Training on My New Plane and Heading North

The first day of our journey was scheduled so that Aviatrix and I could each get a couple of hours of training on my new little bird and weather permitting, start our journey home heading up the coast towards Northern Florida. We arrived at the factory a few minutes before our scheduled 8:30 a.m. arrival and there was my little bird on the runway. Very cool.

I was not as far along in my flight training as I would have liked but I had a progress report from my instructor so that Aviatrix and the manufacturer/flight instructor, Bob, could determine what would be suitable additional training. Bob had e-mailed us a pre flight and after flight check list before we arrived and Aviatrix and I went over the list the previous night. That morning, Bob did a detailed walk around the plane showing us various things. Then Bob and I flew off. We had 15 mile per hour winds so it was slightly bumpy. However, we did several landings on water and a couple of stalls. Then we went in for a ground landing. Next, it was Aviatrix’s turn to get some training in on my little bird. I would use this time to return the rental car so that we would be good to go after Aviatrix returned, we ate lunch and I settled my bill with the manufacturer. Unfortunately, I returned the rental car with Aviatrix’s bags still in the trunk.

My husband and I have travelling together down to a science. Whenever we arrive in an airport, I stand by the baggage carousel and get the two sets of golf clubs, my small bag and his biggest bag in the world. His motto is “when in doubt, take it” therefore, the large bag. He then quickly makes his way to the rental counter racing past all traffic in his path. The pickup and return of the rental car is his deal. This is not an excuse. I did know Aviatrix’s bags were in the trunk as I retrieved her headset out of the trunk just a few hours earlier, however, when I returned the car, I looked for all visible items in the car and neglected to open the trunk. I was so darn excited at the prospect of getting our first leg of the trip started and I was very cognizant of the weather. It was imperative to get a good start at heading as far up the coast as possible before Hurricane Hannah descended. Getting out of the Southern States as soon as possible would reduce our risk of weather delay considerably.

Aviatrix returned from her flight training and quickly asked if I had got her bags from the trunk. I shook my head. Then she told me her computer was in her bag. We went into high gear. We went back to the rental car place although we knew it would be closed as they shut down at 1:00 p.m. on labour day, moments before we discovered my omission. However, the car was still at the exact place that I dropped it off and we hired a locksmith to come out and open the trunk. Aviatrix’s bags were still in the trunk. Success and back on track. I was impressed by Aviatrix’s handling of the situation. We were also very grateful to have the assistance of the manufacturer’s wife who taxied me to the rental car office twice on the same day.

We arrived back to the factory, loaded up the plane and headed up the coast to experience the first leg of our journey. Flying north along Daytona Beach is too cool for words. It was about 90 degrees so we had the doors off and I had my arm out the window. We were flying at 2500 feet above ground and had great visibility. Again, just too cool for words.

After approximately two hours of flying we decided to land in St. Augustine, Florida. Aviatrix lands the plane and we taxi to an area where the planes are tied down. I mean jets, my little bird is parked by Cirrus jets, Learjets and other hot looking planes. A man in a golf cart with a bright green vest quickly comes up to meet us. Soon later, another individual comes over for a chat. They are very curious to learn about my new plane. The bright green vested men are employees of the fixed base operator, hired to meet planes and accommodate their fuel requirements. However, my littler bird takes premium auto gas, known as MOGAS in aviation terms; something that I learn is not readily available at airports. Also, generally not readily available are cans to put the MOGAS in. The attendants offer to take us to a gas station and to find some gas cans for us. While they are rounding up the cans we tie down my bird and Aviatrix does a thorough check of the bird. Then we head into a sexy looking building used to coordinate services for the plane owners. It has a pilot station where pilots can check the weather, do flight planning etc. There is also a sort of concierge. He arranges for a taxi and a hotel room for us. The hotel rates were very reasonable and we stayed at a Comfort Inn that was close by for about $55. He also takes down the information about my plane as I am wondering how much it is for my plane to bunk down beside the Cirrus jet. Aviatrix casually mentions that she is unsure how much to tip. This was a good save as I go fishing in my pockets for some bills for the gas guys. As it turned out it was only $15 for my bird to bunk down. We headed to the hotel and prepared for an early start the next day.