Our First Family Flight

It was clear and cool Sunday, and the time had come to introduce my
wife to the joys of Grumman 46U. She had endured the search, the
accompanying disappointments, the phone calls from faraway places,
then had met me at the hangar upon my return with our standard poodle,
a bottle of champagne and some lovely sandwiches. But where to go for
her maiden flight?

The Gulf Coast beckoned, and we decided that a pleasant luncheon in
Corpus Christi might just be the ticket. This is a great time to
experience our Texas coast: the weather is comfortable and relatively
dry, the bugs haven't yet grown big enough to be tracked by radar, and
the water actually looks inviting. What more could one ask?

The direct track from KHYI (San Marcos, TX) to KCRP (Corpus Christi)
takes one through or under one MOA after another, so IFR seemed the
best bet to travel with a minimum of excursions from one waypoint to
another. I filed direct, took some photos of the plane in her new
environs, and gassed up. We were cleared as filed and departed into a
lovely early spring sky.

Almost immediately, we were told to climb to 5000 feet and proceed
direct. With a nice tailwind, we were soon clicking off about 130
knots on the ground in very smooth conditions. Susan was all eyes and
David Clarks, and soon she was checking things off on the map,
listening to the transmissions from Center, and becoming very
acclimated to the new airplane. You could see her relax and begin to
enjoy the trip.

We think of that part of Texas as being topographically challenged. It
is a coastal plain, flat as a bad billiards table, and pretty much
devoid of any distinguishing characteristics save small towns and wet
spots. I am usually wary of Canadian geese anywhere in that area, but
they were not flying on Sunday; I guess they were stuffing themselves
with grain in preparation for the return north.

In just over an hour, we were being vectored to final at Corpus
Christi International and were cleared to land following a two-flight
of Navy fighters. There is a great deal of military presence in the
San Antonio-Beeville-Corpus area; there are fighters everywhere. We
parked at Mercury Aviation and were treated like royalty. The Taurus
crew car was offered, we accepted and soon were headed for downtown.

Susan had done some Internet sleuthing. "The Water Street Seafood
Company. That's the place," she said. "It has a huge menu and offers
everything seafood from raw to fried to blackened to broiled. Salads,
appetizers, the works." Was she ever right! We had a delightful meal
with excellent and friendly service, and we even took some money home
with us.

A couple hours later, we were back at Mercury, paid for the 12 gallons
of fuel required to top the Grumman off, and away we went. Returning
to HYI was a bit more of a struggle than flying down, since I had to
repay the tailwind gods. Still, we were home and hangaring the
airplane in just over an hour thirty. Not bad for 160 HP and fixed
gear.

Driving home, I was thinking just how lucky we all are who fly.
Nothing compares to being able to hop into one's airplane and make an
adventure. The boredom of the Interstate is gone, the joy of a
different perspective of one's environs is always present, and the
absolute freedom of flight is as exhilarating as anything I know.

It was a great day and the beginning of a lasting family relationship
with 46U.


Michael
Grumman 46U