Sun 'N Fun - Flying Home

Got up around 7AM, packed everything up and loaded it into the Citabria.  I flagged a fuel golf cart and had the Citabria fueled up.  Then I shook hands with Bruce, Ray, and Rob, jumped in the plane, started up and taxiied out, following a Luscomb on the taxiway.  It was very well organized with a lineman at every intersection.  Soon I was in a line of about six airplanes.  We snaked our way to the takeoff point.  Soon it was my turn to taxi on to the runway and hold, watching the lineman.  After a couple of seconds, he gave me the carrier launch signal.  And I was off.   

I climbed out with three other planes heading east.  After a few miles, we all started heading north.  Soon I was alone in the sky.  I headed northwest towards the gulf coast. 

Just after taking off from Lakeland. 

This is the western coast of Florida, north of Tampa Bay.
This picture doesn't do it justice.  The shallow water was a pretty gold. 
I wonder who lives out here on this remote little island.  I bet he has a serious mosquito problem.  But the fishing is probably good!
Ocala Airport (KOCF).  I stopped here because of a on-field restaurant -- the Tailwind Cafe -- that was written up in Getaways Magazine.  It was small, but it was good.  Model planes hanging from the ceiling.  Best breakfast, hands-down, of the entire trip. 
Came across the same lake-everglades that I had flown low over on the trip down.  So of course I had to do it again!  I'm just about to descend. 
Then I headed northeast to McKinnon Airport (KSSI) on Jeckyl Island, Georgia.  I passed the Outback Steakhouse blimp coming in.  Jeckly Island is another resort island.  It's hard to see in this picture but there are three or four very nice jets to the left of that tower.  I was a little apprehensive about fuel prices after my Amelia Island experience but was pleasantly surprised that the fuel prices here were average.  The terminal was fancy and plush.  They clearly handled lots of business jets with high rollers.  But they gave me the same friendly service as the jet drivers.  The linemen liked the Citabria. 
McKinnon from the air. 
After leaving McKinnon, I started the coast flying portion of my trip.  I basically flew along the beach the entire way to Charleston, South Carolina.  If the beach was populated, I flew at 500 feet.  If it was a designated wildlife refuge I stayed 2000 feet away.  But if none of the above, I flew low right down the beach.  Oh yeah. 
I think this is Hilton Head.  The golf course is right on the Ocean. 
There really isn't any beach here.  The ocean goes right up to the treeline. 
There is a lot of remote, deserted beach on the East Coast.  Perfect for flying low. 
Or you can slide over to the marsh area just inland. 
This was actually a sandbar island just off the coast.  I talked to a guy at Sun 'N Fun who told me how he and his buddies used to actually land their ultralights on these islands.  I could have landed the Citabria no problem.  Don't know if I would have been able to take off again though. 
And that was the last picture of the trip, I'm sorry to say.  I had filled up the memory on my digital camera.  I missed some beautiful shots of Charleston -- Fort Sumter, where the Civil War started, the U.S.S Yorktown aircraft carrier and the old town.  On my next cross-country, I WILL have spare memory cards. 

I stopped at an airport to be unnamed just to use the phone and bathroom.  As I pull into a tie down spot, the radio tells me it's reserved and to go to the end of the ramp.  I do that.  An attendant drives up and asks me if I'm buying gas.  I say no, and he tells me there is a $10 ramp fee.  I find out even if I buy fuel, it won't be enough to sway the $10 ramp fee.  I say I'm just staying ten minutes.  Doesn't matter, I already used the ramp.  I don't say another word to the guy -- although I'm already imagining what I'm going to write on the AirNav comments for this airport -- , use the phone and the bathroom, then go to pay him.  He say's he'll give me a break and not charge me.  OK.  Still, that's not good business. 

I fly another 90 minutes to Lumberton Municipal Airport (KLBT), North Carolina, my goal for the day, landing around 6PM.  It's a nice big airport, nice terminal building with an attendant.  Gas prices are low.  There are a couple of other crews returning from Sun 'N Fun also, although not staying the night like I am.  The courtesy car is available.  I drive out of the airport to an inexpensive motel almost within walking distance.  I'm tired of spending a lot of money on food so I just eat at McDonalds.   

The next morning I get up at 0545, have breakfast at a Waffle House next door – huge breakfast for $7, put $7 of gas in the car – only a little over 3 gallons! – and take off at 0700.  Absolutely perfect day.  Not a cloud in the sky, calm and early on I enjoyed a tailwind.  After an hour a headwind kicked in though.  I flew the first hour at 1500 feet but then got bored.  There are lots of farm fields -- with a deer stand in every one -- so I descended to 300-500 feet, weaving to stay over the fields.  I actually picked my tailwind back up down low.  Flying that low is just plain fun.  Anything above 1000 feet gets to be just boring transit.

I go a little out of my way to land at Suffolk Executive Airport (KSFQ), Virginia for the inexpensive car gas they sell.  Only $2.25!  I was still full from Waffle House so I didn’t take advantage of the restaurant.  I filed my ADIZ flight plan and called Lynnette.  Suffolk is a good stopover. 

Then it was on to Whino -- entry point into the ADIZ -- and Essex Skyupark.  This leg isn’t that great because there are so many forests that you can’t go down low too low.  There was a great winding river northwest of the triangular field which I took advantage of.  Then there is 60 miles of ADIZ to contend with.  But from Annapolis to Essex it’s always good.  Circled over John Gudas’s house a couple of times.  Potomac had me switch frequencies four times.  zI made a horrible landing at Essex, after mostly good ones the entire trip. 

And so that ended the trip to Sun ‘N Fun 2005.  I ended up flying 23 hours!  11 down and 12 back.  Great trip.
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