After visiting CarolAnn in Florida we planned to fly up to Athens, Georgia. The daughter of dear friends Jim and Joan Reed - Holly - lives in Athens. Jim and Joan passed away recently and I had not seen Holly in 20 years so this was to be a special reunion; one we had looked forward to for a long time.
Ocala, Fla – Williston, Fla – Athens, Georgia
Date
Departure Arpt.
Ident.
Arrival Arpt.
Ident.
Distance nm
Time ER.
Actual
Nov. 18
Leeward Air Park .
FD04
Williston Municipal
X60
28
:20
Date
Departure Arpt.
Ident.
Arrival Arpt.
Ident.
Distance nm
Time ER.
Actual
Nov. 18
Williston Municipal
CYOW
Ben Epps, Athens
AHN
279
1:44
Leeward is a private park and everyone has their own facilities so there is no Avgas available for sale to visiting aircraft. Bad planning on my part and I had to make a short flight up to Williston , Fla to get enough fuel for the Athens trip. The Ovation 3 has three separate fuel indicator systems; unfortunately none of them show the same amount of fuel. I use the lowest indicator plus my own calculations and in this case I was clearly on LOW FUEL leaving Leeward. Approaching Williston the gauges were flickering yellow and red; first time I had seen this. It gets your attention!!!!! Obviously we landed with the engine still running, fueled up and on the way to Athens a bit later than planned. Another lesson learned…..
Lec with Holly and Clay after hiking in the Georgia countryside..…
Perfect weather all the way up to Athens . Great service from the Jacksonville and Atlanta controllers took us straight to the left base for landing on runway 27.
Holly, her friend Clay and local pilot Richard were on the ramp to meet us. Introductions and exchange of hello's were followed by a major unpacking of the plane. We certainly have to learn how to pack lighter for the RTW trip – we are loaded to the rooftop on this trip.
We had a great time catching up on stories with Holly, sight seeing, dining and playing golf in Athens . Our visit was too short but wonderful. Thanks so much to Holly and Clay for the splendid visit and we look forward to you guys getting to Thailand so we can return the hospitality sometime in the future.
November 20, 2006 – Athens, Ga – Texarkana, Arkansas – Kerrville, Texas
After a tearful goodbye with Holly we headed west. .
Athens, Ga – Texarkana, Arkansas – Kerrville, Texas
Date
Departure Arpt.
Ident.
Arrival Arpt.
Ident.
Distance nm
Time ER.
Actual
Nov. 20
Athens , Ga
AHN
Texarkansa , Ark
TXR
532
3:10
Date
Departure Arpt.
Ident.
Arrival Arpt.
Ident.
Distance nm
Time ER.
Actual
Nov. 20
Texarkana , Ark
TXR
Kerrville , Municipal
ERV
333
1:43
I had been in contact with Mooney Airplane Co. for several weeks over getting a cracked landing gear door cover replaced during the trip. I had decided to fly from Athens to Texarkana and land there for fuel. While I was in flight the warranty team at Mooney were trying to arrange the gear door replacement by Dugosh Aviation, located next door to the factory at Kerrville Airport . The plan was for me to call from Texarkana ; if they could replace the door the next day I would go to Kerrville , if not it would be onward to Sedona , Arizona and I would get the door replaced in California . I called from Texarkana - OK they could do it so it was onward to Kerrville . A one day delay in getting to Arizona but worth the time as I wanted to get this gear door changed asap.
The Dugosh people were ready at 8:00am the next morning to get me fixed up and on the way. Unfortunately the Mooney parts team, in spite of having my pictures of the cracked gear door, sent the wrong part over to Dugosh.
Dugosh Aviation people were very helpful. They got the correct part from the factory later in the day, got it trimmed and fitted by 5:00 and I was ready to leave Texas . Unfortunately Mooney did not paint the door (did you really looked at the pictures I sent you - Mooney warranty team???) and I am now flying around with one Blue and one White gear door. So I will have to find another service center in California to finish the work after all……..
San Antonio transportation..…
We did use the extra time in Kerrville to visit San Antonio , the Alamo and the famous river walk of San Antonio . The Alamo is a very historic site and for those growing up in my generation we remember the great tales of Davie Crockett and the Alamo battle. Seeing it rekindles many childhood memories….
The Alamo ..…
To fly from place to place, to see historic sites, meet new friends, reacquaint with old friends and to find new experiences is exactly why we want to do this RTW trip. We have seen so much in just a short time in the US that we can only imagine what the entire world trip will be like. Here are a few pictures of San Antonio ; hope they bring back some good memories for you too.
November 22, 2006 – Kerrville, Texas – Sedona, Arizona
Plane fixed and now heading west to beautiful Sedona , Arizona .
Kerrville, Texas – Sedona, Arizona
Date
Departure Arpt.
Ident.
Arrival Arpt.
Ident.
Distance nm
Time ER.
Actual
Nov. 22
Kerrville , Tx
ERV
Sedona , Arizona
SEZ
734
4:22
We planned the flight for 14,000 feet to be well over the mountains which lay between us and northern Arizona . This would be the first time we had to use the Mountain High oxygen system that we had purchased at Oshkosh in July. There are a number of good oxygen systems out there but I am very impressed with the portable Mountain High unit. Very compact and light weight, enough oxygen for two of us to fly about 20 hours and very comfortable to wear. Their electronic pulse system releases just enough oxygen to provide what you need. As this was our first usage, Lec and I tested our blood oxygen levels every 30 minutes. They remained constant and above 95% for the entire trip. Really reassuring to have this very high quality system on board.
Arriving at Sedona is a pilot's dream (passengers dream too). The airport is situated on top of a mountain, above the city of Sedona . What a view……..you can see it on their website and hopefully plan to fly there yourself sometime.
Words don't describe Sedona – so take a look at our pictures on the log book and gallery.
One of the many breathtaking Sedona sights..…
Being US Thanksgiving it was a fairly busy time to be in Sedona. The hotels and rental car people were pretty well sold out so we took whatever we could get for hotels and rental cars. We decided to base ourselves in Sedona and take a commercial tour up to the Grand Canyon rather than fly the short distance up there.
360 degrees of magnificent views..…
The Pink Jeep Tour company offers local jeep tours around Sedona and mini bus tours up to the Grand Canyon . Kimba was our driver and she did a great job driving and explaining the history and terrain. .
Norm enjoying the peaceful Sedona desert..…
The canyon is certainly awesome. I was amazed at how many people ignored the barriers and walked right to the edge of the canyon for their pictures!!!!!! It made me shiver to watch them. We did not have time to get down into the canyon; a good reason to get back in the summer for that adventure.
The Grand Canyon – now I know why they call it “Grand”..…
Millions of years, miles & miles of natures creation..…
Update – November 2006 Part 2
Lec with Holly and Clay after hiking in the Georgia countryside..… 
