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Thread: Arizona dreamin on such a winters day.

  1. #1
    Administrator DesertFox4's Avatar
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    Default Arizona dreamin on such a winters day.

    Beautiful skies, no wind and 70 degrees has to add up to a Kitfox afternoon. Work done early so to the airport for some winter flying. Top off the fuel tanks. $4.54 per gallon. Ouch!! Makes me wonder a little about the logic of the 912S 100 hp. over the extremely frugal 912 80hp. Rotax.

    My mission this afternoon: Fly west about 110 miles to an air park community called Indian Hills. Friends from S. Minnesota have places on that air park and reports were that they had arrived from the frozen great North and were thawing slowly in the warmth of the Arizona sunshine. If I kicked it into high gear I could get out there , visit for an hour and get back just as the sun disappeared below the White Tank Mountains on the western edge of Phoenix. For a Tuesday afternoon , that was an ambitious goal. I had smooth air to play in today. GPS showed 3 mph headwind going west at 4,500 feet above sea level. 115 mph was my ground speed so a little less than an hour I would be touching down on runway 26. The desert scenery on the route consists of cactus by the thousands, washes, gullies, small mountains, some with exciting jagged peaks, some tilled cotton fields and lots of abandoned mines . Eight miles east of Indian Hills I call intentions.

    A Luscomb reports left downwind for 26 and is doing touch and go's. He is very cordial on the radio and by the tone of his voice and the professional sounding radio call outs, he might could be a retired airline captain living out his post-professional aviation days in the desert S.W. Doing all the fun flying he'd promised himself he'd do once he hung up the uniform. Every touch and go was therapeutic. No schedules to keep. Just flying for the sake of flying.
    He turned base to final as I called 4 miles east on a straight in for 26. I felt like I interrupted his therapy session when he taxied full length and cleared the active. Not to worry. He can take another session tomorrow. It sounds like it will be even better flying conditions then.

    GOPR0780.jpg
    (Short final 26 Indian Hills.)



    A full length roll out and a turn south on the taxi/driveway and then a quick left and 5 hangar/homes and I'm at Tim and Barb's place. They'd just completed an addition to their hanger. They doubled the hangar so he could fit his new Super Cub and his Bonanza in with room for the new fishing boat. This guy has his priorities right.
    BTW, the Cub is just about completed except for seat cushions after an eight year build back in Blue Earth, Mn. Tim flew it down a month or two ago. 30 mph plus headwinds most of the way. The cars on the freeway were going faster. Maybe I'll get to fly it this Saturday if I can get back out there.
    Well the Sun dictates how long I can stay so the visit while fun, was short. Back in the Kitfox and this time the "wind", 3 mph, was on the tail.

    P1020631.jpg
    (Departing Indian Hills.)

    I chased my shadow all the way back to Phoenix with some deviations from the Direct-To route. There were some mountains, hills really, that just had to be played in and flown around and climbed over and dived down the other side.

    GOPR0364 (2).jpg
    (Playing in the hills.)

    GOPR0489 (2).jpg
    (Back at Deer Valley just as the Sun sets in the west.)

    Nice winter afternoon. You know why I live here and put up with the 100 degree plus days from May to October? It's for this time of year. Wish you were here.

    P.S. I set my GoPro HD camera on (photo every 5 seconds) for the whole flight instead of on video. I have over 1,600 photos of today's flight. These things are a blast.


    DesertFox4
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  2. #2
    Senior Member Dorsal's Avatar
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    Default Re: Arizona dreamin on such a winters day.

    Nice pics, wish I where there too. Back to reality with another foot of snow forcast for tonight.
    Dorsal ~~^~~
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  3. #3
    Senior Member DanB's Avatar
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    Default Re: Arizona dreamin on such a winters day.

    Steve, Great write-up ...made me wish I were down there in the desert with...wait, I am here. Just gotta get this dang plane in the air. Soon to move to the airport and stick the wings on.
    Dan B
    Mesa, AZ

  4. #4
    Bryan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Arizona dreamin on such a winters day.

    Nice job. Hearing stories like this is what it is all about. Makes all of us want to get into the air. Hope to have the plane back in the air soon and hopefully the snow will go away. Keep up the good work and I may just need to check into getting one of those cameras.

  5. #5
    Administrator DesertFox4's Avatar
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    Default Re: Arizona dreamin on such a winters day.

    Hope to have the plane back in the air soon
    Bryan, that is very good news. You must be missing flying that Kitfox by now. Looking forward to hearing you're back in the air and having fun again. Let us know if you are having a fly in at Emporia again this year. I want to get out there for one of those.


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  6. #6
    Super Moderator Av8r3400's Avatar
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    Default Re: Arizona dreamin on such a winters day.

    Great pics, Steve and nice trip report. I'm looking forward to a ski plane adventure this weekend. Nothing like lake hoping in the winter on the snow. Maybe add some pics...
    Av8r3400
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  7. #7
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    Default Re: Arizona dreamin on such a winters day.

    boy does this report bring back memories of the day you took me out for a cruise.
    I have the go pro camera and it works well. Check out the videos on you tube under "Lethbridge sport flyers".
    mine is the orange Kitfox

  8. #8
    Senior Member SkySteve's Avatar
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    Default Re: Arizona dreamin on such a winters day.

    DesertFox4 you're killing me, man, just absolutely killing me. I want to be there and fly that country soooooo bad, but the snow here . . . . . well, you know.

    Love the photos and write up. Thanks for letting us ride along (on your wing none the less). I'm looking forward to spring. (I did get a little mud on the ol' plane the other day somewhere in the Utah desert).

    Got a ContourHD video camera and mounted it on the jury strut. I've tried it out a little and looks like it will be capturing many flights.

    Gotta love those deserts!!!!

    Steve Wilson
    Huntsville, UT
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  9. #9
    Administrator DesertFox4's Avatar
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    Default Re: Arizona dreamin on such a winters day.

    Ahazi, I made a temporary mount out of some scrap aluminum angle I had at the hangar. Mounted on the left jury strut and protruding out enough to be at the proper angle and not see the strut in the picture and not so much of the annoying prop. strobe effect. Used zip ties and safety wire for now along with old oil line tubing slit length wise and wrapped around the jury strut tubing to protect it from scratches. Maybe a permanent better looking mount will magically appear one of these days. For now it works great and is real stable.
    Below is about the best photo I could find of the mount. FYI, the old buildings in the photo are part of the Vulture Gold Mine just south of Wickenburg,AZ.

    GoPro mount.jpg


    DesertFox4
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  10. #10
    Administrator DesertFox4's Avatar
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    Default Re: Arizona dreamin on such a winters day.

    Steve, head on down. No snow and a place to stay when you get here.

    Mic, enjoyed the video's . Had me worried when on takeoff your camera got covered with mud.


    DesertFox4
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