Big Trip Next Week

We did it!

Left Mountain View, Arkansas (7M2) about 8:20 Monday morning and headed east. We did the entire tip at 5500 feet.

First stop was Muehlenburg County in Kentucky (M21). It took about 3 hours to get there. Stopped there in honor of the John Prine song Paradise. I stopped there 15 years ago and it was a dump, but reviews on Foreflight seemed to indicate that it had been rebuilt. It was very nice, with a new terminal and nice fuel system.

Off again, and the next stop was Southern West Virginia Regional (KEBD) in Williamson, West Virginia. It took just a bit under 3 hours, 2.9. Reviews said the place was kind of a dump, and the bathroom was filthy. They were pretty much right, with a bathroom that was more like a rural gas station than an airport! Emptying the overflowing trash cans once a week might be a good start to making it better...

Back in the air, it took 2.8 hours to get to our destination, Middle Peninsula Regional Airport (KFYJ) in West Point, Virginia. It's at a confluence of the the Mattaponi and Pamunkey Rivers into the York River, West Point is a small community not far from Williamsburg, where we stayed. Despite some huge construction about to start, it was a nice airport and the manager went out of his way to make sure our rental car was there and to make our trip as pleasant as possible.

We toured the historic Jamestown area, and some other stuff in Williamsburg and visited family. Before we knew it it was time to come home!

Time logged so far: 8.7 hours

Return trip - first stop was Beckley, West Virginia (KBKW), 2.5 hours. We flew at 6500 to be well above the lower Appalachians. This airport was a little weird. When we landed we were contacted on UNICOM asking if we needed fuel, and I said yes, of course. I was instructed to park behind the red line. So I did. A fuel truck magically appeared. After fueling, he took my card and disappeared. In the meantime we went into the building and it looked like a little airport trying to be a big airport. There were lots of seats for waiting folks, and an Enterprise and Hertz counter. Never did see the FBO counter, if there was one, The guy finally came back with my card and a receipt to sign. Weird. It was kind of cold here, too. Anyway, off we went.

Next stop was at Hartford Kentucky, Ohio County Regional (KJQD). It took 2.8 hours ro get there. On the ramp there was a self service fuel island between two large hangars. Neither looked like a terminal or FBO office. After fueling, we discovered that on the other end of one of the buildings was a glass door that opened into a pilot lounge. They had restrooms, but the place looked kind of shabby. Missing trim, roof leaks that took down some ceiling, stuff like that. Felt old and not well maintained. We met one guy who was apparently an employee at a maintenance shop there. He had noticed my airport on the ramp at Owensboro several weeks ago Small world!

After that was our last flight, to home. This time the ride was not smooth at 4500. We were also pretty tired of being in an airplane. I pushed to throttle all the way in and we got there in 2,9 hours. By the time we put the airplane away the bobber in the header tank was only an inch or so off the bottom. That thing burns much more gas at full throttle!

So the entire trip included 16.9 hours of air time. But with the stops it seemed even longer! I learned that I am probably at a point there these trips aren't going to happen very often - if at all! We decided next time we will take two days to go 750 nm. I'm too old for this!

I wasn’t sure where to put this, so I think this is as good as any. 

My wife and I are planning a 750 nm trip to Williamsburg, VA, next week to visit our youngest child (who is 40!). We were originally planning to go this week but the entire eastern quarter of the USA was IFR. Next week promises sunny
skies all week. 

We are doing it in 3 legs of about 2:40 hours each. We figure ½ hour at each fuel stop so the entire flight is roughly 9 hours. We will lose an hour as we enter the eastern time zone, so if we take off at 6:30 am in Arkansas we should land at Middle Peninsula Regional Airport (KFYJ) about 4:30 pm, but since we are chronically late, I made sure the FBO would have our car ready to go. 

Fuel stops are Muehlenburg County Airport in Greenville, Kentucky, and Southern West Virginia Regional in Williamson, West Virginia. The Kentucky stop is in honor of the John Prine song “Paradise” about strip mining of coal. 

I plan to document the journey for the Coupe Capers, but I’m hoping it’ll be too boring to print!

I stopped at Muehlenburg County way back in 2007 or so. It was pretty much a dump. I remember starting to fuel the plane and a guy in a prison orange jumpsuit appeared to “help”. According to comments on ForeFlight it now has a beautiful new terminal building. We will see!

We haven’t undertaken a trip this far since the EOC National Convention in Las Cruces, NM, in 2018. I’m excited!!