Flying to work in the Champ sounded like a great idea. It was a beautiful morning and the forecast was for good VFR for the trip home…and since I was up a little earlier than necessary, I thought it would be great to enjoy a little “dawn patrol” flight between 88C and KJVL.
In the end, it only took 8 minutes longer than just driving because it takes about 10 minutes to open the hangar door, preflight, pull the Champ out, close the hangar, get in, buckle up, start, taxi, run-up, and finally launch into the smooth air that congregates near the ground around sunup. Flying at pattern altitude on the 29 mile flight (is that cross-country time?) showcased just how beautiful the Wisconsin countryside is in early summer. Haybales left in the fields cast long and interesting shadows while young crops combined with the low sun angle made a patchwork of somewhat orderly but never-the-less fascinating geometric shapes.
Nearing Janesville and flying over my regularly traveled [by car] I39, I further justified the plane trip by imagining that I was actually saving time by avoiding the construction slowdowns. (Next, I will imagine that going direct in the Champ rather than zig zagging by car saved gas.) After landing, I taxied to the hangar, where I am employed as a corporate pilot, and stepped out of an airplane with the absolute minimum of equipment into a well equipped jet to actually begin my workday.
Whoever said that “happiness is the journey and not the destination” certainly had it right.
Recent Comments