Recovery of my stranded Taylorcraft

[Robert Lees]

Re: Recovery of my stranded Taylorcraft

Tuesday 17th saw Mike and I depart northbound (sort of parallel with the eastern side of the Rockies). Our plan was to reach northern Colorado and head east through Nebraska and then east to Illinois, so as to avoid further tears & bloodshed.


(above: fuel & breakfast stop: Lamar, CO)

The whole area of NE New Mexico, SE Colorado and the associated bounding parts of Texas & Oklahoma are beef raising country. The cattle are ranch-born to adulthood, but are finally fattened for market in huge ugly pens, enough to put you off beef.


(above: beef cattle)

We overnight at Fort Morgan, CO. A small airfield to serve a vast farming community in the supply of crop-spraying services. We kipped in the pilot's lounge (as is our wont).


(Above: Fort Morgan)

We now find ourselved in the envious position of not being in a hurry at all, so we decide to take some scenic diversions before continuing east. First stop Fort Collins, CO, then Laramie, Wyoming.


(Above: evidence of recent rains; floods at 7500MSL near Laramie)


(Above: one point for the aircraft type, three points for identifying the purpose of the anterior proboscis)


(Above: Laramie)

Eastbound next, and a climb to 9500MSL to clear the aptly-named Pilot Hill just east of Laramie before descending past Cheyenne, at a more sensible 5000 feet or so, and on to Nebraska.




(Above: Nebraska farmland)

Wednesday evening saw us at North Platte for the night, in good company. One of the few north-south runways in the area and a 30kt southerly saw all sorts dropping in here for the night.


(Above: North Platte and a 1929 Travel Air as company)

More to follow.

[M Towsley]

Re: Recovery of my stranded Taylorcraft

KIP

informal

verb BRITISH

past tense: kipped; past participle: kipped

sleep.
"they kipped down for the night"

[N96337]

Re: Recovery of my stranded Taylorcraft

Bill DeKreef's old Travelair. I'm not positive who owns it now. The other aircraft above is a 185 with a magnamometer. (spelling?)
John

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: Recovery of my stranded Taylorcraft

It is a Magnetometer probe. They are usually used to find large deposits of metal (like submarines, although that one doesn't look too menacing to a sub). They also use them for flying down major high power lines to measure the change in magnetic field from the power lines. If the line is getting weak the field around it will change and the Magnetometer will let the power company know where to replace a wire section before it breaks. Really cuts down on major black outs.

Hank

This is what something with a Magnetometer that IS threatening to a sub looks like! NO, those are flares to mislead heat seeking missiles, not offensive weapons, but it still looks cool.

[Garry Crookham]

Re: Recovery of my stranded Taylorcraft

Magnetometers are used here in the petroleum exploration industry (called aeromagnetic surveys). An aeromagnetic survey is a common type of geophysical survey carried out using a magnetometer aboard or towed behind an aircraft. Aeromagnetic surveys are widely used to aid in the production of geological maps and are also commonly used during mineral exploration and petroleum exploration. I had a friend who, for several years operated a pair of Grumman S-2 Trackers with magnetometers mounted on booms similar to the picture above.

[waltermrich]

Re: Recovery of my stranded Taylorcraft

Thanks for posting you return trip Robert, your quite the adventurous type I used to be, spent my early years in India, Liked reading your adventures very much.

[skip]

Re: Recovery of my stranded Taylorcraft

The plane with the magnetometer is a Cessna 180, not a 185. 185's had a larger ventral fin ahead of the vertical stab. The smaller ventral fin says 180.

[M Towsley]

Re: Recovery of my stranded Taylorcraft

Here is some info on the Cessna 180 with magnetometer.

A Cessna C-180 (Reg. N8814X) provided by Cloudstreet Flying Service will be utilized for this project. EDCON-PRJ has an eight year working history with Cloudstreet Flying Service, having jointly completed over 70 similar fixed-wing magnetometer projects throughout the western United States.

The aircraft has been extensively modified to increase its performance on draped aeromagnetic surveys. The engine is a high-performance Continental O-520 creating 308 horsepower. This engine is the typical engine used in the much bigger and heavier Cessna 206. The increased power to weight ratio of the aircraft results in a sustained climb rate of 1100 feet per minute at 70 mph. The aircraft also has a STOL modification kit, which gives it better stability, climb and dive, and control characteristics while on survey operations. The carbon-fiber
tail stinger, which measures 3.0 meters from aircraft tail to magnetometer sensor pod, isolates the sensor from vibration and noise sources.

[Robert Lees]

Re: Recovery of my stranded Taylorcraft

We spent the following morning (Weds 18th) doing some tourist stuff in North Platte. The place is famous for the largest "hump yard" (ooeer missus) in the US. Basically they receive trans-continental trains and divide up those train cars for onward distribution. The mile-long train of cars are raised on a gradual hump and each car (or cars) is then uncoupled and routed under gravity down the other slope to its new siding & engine.


(above: North Platte hump yard)

We also had a play in Cody Park Railroad Museum on the 4-6-6-4 Challenger locomotive.



Later the same day we flew north-east to Yangton, right on the Missouri, up and down which Lewis & Clark explored between 1803 & 1806. The country between our two airports was a lot more rolling and green than I expected; perhaps it's Kansas and not Nebraska that is covered in corn & wheat fields.




(above: Missouri River)

Next day saw us meet up with our friend Jim (who came on the September tour last year) and two other Taylorcraft owners for a five-ship flight to Independence Iowa for lunch:



And yesterday Mike & I returned to Dacy. It's taken 7 months for my Taylorcraft to return "home", but the engine performed impeccably.


(Above: a summary of the route flown)

A few statistics:

Hours flown: 50 appx, 32 airfields, 11 States
Miles: 5000 appx

[M Jones]

Re: Recovery of my stranded Taylorcraft

Thanks, Marty for the definition. I hadn't realized that I'd "kipped" at some airports a few times on this trip! Tucumcari, Fort Morgan, and Yankton, SD were some of the friendliest with their accommodations and cars by the way.

[M Towsley]

Re: Recovery of my stranded Taylorcraft

Well, you know, Rob isn't from around here, lol!!!

[Bruce Caldwell]

Re: Recovery of my stranded Taylorcraft

Great story and pics Rob!!! Thanks
Bruce
N95893

[skip]

Re: Recovery of my stranded Taylorcraft

We spent the following morning (Weds 18th) doing some tourist stuff in North Platte...

And now you know what it feels like to fly one of the Pipers after your Taylorcraft...