Sunday 9/11/2011 Day 4

I woke up before dawn on purpose because it would be hot and I wanted an early start.  On the drive back to the airport, I saw the full moon as it was setting to the west.  By the time I parked the car and got my luggage to The Champ, the sun was glowing in the east.  So I captured a magic moment, The Champ at Sunrise.

I was soon in the air heading southwest for Graham, TX and the magic continued.  The sun was at my back, the air was cool and glass smooth.  The landscape 1000 feet below me was gently rolling hills, with patchwork quilt colors of variegated brown and green (grass and trees) with only a few rectangles dotting the land.  I noticed that the visibility was now at least 30 miles, so different from the Midwest.   There was no smoke from the infamous Texas fires that were in the news.  The air was so smooth and calm that only gentle pressure on the stick or rudder kept The Champ straight and level.  I could pick a spot on the horizon, fly over it, pick another spot and The Champ tracked straight and true.  A great day to fly.  Nearing Graham, TX, I noticed on the distant horizon that the sun illuminated a series of tall white towers that turned out to be huge propellers in multiple wind farms.  As I flew over or near them, I could tell instantly the wind conditions on the grounds.  The propellers always faced into the wind, and I could see the wind shift as I flew west.  If the propellers were not moving; the wind was calm.  

By 8 a.m., the magic ended.  I felt my first thermal bump.  After an hour flight, I landed in Graham to add some fuel because Albany TX, my next stop had no fuel (just as it had none in 1966).  I taxied to the gas pump, chocked the tires, removed the gas cap and brought the ladder to the plane, and it was then that I realized the gas hose was locked.  This was not a self-service pump.  No one was around.  I walked to the FBO and realized it was Sunday; the FBO didn’t open until noon.  I had enough fuel to get to my next two planned stops: Albany, TX and Sweetwater TX which was only about 1.5 hours southwest.  So, I put the ladder back, removed the chocks, and taxied to runway 17.  I announced my departure on Unicom and started my take off roll.   Just as I started lifting the tail (around 35-40 mph) I noticed it!  The gas cap that I had removed and not replaced was still on top of the boot cowl – but it was dancing.  I cut the throttle and as my tailwheel touched the asphalt, the gas cap bounced off to the left and disappeared.  I stopped the plane, turned around and taxied back to the spot where I believed I rotated. 

 The grass was brown and sparse so I was hopeful I’d find the gas cap. I walked the left side of the runway back and forth, along the edge, then 3 feet off the edge, then 6 feet off the edge, then 9 feet off the edge. I did the same on the right side of the runway.  After about 45 minutes, a Cessna 150 pilot drove up and helped me look.  He then said that “Steve” was here, and if anyone had an old Champ gas cap, it would be “Steve.”  So, I taxied the plane to a large hangar and was introduced to Steve Pierce.  I told him of my plight.  We talked a little and he asked me where I was from.  When I said Poplar Gove Airport, he said, “Then you must know Bill Rusk.”  Of course I do.  That broke the ice.  Steve introduced me to his son, his father and his mother.  And, he not only found a gas cap that fit the plane, he inserted a tube to be sure it would vent properly.  Well, about noon, I was ready to go.  I drained the left aux tank into the main tank, and used the “new old cap” on the aux tank just in case it might not work. 

As I got ready to depart, I tried to pair my SPOT CONNECT with my iPhone.  I tried several times and I could not get them to synch.  Without the SPOT activated, I could not leave a bread crumb trail for my loyal followers to see my flight path my web page.  So, I departed Graham TX into clear but hot air.  About 20 minutes out, we passed Hubbard Creek Lake.  After 30 minutes, I landed at Albany TX (T23) just as the Buck brothers did.  There was nothing there but a few old buildings, not even a sign, so I departed and headed to Sweetwater TX.  By this time, it was hot and really bumpy.  Thermals in Texas are a lot stronger than thermals in the Midwest, and I saw a lot more “dust devils,” some reaching up 1,000 feet or more.  I was forced to concentrate on flying.  One moment, the plane would start to climb, a minute later, start to descend.  One moment a strong thermal would force the left wing up; a minute later, the right wing went up.  I was constantly using rudder and stick to keep the airplane straight and level.  Finally, Sweetwater appeared on the horizon and as I landed, the wind was calm.  The only fight I had on that leg was caused by thermals.

By this time, it was early afternoon and I was hungry.  As I was paying for the fuel at Sweetwater, I asked about food.  None on the airport, no courtesy car and no way to get to town; but, a pilot befriended me and offered to drive me to town for lunch.  We went to a Subway, and I bought his lunch as well as mine.  Back at the airport, I decided I still had plenty of daylight and plenty of fuel to head to Wink, TX, about 2 hours southwest.  Nevertheless, I called ahead to confirm that the fuel would be available and the FBO open. I still could not get my SPOT CONNECT to work, so I didn’t leave any breadcrumb trails.  I headed for Big Spring VOR (in order to circumnavigate the Class C airspace surrounding Midland-Odessa).  After the VOR, I headed directly for Wink (making sure I avoided the tall KMID TV towers so prominently displayed on the sectional chart).  I was again battered by thermals but after two hours found my way to Wink TX (KINK) where the wind was again, almost calm.

At Wink, I was met by Charlie Cooper, a really nice gentlemen pilot who lives on the airport.  We filled the tanks; he gave me some fresh bottled water and since Cavern City NM was only another hour west, I decided to depart and head there for the night.  My SPOT CONNECT still did not work.  I headed straight for Cavern City.  Since winds at altitude were out of the southeast and I had some terrain to clear, I climbed from ground level (2,800 MSL) at Sweetwater to 4500 MSL.  In 0.9 of an hour, I landed at Cavern City in a slight crosswind.  No one was home.  The airport was “deader than a doornail.”  Not even a telephone number listed; but I did see a sign that said “pilot’s lounge – use last three numbers of ASOS”  So I pushed the buttons and got inside a nice big air-conditioned room with a TV, some chairs, a sofa and a bathroom.  I found a yellow page directory and started to call local motels.  Two would rent a room, but offered no transportation and there are no cabs.  The third took pity and sent my next savior “Neal” who made the 15 minute round trip to pick me up.  And that is why I stayed at Motel 6.