Spring Break Trip (Part 1 of 7)

Leg One
Departure, Sunday, 26 March 2006, 1100 EST
To begin, this was a Spring Break trip that we didn¹t know was going to
be a go until Thursday night. First, we had to find a dog sitter, that
happened Thursday night. Second, the weather has been REALLY screwy this
winter.
For a long trip such as this, I normally begin planning a week in
advance, watching the weather, deciding on a route, etc. Because of the
compressed time, I was down to one day. Saturday would have been ideal
to depart giving us a full week in the south. Alas, snow showers and
strong winds were forecast to be blowing though that day. Sunday¹s
forecast was for improving condition. A strong high pressure system to
the west would provide tailwinds along the entire route of flight.
This meant that the route would be down the west side of the
Appalachians.
My wife has a two-hour leg rule, and quite frankly, that suits my
bladder just fine. So, where were the fuel stops to be?
That became the game to play with DUATS. Based on winds aloft, at what
altitude could I go the most miles in a general direction for two hours?
My first stop would be Cleveland TN, Hardwick Airport, KHDI. I could
have selected KCHA, but decided to avoid the large airports in search of
lower priced fuel. I had been to KHADI twenty years ago on a return trip
from SNF to wait out weather, so thought I would give it another try.
What would follow KHDI was going to have to wait until we got there.
AWOS reported 1500 AGL/2500 MSL broken.
ILN to LUK were reporting 700 AGL/1500 MSL broken.
After takeoff (VFR), I decided to get an inflight IFR climb to VFR On
Top.
I called CMH Approach with the request and it was granted.
Bases were 3500 MSL as reported, and I climbed through tops at 6000 MSL.
Once on top, I asked for VFR flight following. CMH Approach came back
and asked if I wanted to continue IFR. I thought, sure, conditions are
good, it wouldn¹t be a hassle, so I gave the controller my flight plan
information, received my squawk, and proceeded merrily on my way.
As the flight progressed southward, the bases and tops continued to
rise, so I progressively requested higher cruise altitudes. Over
southern KY/northern TN I was just on top at 10,000 MSL.
50 nm or so north of Cleveland TN, I was cleared for descent. The
smooth ride on top quickly turned into light turbulence in the clouds.
Popping out in the clear at 6,000, the ride was still bumpy. HDI was
landing to the north with a steady wind from 350 at 10 kts. The runway
slopes uphill from southwest to northeast. The intersting part came when
I descended below the tree line. The burbles got real intersting real
fast. I wasn¹t expecting them, but I immediately recognized the
situation and adapted accordingly.
Arrived, 1415 EST.
There was no food nearby and no crewcar, at all.
We did a potty break, refueled and rested for an hour before departing.
Where to go next? That was the question.
Tallahasee? Ocala? Gainesville? Valdosta?
A check with FSS confirmed the winds and weather along the route.
Valdosta it was. Not too big, not too small, and I could circumnavigate
the ATL CBAS without too much hassle or extra miles.