March 26, 2016 - Pick up Kolb at Keller Brothers
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Bruce B. is buying a Kolb Mark Three Extra up at Keller Brothers Airport in Pennsylvania and I was flying him up there this morning to pick up his new (used) plane. We stopped first at Smoketown Airport (S37) - a few miles southeast of Lancaster -- to have breakfast. Here is what I wrote in AirNav.com about the airport and nearby restaurant:
"I flew into Smoketown Airport for breakfast on Saturday. I've always liked this airport. Their annual fly-in in August is one of the best in the mid-Atlantic. My passenger and I walked the short distance to the restaurant. It used to be the Smoketown Diner but is now Joni's 340. I ordered the Hungary Dutchman. I was amazed at how much food: fried eggs, a thick sausage patty four inches in diameter, two slides of bacon, home fries mixed with onion, a huge pancake the size of a plate with a piece of french toast on top. I'm not a big pancake guy but I can honestly say this pancake -- one is enough -- was the best I have ever had! The server was friendly and fast. Pilots are always looking for a good breakfast fly-to place but let's face it, most are mediocre. This one just moved to the top of the list for my area. The avgas price here is close to the low in the area also."
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From Smoketown Airport, it was only 16 miles north to Keller Brothers Airport, which is a public grass-field airport, and one of the prettiest airports you'll ever see.
Here is Bruce standing by his new acquisition. It's a Mark Three Extra, two seats side by side, powered by a Rotax 912.
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| Start her up! |
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Taxiing out.
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| My RV-7 sits out in front of the nice little passenger building. Notice how nice the buildings are. |
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| A better look. Self-service fuel is available here; you don't see that very often for a grass-field airport. |
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FLASHBACK! May 12, 2007. The last time I was here, at one of the last All Grass All Day events by the Citabria Trunk Monkeys! Good times.
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| Departing Keller Brothers that day in the Citabria. |
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| I don't think I've ever seen a brick hangar before. I know I haven't seen one with a picture of a plane engraved on the brick wall. |
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Kolb MKIII and RV-7, side by side.
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| Bruce takes off first. |
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Followed by me. Here is an aerial shot of Keller Brothers Airport.
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| There was a little turbulence and the light Kolb was bouncing around so I couldn't get too close. |
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| Bruce was cruising around 72 mph indicated. I slowed the RV down and flew line abreast with him for a few minutes. But although the RV can fly at that slow speed -- with the nose up in the air-- it's not much fun, so eventually I added power and then just flew figure eights around the Kolb. |
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| Bruce motoring across the Pennsylvania countryside. |
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Once we had the Susquehanna River insight, I went on ahead to Massey Aerodrome. I wanted to see if they had a steel-cutting bandsaw and brake that I could use for my Triplane project.
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| Bruce arrived not too long afterwards. |
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Bruce taking off at Massey Aerodrome.
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| I took off shortly afterwards and did some low and slow over the Eastern Shore. |
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| Spring is slowly arriving. |
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| The Kolb crossing the Chesapeake Bay to its new home at Essex Skypark. |
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