The long way home

[Spyder]

I purchased my second PA-12 back in April last year up in Great Falls, Montana. Since I live in Georgia and figured I’d seldom have an opportunity to fly a backcountry airplane (this one has ALL the cool mods) in this part of the country again, I decided not to bring it straight home. So, over the course of the last 9 months I took several successive trips out west and hopped it from one place to another, leaving it safely tucked away in a new hangar and different airport each time and then making my way home on the airlines.

The 700-mile maiden flight was in mid-April from Great Falls down to Worland Wyoming, and then on to Longmont in the Denver area. Left her there for a month or so, and then hopped 500 miles or so down to Raton New Mexico, and finally on to Albuquerque where I have some family. Spent the summer basing out of ABQ, and traveling from Atlanta multiple times to do day trips around New Mexico. Brought my 12-year old daughter along for one of those trips and we dropped into Moriarty NM for her to do her first glider lesson as well as making our first off-airport landing on a seldom-used county road that borders my cousin’s cattle ranch about 60 miles southeast of Albuquerque. I will try to upload some of the pictures, I had a Go-Pro on the strut that was taking one picture per minute all the way from Great Falls to Albuquerque...heck of a time-lapse video.

Finally decided to bring it home so went out New Year’s weekend to bring it back to Georgia. Followed a front dropping loads of snow and rain eastbound across the country, but had smooth air and nice tailwinds for the entire 1100 mile ride home. Stopped in Amarillo TX, Ada OK, and overnighted in Hot Springs AR. Next morning was a relatively short hop to Tupelo MS for fuel, and then on into Atlanta.

Ended up flying the airplane about 40 hours over the entire 8-month period. Not as much as I’d hoped, but more than I would have flown it had it been sitting in my hangar here in Georgia! An unforgettable experience that has me thinking about taking it back out west this summer. Would love some input and suggestions from other folks about where to go and what to see on the next adventure!

 

[scout88305]

very nice thanks

 

[180Marty]

Sounds like a Great Way to do it. No burn out that one big trip would do.

 

[Spyder]

It was also great to see the west across multiple seasons...you folks who live out there are doing it right!