We waited 45 minutes for (what we thought was)
pretty basic sandwiches.

And the mysterious Russian jet fighters are still sitting on the ramp
in Quincy. We haven't been there in a several years, and they are
still sitting there, waiting for...a buyer? Who knows?
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"