I learned about the Triple Tree fly-in the day after it started and decided Nathan and I couldn’t wait for next year and absolutely needed to check out the 7000 foot grass runway and see what airplane camping is all about.  I originally planned to fly a direct route to the Walmart rally point where the approach into the fly-in begins.  The clouds limited me to about 4,500 feet–lower than I felt comfortable crossing the unfamiliar Appalachians, so we adjusted our course south and only added a few minutes to the entire trip.

Despite crossing further south in the Appalachians than I originally planned, the scenery was still some of the best flying scenery I have experienced.  In the foreground is Yonah Mountain.  According to Wikipedia, it is a popular training ground for rock climbers and used by Army Rangers for training (it even has a helipad).

After landing, we got to off-road the airplane through the trees to our camp site.  The camp grounds were very well maintained with no significant sticks or rocks and the bumps didn’t damage my wheelpants–my main concern at the time.It took a little longer than expected to get the airplane tied down and the tent set up due to the number of people who showed up wanting to see and ask questions about the Sonex.  Here’s Nathan posing after all the visitors left and we finished setting up the camp site.

There are small ponds and walking bridges throughout the campground.  The shower/restroom facilities are fantastic. In addition to airplanes, there was a collection of restored military trucks to look at.  A nearby cannon was used to fire the wakeup call in the morning.We had BBQ from dinner while listening to live music and watching low passes, take-offs, and landings of Air Cams, the C-46 Tinker Bell, and all sorts of radial-engined airplanes.  Here Nathan’s eating the kid’s hot dog meal.  Notice the air traffic control tower in the background.  This lake is where the seaplanes land.

It got a little cold over night and we woke up to dew on the ground and mist rising from the pond.

We found some ground where the sun was shining to warm up before eating a nice big breakfast of eggs, sausage, muffin, potatoes, and orange juice.We left the fly-in Sunday a little before lunch.  We made an early unscheduled pit-stop for a restroom break, fuel, and snacks near Clemson university at Oconee County Airport (CEU).  The stadium is visible in this picture of the northern portion of Lake Hartwell from the flight out.

The air race was about 2 hours away.  We fueled up at the Maury County Regional Airport (MRC) where the fuel is significantly less expensive than at home.

We saw the old Danville Railroad Bridge.  The vertical lift span was floated down the river on barges and is apparently still in operation in Bridgeport, Alabama.  There is a ferry service to carry the relatively small number of people who wish to cross the river there.

Pilot/co-pilot briefing before the big race.

This is the race course along with the actual GPS course we flew (in yellow).  I am pleased to confirm that we did not cut any corners.  The first few turns happened pretty quick while I was still figuring out my workflow (how to keep track of what radio frequency to use, what waypoint and what we should be looking for on the ground, etc).

We were the only competitors in the Sportsman class, so naturally we placed 1st with a respectable average speed of 135mph.

Posing in front of the fastest airplane in the race.  It averaged 258 mph with a normally-aspirated 180hp engine and a fixed-pitch propeller.  I later learned that it holds the record for the fastest coast-to-coast flight for airplanes under 2205lbs (8 hours, 5 minutes).

We also really liked the Q200 which went 205mph on a 100hp engine.

After ~6 hours of flying over a couple days a lots of excitement, we were pretty tired when we finally got home.

Nathan and I visited my sister and her family in Austin, Texas.  The round trip flight was 1,506 miles and took 12.6 hours flight time (119 mph average).  We used 50 gallons of fuel (30 mpg).

Looking south over the Bankhead National Forest.

We departed Huntsville Executive late in the day so Nathan didn’t have to miss any school.  This meant we arrived in Vicksburg at 5:05 pm.  We quickly got fuel and departed, hoping to make it to Natchitoches, Louisiana for the night.  We weren’t quick enough and it decided to turn around and stay in Vicksburg.

Vicksburg-Tallulah KTVR

The guy who fueled the plane said he wished we made up our mind earlier since the headlights in the courtesy car weren’t working.  The airport manager let us borrow his “baby”, a Chevrolet pick-up truck.  He seemed doubtful that I would know how to drive a stick, but I think I passed the test backing out of his driveway.  We appreciated the generosity and Nathan loved getting to ride in a truck.

We drove back across the Mississippi river and stayed at the Candlewood for the night where Nathan got to swim in the indoor pool.  Unfortunately, it was not possible to use my points to make the reservation from the front desk, and I’m pretty sure they charged more than if I had booked over the phone/internet, but we were happy to have somewhere to stay.

The temperature dipped below freezing during the night and the dew that condensed on the airplane frosted, so we cranked the engine and waited in the sun for the oil to reach temperature and the frost to melt.  Both happened at about the same time.

Angelina County (Lufkin) KLFK

The FBO here is really nice and even has a cafe.  We were in a hurry to make it to Austin, so we just grabbed cookies from the snack machine.  One of the cookies eventually got shared with Nathan’s cousin.

In front of the FBO

Austin Executive KEDC

Austin Executive has a huge canopy you can pull use in inclement weather.  They can tow your airplane to a tie down or hangar when you leave and have it waiting for you when you get back.  We told the line-man we’d rather just taxi to a tie-down. Austin Executive has expanded significantly in the last 8 years or so.  The runway is new and the FBO is newer.

Much of east Texas looked just like this. The air was smooth and peaceful with a hint of a tailwind.

We had a great time visiting with my sister and her family.  I chose a slightly more northerly route for the return trip so we could see new sights and fly through an extra state (Arkansas).  Nathan took hundreds of pictures over the course of a couple hours.  Here I’m fine-tuning the mixture to squeeze out the last bit of power.This is my favorite picture picture he took.  He’s a pretty serious guy when we’re in the airplane, but when we get out he always has stories to tell.Shreveport, Louisiana was the largest city we saw on the trip.  Shreveport Approach let us fly through their airspace, but asked that we stay above 2,500 feet (we were cruising at 3,500).

Shreveport, Louisiana

Minden KMNE

The FBO here was very simple.  The only person staffing the FBO drove a fuel truck over and fueled us up.  I removed the cowl and added oil while Nathan sang and danced on the ramp.  We were parked in front of two large hangars without front doors.  The open hangars reflected Nathan’s singing back at us at almost full volume.

Bayou Bartholemew

Where the Arkansas (foreground) and Mississippi rivers (background) join

Not long after departing, we picked up a fantastic 20mph tailwind.  I revised our planned fuel stop a couple of times.  One of the options we passed up was in Oxford, Mississippi.  I snapped this picture as we flew by and only later realized it is the University of Mississippi “Ole Miss” campus.

Northwest Alabama Regional (Muscle Shoals) KMSL

We could have made it back to our home airport, but decided to make a final fuel stop in Muscle Shoals about 30 minutes from home.  It turned out to be a good thing since Nathan was feeling slightly airsick from some of the turbulence we found in eastern Mississippi.  The time we spent walking around on the ramp cured him.

We had a brief scare when the FBO informed us the FAA wanted to talk to us.  My mind raced through all the possible mistakes I could have made, but couldn’t think of any specific one.  After a brief wait they said the FAA was looking for a different airplane and we were okay to leave.  What a relief!

Here we are returning to the familiarity of Huntsville, Alabama.  Nathan even recognized the Saturn V rocket in the distance.