A M A Z I N G
AV I AT O R S
&
E XC I T I N G
D E S T I N AT I O N S
August 2005
TM
TM
Going Places in AirCars
A CASCADE ESCAPADE
Flying Washington's Mountains Majesty
FLYING SIDEWAYS
Great Wine & Wonderful Times in Santa Barbara
AIRCAR BUYERS GUIDE
Nifty, new planes under $400,000
66 EXCITING ESCAPES BECKON FLY!
The World’s Fastest
Light Business Jet... 560 mph.
Intercontinental Range... 2875 sm.
You could call it superplane and not be exaggerating.
Not only is it fast, it has intercontinental range
that no other jet in this class can deliver.
560 mph. Over 2800 statute mile range.
SJ30-2. The most advanced light business jet in the sky today.
The Perfect Package of Speed, Range... and Good Looks.
1.888.JET.SJ30 • 949.851.0900 • www.sj30jet.com
Sino Swearingen Aircraft Corporation • 1770 Skyplace Blvd. • San Antonio,TX 78216
Distributorships available in select areas worldwide.
Preliminary Specifications. Subject to Change.
From the Publisher
Our Thrilling Privilege
“If you don’t get in that plane you’ll regret it,” says Humphrey
Bogart as Rick Blaine in Casablanca. “Maybe not today, maybe not
tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life.” Why? Because
there is a wide, wild and wonderful world out there, ripe to share its
excitement. Especially for us aviators, all of us so privileged to view
it from and access it through the air.
It is this privilege we have worked
hard to earn that allows us entrée to
so many exhilarations that simply are
not available, as readily, to non-pilots.
Incredible wilderness destinations,
for instance, accessible only by floatplane. Breathtaking views from above
of mountains or desert or cities or sea
– a sense-thrilling, soul-stirring perspective so few can know, unlike us,
as a matter of routine. And then there
is the sheer freedom and lightness of
being we get to feel, as poet John
Gillespie Magee, Jr. puts it, when
“Up, up (in) the long, delicious burning blue” we fly.
Orville Wright was right. “The
airplane stays up because it doesn’t
have time to fall,” he said. We have
so many great places to go, so many
inspiring things to see, so many wonderful new people to meet,
we are just too busy having a blast to stay grounded!
In this issue you’ll see what I mean. Beaten paths led nowhere,
it is said, and Flying Adventures agrees. That is why we have
devoted our pages to those great escapes and exciting escapades
that say later! to Been There, Done That. So fly with us, if you
will, on an amazing loop through Washington’s wondrous and
majestic Cascade Range, an odyssey of terrific towns to explore,
sensational new wineries to discover, and enough sights and
delights to keep you jazzed for weeks, even months, with the
adventure. Take wing with us, as well, as we trip the flying fan-
tastic in a whirl with the seaplane. Whether it is acquiring your
rating or opening your logbook to the entirely new universe of airborne adventures that floatplanes allow, Flying Adventures wants
you to know: seaplane flying is sweet!
Sweet too is our wine tour through California’s magical Santa
Barbara County, a fling with fun
based on the movie, Sideways. And
let’s not forget the pleasures of an
Illinois town – a village, really –
where beauty abounds and the dining is fine indeed: Glenview. As
always, we will take you into the
minds and lives of a couple of fascinating aviators, those whose passion
for flight soars as high and fast – and
hot – as yours. What’s more, again
we bring to our pages the comprehensive AirCar Buyers Guide
because, really, aren’t we always ever
ready to entertain the idea of our
next aircraft acquisition? Oh, yes.
In this issue we explore those terrific new planes available in the under$400,000 range.
More fly-in fun than ever; more
great destinations that deliver: This
is the issue that celebrates the spirit of our great privilege. The
poet Magee puts it quite beautifully when he says, “I’ve tripped
the wind-swept heights with every grace…and danced the skies
on laughter-silvered wings.” And Albert Schweitzer phrases it his
way by saying, “Strike out courageously!” Either way, the message is the same: Our aviator’s ability to go where so few go, to see
what so few see, and to be thrilled in ways exclusive to our amazing lives on the wing is something boldly to grab with all gusto.
Now. Today. After all, if we don’t get in that plane, we will regret
it. No way! I say. I am getting in that plane. You, too?
Tailwinds toward adventure,
TM
CEO/P UBLISHER
Michael Higgins, PhD
E DITOR I N C HIEF
Colette O’Connor
A RT D IRECTOR AND
P RODUCTION M ANAGER
Daniel Voznick
P RODUCTION D ESIGNERS
Rebecca Mindenhall
Molly Ratan Moffat
C ONTRIBUTING W RITERS
Gary Wiblin, CFII
D IRECTOR OF P HOTOGRAPHY
Michael Higgins, PhD
C ONTRIBUTING P HOTOGRAPHERS
Ken Bach
Julie Baran-Reilly
Jerry Engelbrecht
Dorothy Kunzig
Dan Nerney
Brad Thornberg
Randy Wilder
Jack Williams
C ORPORATE F INE A RTS
Anne Seltzer
V ICE P RESIDENT S ALES & M ARKETING
Robbi Fernandez
V ICE P RESIDENT B USINESS D EVELOPMENT
Jerry Brown
C HIEF I NFORMATION O FFICER
Linda Ehrlich
E XECUTIVE A SSISTANT
Ellen Biasin
E UROPE A CCOUNTS D IRECTOR
Daniela Giordano
Happy flying!
Michael C. Higgins
CEO/Publisher
R EGIONAL M ANAGERS
Jonathon Kiger
Terry Matter
Kathleen Navarro
Carmi Sullivan
S PECIAL P ROJECTS
Larry Hahn
4 Flying Adventures August 2005
Flying Adventures August 2005 5
Squawks
TotheEditor
The lure of Africa endures
This is to tell you we LOVED the African
flying safari article (“Safari!” March/April
2005). You have us sold to do this soon
in our future – something really to look
forward to! Thanks again for excellent
articles – always – in Flying Adventures!
“Pilots Extraordinaire”
Candy and Dan Johnnie, Page, AZ
T HE S AFETY R ESOURCE P UBLICATION F OR :
Aviation Safety Council
P UBLISHED B Y:
Aviation Publishing
El Monte Airport • Box 93613
Pasadena, CA 91109-3613
626.618.4000
Fax 626.797.4337
e-mail:
info@FlyingAdventures.com
©1994 – 2005 All Rights Reserved
GREAT edition on Africa!!!
Patrick J. Cooney, Beverly Hills, CA
D ISCLAIMER
We gotta tell you: This publication is NOT for
navigational use. Pilots must make their
own determination regarding safety. We are
not responsible for data about advertisers,
sponsors, reviews, editorial, airports, or
safety messages. This publication is strictly
for your entertainment value.
You are living a DREAM. What an experience it must have been flying over the
African landscape. My father was born in
South Africa but it is one corner of the
world I have not visited. I have lived it
vicariously the past two evenings reading
of your adventures. In fact, I have read
the entire magazine twice! Thanks for
sharing your passion and love of flying.
Bob Jankelson, Chelan, WA
Regarding “Fabulous Flights, Tip-Top
TLC” (March/April 2005): If a person
wants to go to the Reagan Library, why fly
into congested and busy Van Nuys? Fly
into Camarillo (CMA) and let the GREAT
people at Channel Island Aviation take
care of you! We have flown into
Camarillo many times to visit family and
the Reagan Library – Simi Valley is only a
short drive from CMA – and found the
same great service every time.
Charlie Gorman, via email
You had an article about bird strikes
(“Flight Review” October/November
2004) which recently happened to me. I
fly a Cessna Skyhawk, very modernized.
While climbing out from Hyannis I collided with a large goose that damaged the
wing considerably – about $7K worth.
The good news was that I was able to get
safely back on the ground with a crushed
inboard wing on the right side, five
crushed wing ribs and torn skin. It is all
6 Flying Adventures August 2005
H OW T O R EACH U S
L ETTERS T O T HE E DITOR
The most efficient way to reach us
is by email or fax.
editor@FlyingAdventures.com
Fax: 626.797.4337
repaired now and returned to service, so
we look forward to our usual upcoming
good weather flying adventures. By the
way, we love your magazine! It offers a
unique perspective on general aviation; it
is more philosophical and addresses the
adventure aspects as opposed to the technological aspects one would find in, say,
Flying magazine. Keep up the great work!
Robert A. Gilbert, via email
I was browsing your Flying Adventures
website (www.flyingadventures.com) and
I couldn’t believe my eyes. What excitement, what adventure, what spectacular
experiences! I want to go where Flying
Adventures has gone. Who wouldn’t?
Where do I get the “E” ticket to experience
your flying adventures? Give me more!!!
Monique Sullivan, via email
A friend sent me a copy of the
March/April 2005 issue and there is a
great article about a dear friend of mine,
Betty O’Shaughnessy (“Aviator Profile”).
It’s a wonderful article, and knowing
Betty as I do, it’s all very accurate. She is
a remarkable woman.
Ann Dosch, via email
For subscription or gifts
access our website at:
www.FlyingAdventures.com/subscribe
or Call:
Phone: 626.618.4000
Oh! Great magazine!
Douglas Walton, Fort Myers, FL
For advertising information visit:
www.FlyingAdventures.com/advertise
or Call:
Phone: (800) 4-Pilots (474-5687)
In your March/April 2005 issue our website was incorrectly identified (“One of a
Kind Finds,” p. 20). For information on
the “Master of the Universe” desk, the
actual URL is www.rencodesign.com
(from Renaissance Companies Design).
Thank you for printing this correction.
Julie Palladino
Renaissance Design, Solvang, CA
Your magazine just keeps getting better
and better.
Frank Singer, Huntington Harbor, CA
S UBSCRIPTIONS
A DVERTISING
Got a phenomenal photo that either excites and
inspires aviators to take wing to the next dazzling destination, or share in the joys of flight?
Flying Adventures invites your submissions. If
your shot says it all and we like it, we'll publish
it along with your name and make a star of you
both. Mail or Email your photo, together with
its title, to: photographer@FlyingAdventures.com
ENTIRE MAGAZINES ONLINE
www.FlyingAdventures.com
Flying Adventures August 2005 7
Table of Contents
August 2005
Aviators Larry Hahn
p.54
This Aviator Likes Putting People First
Mike Rounds
p.56
South Dakota’s Governor Serves Best Via the Air
Departments Departure Time
p.10
Aviators’ Calendar of Events
Touch’n Go
Feature Destinations
Pleasures of the Palate
p.12
Ocean Odyssey in Monterey, CA
A Dog’s World (after all) in St. Louis, MO
Tiki, if you please, in Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Full Stop Landing
p.16
Flying Sideways through Santa Barbara
p.14
Ode to the Poet in Pender Island, BC
Fly-Fishing Dreams in Chama, NM
Happy Bourbon Trails in Louisville, KY
Great Gifts
p.24
Whimsy Wins
Flying Adventure
p.26
Book Scene
Golfing through the ages
Flying Fun Around Washington’s Cascade Loop
Flight Review
Glenview
p.38
8 Flying Adventures August 2005
p.52
Nifty, Never-used Planes Under $400,000
p.44
Seizing the world of water
On the Cover
p.51
Do You Have Enough Devotion To Fly?
Buyer’s Guide
A Peaceful Sense of Place
Seaplane Serendipity
p.50
Fabulous FBOs
p.58
Hana, Hawaii
San Agustin Plains, NM
Libby, Montana
New Orleans, LA
Wayne, Pennsylvania
Little Torch Key, FL
Rugged wonder: a view of an extremely remote area of
the Cascade Range that lies within a flyable pass
between the Skagit Valley and Lake Chelan
This page: Rainy beauty: midmorning over Lake Chelan
Fly-In Favorites
Photographed by Michael Higgins
Go-To Destinations
p.62
Florida's Emerald Coast Gem
Adventure Logbook
p.64
Departure Time
AUGUST
Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta
Sept 21-26: The stunning Sangre de Cristo
mountains of Santa Fe, NM pair beautifully
with this fol de rol of wine and food run,
Southwest-style. Wine tastings, guest
chef luncheons, tastes of great local
cuisine and lots more grape-related
entertainment is promised, along with
days in the New Mexico sun.
www.santafewineandchile.org
(505) 438-8060.
Palace & Mosque: Islamic Art
from the Victoria & Albert
Now through Sept 4: One of the most
important and renowned Islamic art
collections in the world ventures out from
London’s Victoria & Albert Museum for this
stay at the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort
Worth, TX. From Turkish Iznick furniture to
works made for worship in mosques and
shrines of Mecca’s most sacred sites,
treasures once belonging to ruling dynasties
of caliphs and sultans – and more – is
gorgeously mounted. www.kimbellart.org
(817) 332-8451.
SEPTEMBER
Rolex Big Boat Series
Sept 15-18: San Francisco Bay comes
colorfully alive when sailors across the
country compete in exciting one-design and
handicap events as part of this prestigious
regatta, arguably the “grandaddy” of big
boat racing. The St. Francis Yacht Club
presides. www.regattanew.com
Hot Rod Hobnob
Ongoing Saturdays: From Cadillac fins to
The Beach Boys’ “Little Deuce Coupe,” hot
rod culture is alive and thriving when some
of the country’s hottest rods, woodies,
roadsters, concept cars, drag racers and
others meet up in “Surf City USA” (aka
Huntington Beach, CA). The parade of
75-plus cars rolls out at Adams and
Magnolia avenues – eye candy, indeed,
for the hot rod inclined.
www.donutderelicts.com
(949) 859-8549.
Virginia Wine Festival
Aug 20-21: Historic Long Branch in Millwood,
VA is the venue for all things wine when one
of the East’s most notable festivals unfurls its
weekend of wine seminars, culinary demos,
entertainment and, naturally, tastings
of the wares of more than 50 top-flight
Virginia wineries. www.showsinc.com
(800) 520-9670.
Chicago Air & Water Show
Aug 20-21: The lakeshore’s North Avenue
Beach is viewing supreme when the Windy
City skies scream with aviation excitement.
Aircraft that fly twice the speed of sound
and fly higher than 10 Sears Towers, the
US Army parachute team, B2 Stealth
Bomber and other awes are among the
many featured highlights at this annual
don’t-miss amusement.
www.cityofchicago.com
Aug 19-20: A tribute to “Great American Specials” like Ol Yeller and the snazzy Chaparral
themes the many fine examples of American ingenuity on display at this annual
historic, race and sports car extravaganza sponsored by Rolex. Held at Mazda
Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, CA. www.montereyhistoric.com
(800) 327-7322.
10 Flying Adventures August 2005
Sept 14-18: “Reach for the Stars” finds some
of aviation’s most far-reaching greats doing
just that as they exhibit their in-air
mojo during five days of racing, aerobatic
performances, military and civil flight demos
and more more more – all the flying fun that
Reno Stead Field (and you) can handle.
Always, Reno is the place to be come
fall.www.airrace.org (775) 972-6663.
Now thorough Nov 15: King Tut’s tomb, as
well as ancient sites and burial chambers
excavated in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings,
OCTOBER
Green Mountain 400
Oct 9: Motorcycling’s treasure hunt and
endurance rally in one. Riders going for
personal fun and glory zoom through
some of most glorious fall foliage Ascutney,
Vermont and its environs offer in this daylong tribute to biking excitement.
www.maxbmwmotorsports.com
San Francisco Jazz Festival
Aug 27-Sept 3: Compass Point Diver Resort on
Grand Cayman’s spectacular East End invites
deep water aficionados of every level to a
festive week-long scuba clinic among some
of the best coral reefs in the Caribbean .
www.sportdiver.com/ebrochure/
oceanfrontiers
Oct 19-Nov 6: Long considered one of the
world’s most preeminent gatherings of
talent, with an artist roster that features the
best of the best from all corners of the globe,
this musical extravaganza swings with
everyone wonderful, from super nova Latin
pianists to notable new fado stars to
legendary queens of R&B. A gotta-be-there
treat. www.sfjazz.org.
Calendar entries may be sent to
calendar@pilotmichael.com well in advance
of the event. Please include a website for
further information.
Reno Air Races
Tutankhamun & the Golden Age
of the Pharoahs
National Geographic Diver Week
Monterey Historic Auto Races
offer an exquisite and enthralling collection
of treasures now on view at the Los Angeles
County Museum of Art. From King Tut’s
royal diadem to the gold and precious
stone-inlaid coffinettes containing his
internal organs, this glimpse into life on
the Nile 3,500 years ago is a rare chance
to partake of the King Tut mystique
before the treasures return permanently
to Cairo. www.lacma.org
(323) 857-6000.
New York Wine Experience
Oct 20-22: A memorable tasting from
Bordeaux’s five first growths; a once-in-alifetime vertical tasting from Château
The Trailing of the Sheep Festival
Oct 7-9: It’s America’s version of the running of the bulls when the mountain towns
of Ketchum and Hailey, Idaho keep with centuries-old tradition by honoring those
shepherds who move their flocks from summer pastures north of Sun Valley to their
Wood River Valley winter grazing area – via Main Street, Ketchum. Sheep dog trials
and a lot more sheep-related fun are included in this oh-so-amusing celebration of the
shepherd’s art and its Scottish, Basque and Peruvian heritage.
www.trailingofthesheep.com (800) 634-3347.
d’Yquem, and a retrospective tasting of Wine
Spectator’s Wines of the Year are among
the delights uncorked at New York City’s
Marriott Marquis during this three-day,
7,000-winery celebration of the grape –
banquets and special chef luncheons
included. www.winespectator.com
(800) 228-9290/(845) 985-9407.
Flying Adventures August 2005 11
Touch’n Go
Fly-In, Tie-Down & Get Excited
Don’t-Miss Day Trips
Ocean Odyssey in Monterey, CA
A Dog’s World (after all) in St. Louis, MO
Tiki, if you please, in Ft. Lauderdale, FL
The Fun: At the Monterey Bay Aquarium,
where the protected waters north of Big
Sur yield aquatic life as wonderful as it
comes, sea otters frolic, giant octopi
show-off their tricks of disguise, and
luminous jellies float as if their lives were
art. Which they are. Especially when the
country’s preeminent showcase of the sea
presents it all – sharks to shorebirds,
wolf-eels to porpoise – in an aquarium
whose splendors are legend.
The Fun: Queen Victoria started it,
The Fun: Not since the fun-for-all ’50s
commissioning great artists to paint
portraits of her pooches. Now, the
Museum of the Dog is all over it, elevating the genre to wonderful fun. This
museum devoted solely to canine chic
features the works of famous animal
artists representing all ages of doggie
art, from pre-Colombian pottery and
Staffordshire figures to oil paintings
and photos from Landseer and William
Wegman.
has going tropical meant as much charm
as the classic Tiki bar. At Ft. Lauderdale’s
spirited Mai-Kai Restaurant, the torch
for Tiki is carried most delightfully in
its pure Polynesian vibe, not to mention
its Mystery Drink, a concoction involving, among other things, a gong, flames
and a kiss on the cheek.
The Buzz: On the site of the cannery
immortalized by John Steinbeck, the
aquarium’s newest “Ocean’s Edge” galleries
pack into glass tanks an amazing array of
wonders: a towering kelp forest home to
swimming sardines and leopard sharks; a
wetlands aviary packed with chatty shorebirds; a living tide pool thriving with colorful sea slugs, roaming sea stars and
crabs. Always, there are the otters, romping and wrestling and clacking like castanets whatever shellfish they catch.
The Buzz: From lovable labs to hot-
The Run-Up: Monterey Peninsula Airport
library, exhaustive research possibilities
allow dog lovers to find out all about
their own Fido, from his breed’s ancient
origins to the American Kennel Club’s
opinion of his virtues when shown.
Both the Spirit of St. Louis (SUS) and
Cahokia/St. Louis (CPS) airports will
get you close to historic Jarville House
in beautiful Queeny Park, home to this
wonderful world of dog art.
(MRY) is the fly-to field for all the aquarium fun, including a look-see at the latest
installation – a hunting octopus so giant its
eight busy tentacles can unfurl to 30 feet.
The Jump: The great white shark recently
released into the wild of Monterey Bay
may have left his “Sharks: Myths and
Mystery” exhibit, but plenty of his aquatic world companions remain to bid you
g’day. Call (831) 648-4888 or visit
www.montereybayaquarium.com to tell
them you’re on your way.
12 Flying Adventures August 2005
to-hunt terriers, a bevy of breeds is
celebrated in the Museum of the Dog’s
exceptional collection of portraits,
sculpture, porcelain and such poochrelated objets d’art as a display of 19th c.
brass dog collars, huge silver Best in
Show trophies and a Pedigree Hall of
Fame featuring Lassie, Toto and other
iconic canines.
The Run-Up: In the museum’s dog
The Jump: Come, sit and stay at
www.explorestlouis.com or call (314)
821-3647 to fetch further museum info.
The Buzz: Severs in sarongs, Polynesian
dancers in authentic tapa-cloth costumes, and dining rooms overlooking
either a waterfall or lagoon add all the
tropical ambiance necessary to carry
off such Tiki bar traditions as rum
drinks named to reflect South Seas
lore. Among them: Zulu, Zombie and
Shrunken Skull. Then there is the Jet
Pilot, said to be “fast and courageous,”
this is a Mach-pushing blend of rum
and zesty juices.
It is said of those who visit Africa that they will leave
Africa, but Africa will never leave them. It is a place
that will reawaken your soul.
It gets better! You will be provided with your own
aircraft to pilot on a fabulous Flying Safari to
experience the beauty and animals from low level flight.
You will fly along with other pilots and with an
American 20 year pilot and guide. Experience fabulous
game drives. You will stay in luxury accommodations in
the bush. Eat gourmet meals. Whether your passion is
photography, wine, golf, diving, fishing, whale
watching, rhino darting, birding, gorilla trekking, the
resources and experience will be there to give you an
extraordinary trip.
The Run-Up: Should the Mai-Kai’s
Tiki thing be too Tiki for flyers
expected to fly from Ft.Lauderdale/
Hollywood (FLL) or Ft. Lauderdale
Executive (FXE) fields nearby, consider
its no-alcohol Island Queen Colada,
followed by a meal of spicy Indonesian
fare and, for dessert, the Polynesian
Surprise: this fruit topped volcano of
ice is set ablaze with sparklers. Totally
Tiki terrific.
The Jump: Get your inner Tahiti in gear
by visiting www.maikai.com or call
(954) 563-3272 and be inspired to take
up Tiki-ing soon.
Come fly with us, while we show you a continent
brimming with unrivaled natural beauty, untamed nature,
and an abundance of mystery, magic, flora and fauna.
Full Stop Landing
Fuel-Up & Fly
Great Escapes for Overnight or Days and Days
Ode to the Poet in Pender Island, BC
Fly-Fishing Dreams in Chama, NM
Happy Bourbon Trails in Louisville, KY
The Fun: At Poet’s Cove Resort in British
Columbia’s southern Gulf Islands, your
steam cave awaits. This ancient restorative spa treatment, during which you
pass through a carved rock portal (its
sentry: a waterfall) into a cavern of
warm steam, is much like Poet’s Cove
itself: a splendor of adventure and pleasure. Add the kick-ass kicks of sport –
boating, diving, hiking, kayaking – gourmet cuisine, and rooms with ocean view,
all, and you’ve got an escape that seriously rates.
The Fun: Who knew the majestic San
Juan Mountains 95 miles north of Taos
were a mecca for rainbow, brown, brook,
and cutthroat trout? The Lodge at
Chama knew. Which is why this deluxe
fly-fishing retreat is way ahead of the
game when the sport is world-class fishing, and the point is positively awesome
outdoor fun.
The Fun: Among the rolling pastures,
The Buzz: Fifteen romantic seaside cot-
tages, nine cozy country villas equipped
with personal chef, and a luxury Arts
and Crafts lodge spiffed by a ballroom,
pool, spa and waterfront plaza, make
Poet’s Cove a sonnet, indeed, to resort
life comforts. Outside, a 110-slip deep
moorage marina accesses what is said to
be some of the best sailing and cruising
in the Western Hemisphere, as well as
one of the world’s 10 hottest dive spots.
Poetry, to be sure.
The Buzz: The lodge’s 36,000 private
acres of pristine New Mexico wilderness
harbor 14 hidden lakes where the trout
are plentiful and catch-and-release
enthusiasts have a plethora of crystalline
alpine venues in which to perfect their
art. What’s more, men and women of
either a fly or spin bent also have the
stellar Rio Brazos stream – teeming with
powerful fighting browns, brooks, cutthroat and rainbow – in which to express
their finesse. Lake or stream, this is
fishing supreme.
The Run-Up: Vancouver Island’s Victoria
Airport (YYJ) grants entrée to all the
Pender Island splendors – among them,
great Orca-whale watching and spectacular guided hikes – while the float plane
flight from Sydney Marina near there to
the resort’s Bedwell Harbor is classic Gulf
Islands delight.
The Run-Up: Chama’s magnificent lodge,
complete with massive stone fireplaces,
deep leather chairs, plush down comforters, an oversize whirlpool and, in
the luxurious rooms, bedside brandy,
puts the ahhh in days of Great Outdoors
play. Colorado’s Pagosa Springs (2V1)
and San Luis Valley Regional (ALS) airfields ensure any flyer not alighting on
Chama’s own 6,000-ft sod strip can get in
at will on all the fishing thrill.
The Jump: Start swooning soon over the
The Jump: Cast around www.lodgeat
info at www.poetscove.com or call (888)
512-7638 to book your own Poet’s Cove
poetic moment.
chama.com to hook your fill of further
details, or call (505) 756-2133 and ask
to reserve a rod: you’re on.
14 Flying Adventures August 2005
grazing Thoroughbreds and cool hardwood
forests of the Bluegrass State, an American
story as legend as Southern hospitality
itself wends its way among the sights that
dot a trail from Louisville to Bardstown to
Frankfort: it is the story of Kentucky
bourbon. To follow this, the Bourbon Trail
of Kentucky, as it unfurls the tale of the
most American of nectar spirits, is to
discover all kinds of kooky, intriguing and
true things about bourbon, history and, not
least, the oh-so-colorful South.
The Buzz: Seven distilleries, a museum
of whiskey history, and the Abbey of
Gethsemani, where Trappist monks even
today make their famous Kentucky bourbon fruitcake, are among the must-see
stops along the drive that passes by historic landmarks (the Woodford Reserve
Distillery and its huge copper still) and
curiosities alike.
The Run-Up: From Jim Beam’s antique
still to Wild Turkey’s fermentation vats to
Heaven Hill’s “dump room,” where aged
bourbon barrels are opened, the trail’s
story of bourbon from its earliest days as
a most valuable frontier commodity is
told in tastes, displays and, on Sept. 1418, the Kentucky Bourbon Festival, a formidable fol de rol of food, entertainment
and fun. Fly-in to Bowman field (LOU)
or Louisville Muni (2J3) and you can fol
de rol, too.
The Jump: Snap-up a trail map and further
info at www.kybourbon.com, or call (859)
336-9612 for more on the bourbon story.
Pleasures of the Palate
Flying Sideways
Great Wine, Wild Times, and, if You’re Lucky, Love
Meet woebegone writer Miles and his
buddy, Jack, soon to be married and
sweating it. Say hello to waitress Maya –
lovely, sensitive, divorced; be introduced,
too, to Stephanie, a flirtatious winery
pourer. Set this colorful foursome in the
movie Sideways, film them romping
through the Santa Barbara wine country,
and what do you have?
The better question is, what don’t you
have? Great wine. Wonderful times. An
escape of countless delights. Rev those jets,
fun-loving flyers, and prep those props. Get
yourselves aloft and forthwith to towered
Santa Maria Airport (SMX), the largest of
the three strips within California’s Santa
Barbara wine region. (The others, all
equipped with fuel and rental cars, are
Santa Ynez [IZA] and Lompoc [LPC].)
Taxi-up, park (no tie-down fees!) and
check-in to the splendid Radisson Hotel;
call (800) 235-1422 to reserve a runwayview room on the top, luxuriously renovated floor. From here, the Santa Ynez Valley
will unfurl an adventure of wineries, restaurants and sights, all designed to wow you
with their splendors. Take it from Tom, as
in Stevenson. “This is one of the best areas
of the world, outside Burgundy itself, for
Pinot Noir,” he writes in The New Sotheby’s
Wine Encyclopedia. More thrilling still in
this land of dazzling, grape-adoring microclimates, he writes, “the Chardonnay is regularly exciting and the Italian varietals
could well be the most prized wines of the
new millennium.” Miles and Maya and Jack
and Stephanie knew that. Or at least they
should have, following their Sideways
escapade. So, why not? Why not take their
romp as a model and pursue your own
adventure among the wonderful attractions
of this gorgeous wine country – a frolic
of wining, dining and delighting? Three
days are ideal. Throw in a little golf and a
lot of sightseeing, and you’ll return home
knowing a Santa Barbara County that can
woo you silly with its fun. Who knows?
Like woebegone writer Miles, you might
even get lucky in love.
Ready for your own Sideways escape?
Good. Now go!
At the wheel of your rental wheels,
head out along gorgeous Foxen Canyon
Road to Santa Maria’s Foxen Winery. It is
here in the film Miles and Jack help themselves to wine – glass after glass after glass
– when the tasting bar’s pourer turns her
back. Being better mannered, you might
sip Foxen’s signature 2001 Sauvignon
Blanc, a super dry delight hinting of anise
and honeysuckle, and just as extravagantly
enjoy the luscious “minimalist” wines of
this wonderfully rustic winery.
In the Sideways storyline there are six
wineries and five or so restaurants that
attract the main characters to their charms.
Happy plantings of
common to exotic grapes
bless the Santa Ynez Valley
landscape (left);
a colorfully weathered
barrel room (above)
Flying Adventures August 2005 17
Pleasures of the Palate
Harvesting cabbage in the valley
not just lush with vines, but also
produce (above); the Danish-style
charm of Solvang
18 Flying Adventures August 2005
But in real-life Santa Barbara County, there
are many many more – a full 90 wineries or
so, and an untold number of eateries.
Should you pass by one that looks entrancing, by all means veer from the movie plot
to revel in your own Santa Barbara County
storyline. (On his Sideways escape, for
instance, Pilot Michael could not resist the
perfect day: a post-Foxen visit to two wonderful area wineries: McKeon Phillips, an
extraordinarily intimate, art-filled winery
where the wines are as exciting as the
unique food and wine pairings proposed by
the resident winemaker/chef; and Cambria,
a new, sparkling-modern spot that offers a
large variety of quality wines to try.)
To make like Miles and Jack, however,
alight again along Foxen Canyon Road
and arrive at The Fess Parker Winery. It is
here Miles learns his book will not be
published and in despair guzzles the spit
bucket. You, on the contrary, will be met
by happier pleasures. Actor Fess Parker,
famous as TV’s Davy Crockett and Daniel
Boone, joins his son Eli in bottling a 2003
Viognier Santa Barbara County, among
other yummy vintages, well worth a Fessstyle “wild frontier” try. The picnic area
here is a paradise of graceful oaks and
stunning vistas. Pick-up in the shop a loaf
of bread (and cheese), a bottle of wine,
and with your “thou” enjoy a wonderful
al fresco moment on Fess Parker’s beautiful grounds.
From there you can always mimic badboy Jack and frisky Stephanie, and sweep
your sweetie along a romantic ramble
through the barrel room of the Firestone
Winery. This is an ideal place to kiss with
its dimly-lit nooks and intimate crannies.
Family-run Firestone is Santa Barbara
County’s first-established (in 1972) winery
since before Prohibition, when winemaking earlier flourished. Let its aging area
seduce you with its heady scent of fermenting fruit. After all, you likely will snap to at
the next Sideways stop: Los Olivos.
A former stagecoach stop, this town
resembles an old Western set with its
false-front wooden facades; today it is a
small artists’ community filled with gal-
World-Class Airport
Santa Maria Airport (SMX), midway between
Los Angeles and San Francisco, is a full-service
general aviation, corporate, and air carrier facility.
Centrally Close to Eight Challenging Golf
Courses, Pismo Beach, Solvang, and the
Santa Barbara Wine Region
First-Class Accommodations
The All New Radisson Hotel
Taxi your plane right up to the hotel and
enjoy affordable business class luxury.
• 184 refurbished guest rooms with free
high-speed wireless internet Ask for
one of our sleep by numbers beds.
Runways: 12/30: 6,304’ x 150’ paved, lighted
2/20: 5,130’ x 75’ paved
ILS • Rental Cars on Field • 100LL & Jet A
• Fine dining at our casually elegant
Vintner’s Grill and a Magnificent
Sunday Brunch at the Atrium Bistro.
No Tiedown Fees
• The Foxen Wine Trail is only 1 mile
from hotel leading to 90+ wineries.
• Pilot Special: Discounted Room Rate
and Automatic Upgrade to Executive
Level. Based upon availability.
Step out of your airplane and into
the beautiful Radisson Hotel.
HOTEL SANTA MARIA
www.santamariaairport.com
805-922-1726 • ATIS: 805-347-9136
800-235-1422
www.radisson.com/santamariaca
Pleasures of the Palate
leries and antique shops. Here, at the Los
Olivos Café & Wine Merchant, a bustling
establishment partial to Italian specialties,
Miles, Jack, Maya and Stephanie gab
through dinner and uncork a plethora of
delicious vintages. You might desire to do
the same over lunch of chicken and portobello ravioli in white-wine cream; easy
on the wine, however: You don’t want to
dull your palate too dramatically before
arriving at Kalyra. This is the winery
where Jack first meets the sassy
Stephanie. Here, Australian Mike Brown
blends bold and aggressive Aussie-style
wines with Aussi-style excitement. Try his
muscular Liqueur Muscat, and see why
Mike’s dessert wines have earned a following called “cult.”
Further along in Solvang, the
Scandinavian-style town founded by
Denmark immigrants seeking a pastoral
spot for their folk school, consider a night
or a few at the storybook Wine Valley Inn.
Although in the film Jack and Miles bunk
at the Days Inn in Buellton, with its happening Clubhouse Sports Bar (look for
the windmill), the Wine Valley Inn’s cozy
Course at the Alisal so close, you won’t be
flying Sideways unless you happily partake
of a game. This challenging (but not punishing) golfer’s Valhalla at the historic Alisal
guest ranch follows the meandering Santa
Ynez river; majestic live oaks, lakes, and the
striking Santa Ynez Mountains add grace to
a spectacular day of play. As you tee-off,
think of Miles and Jack and their hilarious
little tantrum that scared off the impatient
foursome chipping into them. Post-game,
pay a visit to Ostrich Land in Solvang. It is
here Miles, Jack, Maya and Stephanie picnic
among the mesmerizing birds, but you can
shop for exquisite hand-painted ostrich
eggs. Then, refuel at Buellton’s Hitching
Post II, the restaurant where Miles meets
the lovely Maya. Even she might recommend you experience the classic Santa
Maria-style barbecue that is a specialty here,
accompanied, perhaps, by a bottle of the
house Hartley Ostini Hitching Post wine.
Behind the scenes note: The original
Hitching Post is found in the tiny 10house town of Casmalia, about halfway
between Santa Maria and Lompoc. So
popular that it is almost impossible to
Only when someone has taken
the time to truly understand
(its) potential can Pinot be
coaxed into its fullest
expression....its flavors are the
most haunting and brilliant
and subtle and thrilling
and ancient on the planet.
— Miles
cottages are where the movie’s cast actually stayed during filming. No wonder, you
will say after enjoying its comforts. In
the morning, wake up to a treat of
aebleskivers (ball-like pancakes kissed
by powdered sugar) at the Solvang
Restaurant. When Miles and Jack ate
here, one of them was determined to get
lucky on their Sideways adventure; the
other wasn’t so sure. To you, on the other
hand, it will be quite clear: With the River
SANTA MARIA PUBLIC AIRPORT / G. ALLEN HANCOCK FIELD ( SMX )
AIRPORT DATA
261’
Elevation:
12-30 6,304’ 2-20 5,130’
Runways:
Approaches: GPS RNAV ILS LOC/DME BC VOR
877.ANY.AWOS (269.2967)
ATIS / ASOS:
Southern
California
FIXED BASE OPERATIONS / FUEL /SERVICES
Aviation Unlimited
805.922.5006
Golden West Jet Center
805.928.9431
TRANSPORTATION
Taxi – Vandenburg Limo
Taxi - Yellow
Avis
Budget
805.736.3636
805.925.2727
805.922.4533
805.922.2158
AIRPORT RESTAURANTS
Pepper Garcia’s (in terminal)
The Vinters Rest. (In Radisson)
805.928.4088
805.928.8000
San Louis
Obispo
N
Santa Maria
Vandenburg AFB
Lompoc
Santa Barbara
AIRPORT LODGING
Radisson Santa Maria (at airport) 805.928.8000
Profile map viewed from Santa Barbara
to San Louis Obispo looking west.
Maps provided by Voyager
Flight Planning Software
20 Flying Adventures August 2005
Santa Ynez
5000
3750
2500
1250
0
SMX
0
4
9
13
17
21
28
30
34
38
43
47
51
55
60
64
pop-in without a reservation, it is worth a
good flyer’s try – just to get in on its something that creates all the fuss. Then again,
there is always AJ Spurs. This is the
Buellton saloon and dining hall where
Miles and Jack meet the waitress Cami –
she who is only the beginning of Jack’s
pre-wedding antics. Kick-off your own
good times with a fine local wine, a Santa
Ynez Chardonnay like Au Bon Climat
perhaps. If famished, try AJ’s famous
vaquero soup and ribs from their oak barbecue pit; the spuds are AJ’s pride, too.
You can always cap the meal with more
wonderful wine tasting at the Sanford
Winery. Here, Miles teaches Jack the
basics of the art with a Vin Gris that
expresses “the faintest soupçon of asparagus and just a flutter of nutty Edam
cheese.” In Sanford’s itsy-bitsy rustic tasting room, try the 2001 Sanford Pinot Noir
and fashion yourself less pretentious:
declare it simply, intense!
From here, bucolic Santa Rosa Road –
direction Lompoc – will sweep you, swoop
you, move you through some of the most
wondrous land found in the entire Santa
Ynez Valley. Virtually void of vines in the
’60s, today the rolling hills are a breathtaking vision of happy plantings, from the
common grape Chardonnay to the more
exotic Italian varietal, Tocai Friuliano.)
Not only will the sprawling, impeccable
ranch lands around Santa Ynez impress
(remember Reagan’s Western White
House?), but these fertile hills, so voluptuously fruited, will woo you with their
beauty as you wind along.
As long as you are in the mood, let
Lompoc’s Sideways stops inspire you fur-
“Haunting, brilliant and
thrilling” wine delights lace
this, the Santa Maria Valley
Flying Adventures August 2005 21
Pleasures of the Palate
ther to express your romantic stirrings.
Whether your love is new, like that of Miles
and Maya, or due for a renewal, stroll the
Lompoc Farmer’s Market like they do
(Fridays 2-6 pm) and swoon over this area’s
creative bounty of produce, gourmet foods
and flowers. To continue the date, laugh
your way over to Ocean Lanes, the bowling
alley (and bar) where Miles begrudgingly
joins Jack and Stephanie, who has toted
along her talkative mother. These are excellent non-drinking adventures to pursue
your last Sideways day, the day you fly
home. From Lompoc it is a lovely drive
back to Santa Maria, where your plane
parked at the Radisson awaits. As you
wheel through this magical valley, muse on
all the fun you have had. For flying
Sideways is indeed a wonderful whirl. And
whether you make it a madcap caper like
Miles and Jack, or a leisurely romantic ramble of wining and delighting, the storyline
will end with a Happily Ever After. It did for
Miles and Maya. Why not for you, too?
To download a map and directions
detailing the sights and delights of an
exciting Sideways-inspired wine tour
through Santa Barbara County, visit
www.santabarbaraca.com.
A Most Marvelous Magnum
Let Pilot Michael Propose…
When he flew Sideways through the Santa Barbara wine region, Pilot Michael
picked a peck of incredible wines – wines he especially recommends for their
exquisite expressions of Santa Barbara County wow. Uncork one or more yourself, and taste why he finds them delightful.
A Trio of Truly Terrific Pinot Noirs
Or, you can win three beautifully boxed vintages of Cambria
Vineyards’ most thrilling Pinot Noirs: The Cambria 2000
Clone 2a, a rich, heady, fruity Pinot Noir that is said to be not for
the meek; the Cambria 2000 Clone 23, a rich, enormously ripe
wine whose finish lingers with delicate spice; and the Cambria
2000 Clone 115, the bright, well-balanced Pinot Noir whose
luscious aftertaste is of chocolate and oak. This is a $150 value.
From the air, the Fess Parker winery and
vineyards bid an irresistible welcome
MCKEON PHILLIPS WINERY
The Wine: 2001 Bailey’s Private
Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon ($29 and
worth twice the price)
The Pleasure: A double-gold medal
winner that drinks like it has aged
25 years
The Experience: Tasting room in
an art gallery, where it is possible to
linger over a bottle and a chat with
the gregarious winemaker/chef Ardison
Phillips, makes McKeon Phillips an
all-around food-and-wine delight
(www.mckeonphillipswinery.com)
FOXEN WINERY
The Wine: Foxen Winery’s 2002 Bien
Nacido Vineyard Pinot Noir ($40)
The Pleasure: Hearty, flavorful,
exceptionally drinkable now
The Experience: Tasting room in a
one-time blacksmith shop of a stagecoach stop makes a Foxen visit a True
West adventure
(www.foxenvineyard.com)
CAMBRIA WINERY
The Wine: 2001 Rae’s Pinot Noir ($50)
The Pleasure: Bold, complex; a palate
22 Flying Adventures August 2005
Be the one to win the prize of a magnum
of Foxen Winery’s 2001 Julia’s Vineyard
Pinot Noir, the wine said to be as big,
sexy and complex as a woman who
carries her weight well. Almost immediately sold-out when its initial 300 cases
were released, this exclusively-produced
magnum (one of only 18 made) represents a vintage so tasty and popular it is
no longer available. Except to you, its
lucky winner. A $150 value.
teaser tasting of rich dried fruit
The Experience: Tasting room set
within a wondrous park setting of
rolling hills and vineyards makes
Cambria a prime picnic destination
(www.cambriawines.com)
FESS PARKER WINERY
The Wine: 2002 Pinot Noir American
Tradition Reserve ($35)
The Pleasure: Hints of rose in the
nose; a concentrated berry charmer
subtly herbed
The Experience: Tasting room surrounded by an Eden of Santa Ynez
Valley beauty makes Fess Parker an
ideal al fresco adventure
(www.fessparker.com)
KALYRA WINERY
The Wine: 2004 Muscat of Alexander
Win These!
A Fabulous, Romantic Weekend
in the Wine Country
As fond of fun as ever, Flying Adventures is eager to share with
you, our readers, some of the excitement that our flying lifestyle
is all about: adventure!
What says adventure better than a wonderful weekend escape
filled with fun, romance and discovery? An escape for two to the
wine country! California’s magical Santa Maria Valley, to be exact.
the valley alive with great wining, dining and delighting.
Here, a two-night stay in a roomy suite at the fabulous
Radisson Hotel in Santa Maria, which welcomes your plane to
park at its door, is your home away from home for the weekend.
And what a weekend it will be! Two in-room bottles of Brucher
Winery’s best award-winning vintages will greet your Radisson
arrival, along with a culinary gift basket overflowing with a cornucopia of luscious valley delights. Mornings, the ever-romantic
Radisson will pamper you with a hearty all-American breakfast –
perfect fuel for the weekend’s upcoming complimentary delights.
Such as? Such as a three-hour limousine wine tour of the
beautiful Santa Maria Wineries [gratuity not included.] A cave
tour and barrel tasting at the wonderful Cottonwood Canyon
Winery, plus a special barrel tasting and art review at the magical
McKeon Phillips Winery. All in all, a $960 value.
For more wine, weblinks and a special offer to
purchase a wine country weekend of equal wow, visit
www.FlyingAdventures.com/specialoffers
A Wonderful Wine
Foursome
Also up for winning are
four exquisite bottles of
McKeon Phillips’ finest: its
dazzling 2001 Bailey’s
Private Reserve Cabernet, a
double-gold medal winner
hinting of oak, cedar and
violets; its delightful 2000
Cabernet Franc, whose
berry flavors explode on
the palate; its 2001 Leonardo, a mouth-lingering thrill suggestive
of rose petals and lavender; and its 2003 Sir Winston Reserve
Port, named for winery mascot Sir Winston, the bulldog –
a port said to speak for itself, “bow-wow!” A $114 value.
($13.50)
The Pleasure: Crisp, refreshing, a
perfectly peachy-apricot stand-alone
dessert
The Experience: Aussi-themed tasting
room of young and fun style means the
party always has already started at Kalyra
(www.kalyrawinery.com)
And you can win these wonderful wine country prizes, how?
Simply tell us your favorite romantic getaway and why it is so special. Is it a city? A resort? A hotel? Or possibly a perfect spot in the Great
Outdoors? Just let us in on your private, preferred romantic getaway, and in a random drawing Flying Adventures will pick the lucky
winner of our romantic wine country escape as well as the other wine prizes. Email your entry (including your name and telephone number) to:
contest@flyingadventures.com. Flying Adventures will contact winners directly. Check out our last
contest winner on page 50. In the meantime, Happy flying!
Walk the wild side.
Whimsy Wins
Rack One Up
Woods of walnut, elm, burl, ebony, rosewood and oak bring exotic luxe
to billiards with Amarinth, the table of pool panache. Get
behind the eight ball with gleaming flower inlays, brass
trim moldings and hand-sewn leather pockets, or
custom-design your own billiard beauty with
your choice of rare and/or exotic woods.
Either way you chalk it up, the game has
never been more inspired than with Blatt
Billiards’ one-of-a-kind table.
$28,500 and up. www.blattbilliards.com
(800) 252-8855
No Cuter Scooter
First there was the sexy little Vespa, ideal
for zipping around town with la dolce vita
style. Now there is the sexy little Vespa
redone, cuter than cute in bamboo. Rattan
fabulous with all the classic Vespa features, this
nimble number will scooter you here, there and
everywhere in true bamboo cool. $3,500. www.bamboo54.com
(626) 443-1863.
24 Flying Adventures August 2005
Golfing to the Oldies
Be-bop your way down the fairway in this ’57 Chevy, the cart that relives
the greatest hits of the days of drive-ins, sock hops, duck tails,
and cruising Main Street with your squeeze. Club Car’s
2- or 4-passenger golf cart features fully carpeted
interior, headlights, brake lights, turn signals, horn
and locking glove box as standard equipment;
stereo and overhead cooling unit are optional.
In this baby you can be sure you are cruising
the back nine in ’57 Chevy heaven. $10,850
(2-passenger) and $12,075 (4-passenger).
www.clubcar.com (800) 258-2227.
The Kiss of Femininity
Flirty, elegant fun fashions Lise Charmel,
the lingerie from France of true oh-la-la.
Chantilly lace pretties Feminissime,
this bra (with removable padding)
and matching panty whose
particular oh-la-la is oh-so-hot.
Bra $170; panty $110.
Available September only at
www.underwearoptions.com
(212) 779-4366
Fish Fulfillment
Fall’s icy spring rivers and fine glacial waters call for fly-rods
that fulfill every fisher’s fantasy. Cast in happiness with Sage
Resources’ array of rods well worth donning rubber pants for.
(Left to right): The medium-fast action Sage SLT treats trout
beautifully ($590); the Sage XP loves windy conditions, large
flies and anglers who like their action fast ($590); saltwater
casters have the lightning-speed Sage Xi2 ($640); while hardcore sports who demand Mach speeds from their rods can ooh
and ahh over the Sage TCR ($725). Just add river for big time
thrills. www.sageflyfish.com (800) 533-3004.
Flying Adventure
Cascade Escapade
Flying Fun & Discovery of Washington’s Cascade Loop
A view into the magnificent Methow Valley
26 Flying Adventures August 2005
Things to know about driving the Cascade
Loop: You will be thrilled. Washington’s
440-mile phenomenon that winds around
the geologic awe that is the Cascade Range
– the Pacific Ring of Fire’s volcanic stunner
that stretches from British Columbia to the
Shasta area of California – is a loop through
the state’s most scenic wonders, glacierkissed peaks to salt-water beaches, highdesert vistas to forests as lush as they come.
Things to know about flying the
Cascade Loop: Be prepared, at any time, to
drive it.
Take it from me, Pilot Michael, the thrill
will be still as thrilling. After all, the steep,
glaciated Cascade Range – you know it by
its most towering peak, the 14,410-ft Mount
Ranier – attracts up to 150 yearly inches of
rain on its western slopes (only 8 on its eastern). Weather thus is either an instrument
flyer’s fantasy or reason enough to park the
plane in any one of the Loop’s positively picturesque spots and drive until the sun again
shines. Of these there are hundreds, from
the Snohomish River Valley’s fertile farm
towns to the Columbia River area of rolling
vineyards and orchards.
Fly or drive; fly and drive: either way,
the Cascade Loop is a trip so nifty that if
you indulge in a 7-day, 6-night escape (like
I did) or an abbreviated 4-day, 3-night
adventure, your pleasures, your discover-
ies, your fun will be wildly abundant.
Wine tasting in wonderful wineries;
overnights in charming B&Bs; dining in
remarkable restaurants; spa-going and
shopping and golf: Washington’s richest
gifts are offered up in happy spades when
the Cascade Loop is your flight plan. And
no need to climb to above 14,000 feet. The
Loop includes two canyon passes – at both
southern and northern ends – that make
traversing the Range a piece of cake.
Trust me. You are going to love it. Buzz
into Snohomish Municipal Airport/Paine
Field (PAE) in Everett, WA, the Loop’s only
towered airport, and begin your odyssey in
splendid Snohomish County. Originally a
Flying Adventure
Mazama, Lost
Skagit Airpor
River Airstrip
t (BVS)
Winthrop
Whidbey Isla
nd, Oak Harbo
Of Wine, Wonder & Washington
(W12)
Airfield (S52)
r (76S)
Everett, Paine
Field (PAE)
43)
arvey Field (S
Snohomish,H
Chelan Airpor
t (S10)
Leavenworth
Cashmere Airp
Seattle
Wenatchee, Pa
ort (8S2)
ngborn Airpor
t (EAT)
Map provided by Voyager Flight Planning Software
major Puget Sound lumber port founded in
1891 by John D. Rockefeller and fellow
Eastern bigwigs intent on building a “New
York City of the West,” this historic delight
today maintains its considerable draw. Here
is The Boeing Company’s behemoth, the
biggest building in the world at 98.3 acres
(or 75 NFL football fields, 911 NBA basketball courts), and host of an utterly friendly
factory tour. Step in to watch a video of a
400,000-lb, 6 million-part 747 being assembled; or view the real deal in another mesmerizing area. Your awe now will be
prepped for another Everett must-see, the
Future of Flight. This is the ultra-tech,
interactive gallery and observation deck set
to open late October 2005. Wow, I thought,
at the promise of this, a chance through
interactive exhibits to design your own airplane or even test-drive the next generation
of in-flight entertainment systems, wow.
You will wow, too, to see the other aviation
sensations of this happening airport, including the five new Messerschmitts being fash-
28 Flying Adventures August 2005
ioned in one area. It will be difficult,
indeed, to tear yourself away, unless of
course it is to explore more Snohomish
amusements, of which there are tons. Take
a three-hour cruise of the “Everett everglades,” a wildlife resplendent estuary, or a
day-long Orca whale-watching float to the
spectacular San Juan Islands; Everett’s
Mosquito Fleet boats will welcome you
onboard. A Crystal Seas kayaking adventure. A Chinook Expeditions whitewater
rafting event. A Tipitrek Native American
“experience” (which includes accommodations in a tipi) – these are all ways blissfully
to keep busy should Snohomish County’s
other allure – the 450 antique dealers,
restaurants and shops of beautiful old town
Snohomish proper– not be enough to
amuse you. As if, I say.
So, how about a little “go and touch”
flight from Paine to Harvey Field (S43) five
miles away? The whimsy of this idea seized
me. As soon as you are off the ground you
start to land but the hop is worth it. Harvey
is a great little attraction of its own: the
business of three generations of the Harvey
family, the first of whom homesteaded the
area in the ’40s. Say hello to whichever
Harvey happens warmly to welcome you
(they all do) and enjoy a good meal in the
friendly airport restaurant. You then will
find yourself in excellent cheer to explore
Snohomish town.
Upon arrival your intrepid Pilot
Michael bid the Harveys hi then begged off
for tea instead of a meal. This I enjoyed at
the glorious 1896 Queen Anne-style
Countryman’s B&B, where the beguiling
Sandy Countryman tempted me with her
colorful tales to drive an otherwise terrific
walk-tour of Snohomish’s block after block
of gorgeous, historically registered homes.
Should you shame me and hoof it, afterward you might reward yourself with one
of the 26 Pacific Northwest microbrews on
tap at Fred’s River Town Ale House, a hoot
of a local saloon, followed by dinner and
an awesome marionberry cobbler at The
Located 46-degrees north, approximately
the same latitude as the great French
regions of Bordeaux and Burgundy, and
graced by two more hours of sunshine a
day than enjoyed by the Napa Valley,
Washington is a wonder when it comes to
wine.
Wouldn’t the Hudson’s Bay
Company be amazed! Here it was, 1825,
and they thought hey: let’s plant a few
brave little vines around Fort Vancouver.
And now here it is, 2005, and more than
240 wineries growing more than 29,000
acres of grapes for $700 million in annual sales is proving conclusively what the
Hudson’s Bay crew only suspected: The
future for Washington wines is “limitless,” according to avalonwine.com,
which makes the topic its business. The
area available for future plantings is
“immense.”
A limitless future of immense possibility. Now, that is a happy tune to whistle. Especially if you are a winery within
Washington’s hottest emerging regions.
Like? Like the Columbia Cascade appellation found along the Cascade Loop, east
of the mountains in fertile valleys. These
valleys are extraordinarily blessed by a
rainshadow effect that encourages grapes
to be their best. Indeed, because the
Cascades protect these valleys from
inclement weather and provide the nurture of rich volcanic soils, this newish
viticultural area is exciting news for winelovers who thrill to heady, fruity Cabernet
Sauvignon, spicy complex Syrah, and
full-bodied, tasty Merlot. Oh, and let’s
not forget flowery vintages made from the
Riesling varietal, one of the grapes planted by the Hudson’s Bay Co., as well as
bottles of beautifully ageable Semillon –
honeyed, nutty – the grape for which
Washington perhaps is best known.
It was in 1903 when melting Cascades
snowcaps first fueled a large-scale irrigation that unlocked eastern Washington’s
potential as a winemaking dynamo. All
went to smash during Prohibition, of
course, but in the ’60s, when enologist
Tsillan Cellars on Lake Chelan
extraordinaire André Tchelistcheff
involved himself in Château Ste.
Michelle, the art re-emerged like a
phoenix fiercely determined to fly. Fly
she did. Walla Walla. The Yakima Valley.
Red Mountain. These and other appellations started wowing the wine world with
their wares. Today, according to avalonwine.com, the winemaking pace is
“breakneck.” “A new winery opens every
couple of weeks.”
Lucky us. We Cascade Loop flyers,
winging through the Columbia Cascade
and Lake Chelan regions, have a heaven
of wine-tasting adventures to pursue. At
the Berghof Keller Winery in
Leavenworth, for instance, the Germanstyle wines are divine. At the family-run
Icicle Ridge Winery in Leavenworth,
vines given TLC by crisp, cool Icicle
River waters produce a reserve Merlot
that Pilot Michael, for one, found out of
this world. (He liked the handmade log
cabin tasting room, too.) At Château
Faire Le Pont in Wenatchee, a 2003
Zinfandel Glacé, served in chocolate
cups, is only one luscious taste among
many in its beautiful 1920s-style winery.
And then there is Tsillan Cellars, the
Tuscan-style villa sitting pretty above
Lake Chelan. Here, an artful masterpiece
of Italianate design offers both wine and
good times (to wit, its Labor Day weekend concert series) that are simply
Washington wonderful.
From family ventures like Big Pine
Winery in Manson, to lakeside delights
like Chelan’s Vin Du Lac Winery, producers in Washington’s up-and-coming (and
then some) regions make for wine times
as you fly the Loop something utterly
sublime.
For more delectable details, visit
www.columbiacascadewines.com.
Flying Adventures August 2005 29
Flying Adventure
Glacier-capped drama:
The Cascade Range, late summer
Cabbage Patch. After a slice of this pie, I
was gung-enough-ho on Snohomish to
know I’d be back. But first: Time to get
aloft on the next leg of the Cascade Loop.
Which is? East into the Cascade foothills
to Cashmere (852), the pretty, peaceful
community named for its resemblance to
India’s beautiful Vale of Kashmir that is
nestled beside one of Washington’s most
popular waters for fishing and whitewater
rafting: the Wenatchee River.
Here, in the fertile Wenatchee River
Valley, beats the heart of Washington’s premier fruit-producing country (more than
half of all U.S. apples grow here). Lately,
however, the love of agriculture is giving
itself over to a new, more lucrative passion:
wine. And man, is this passion hot. In
2001 there were only three boutique
wineries in the region; today there are 35,
either existing or planned, which means
the heat is creating a wildfire of wine
excitement. [See sidebar.] Sweet ice
wines, and rich red blends; delights in the
German style, and estate Cabernet, Pinot
noir and Syrah…You will find them all
here at wineries that welcome – and
indulge – your pleasure-seeking palate.
Trip as I did through this, the Columbia
30 Flying Adventures August 2005
Flying Adventures August 2005 31
Flying Adventure
Sunset in Snohomish
32 Flying Adventures August 2005
Cascade appellation, and the tasting
rooms, picnic spots, intimate family-run
affairs and impressive “château” you discover quickly will convince you: The wine
passion is catching. If time permits, buzz
through the Bavarian-style village of
Leavenworth for schweinshax’n and beer at
King Ludwig’s restaurant; this experience
is as German as the town, which vaguely
feels of the Alps. Don’t dawdle too long,
however: East Wenatchee awaits.
Your next Loop landing is in the vital
valley where the Wenatchee and Columbia
rivers meet. It is a water-lover’s tra-la of
fishing-boating-kayaking fun. And then
some. Alight beside the Columbia River at
Pangborn Memorial Airport (EAT) and
remember: Here is the home of the irrepressible Miss Veedol – the Bellanca monoplane that Clyde Pangborn and Hugh
Herndon in 1931 belly-flopped to ground
(the landing gear had been dropped into
the ocean) after a nonstop haul across the
Pacific from Japan’s Sabishiro Beach. A 41hour, 4,500-mile flight of infamy. Here at
Pangborn, an entirely authentic Miss
Veedol replica was built and plans, hopefully soon, to recreate the gutsy Bellanca’s historic trans-Pacific trip; at the Wenatchee
Valley Museum & Cultural Center, you
can be amazed and moved by the accomplishment that, like the contest prompting
Lindbergh, earned a $25,000 prize. If you
would like a whirl with her yourself, go up
in the second Miss Veedol; rides are available for a reasonable price.
Airport-close there is a wonderful game
awaiting duffers at the Highlander Golf
Club. But for classic Wenatchee fresh air
fun, bike the Apple Capital Recreation
Loop Trail. This 11-mile swoop up and
down the spectacular Columbia River is a
must-do; rental wheels are right on the
loop in town. For an equally exciting
experience, ooh and ahh as I did over the
beauty of the Ohme Gardens. This pristine
Alpine garden perched on a bluff overlooking Lewis & Clark’s beloved Columbia is
the Ohme family’s shrine to Nature, with
pools and flowers and evergreen groves
that express all manner of her glory.
Glorious! If you wish, fit in an aprés-gar-
den walking tour of downtown
Wenatchee’s 59 original works of talented
local sculptors, followed by an oh-soromantic dinner river cruise aboard the
1908 Entiat Princess, a lovely sternwheeler. If you do, bear in mind that by the time
it is wheels-up on your next Loop stop –
Lake Chelan – you will thoroughly understand: The Wenatchee Valley is happening!
A word about Lake Chelan, the country’s third deepest and a draw since the
1800s for wealthy travelers who, like the
local Native Americans, believed its waters
to have magical healing powers. Once you
fly into the field (S10), don’t let the fjordlike lake’s surface (50 miles long, 1,486-ft
deep) trick you into thinking this area is as
placid as it is picturesque. Ha! First there
are the wineries. The great concentration
of wineries – 10 at last count and proliferating. Whether it is C.R. Sandidge wines
and its Kiss, a tasty Pinot noir to fall for, or
Tsillan Cellars’s delicious Bellissima Rossa
red blend, winemakers here are busy as
bees bottling vintages with true vavavoon.
All beg for your acquaintance in the wineries’ terrific tasting rooms. Then there is the
fishing for trophy trout (current record: 35
lbs. 7 oz.), and a wonderful room or meal
at beautiful, historic Campbell’s Resort
right on the water. Floatplane aficionados
can look-up “Nick” at Chelan Airways and
fly his Beaver or Cessna 180 up-lake to
Stehekin, a remote village in the wild
where roughing-it consists of relishing
espresso and fresh-baked goodies in tranquil café. (Non-float flyers can ferry-up via
the Lady of the Lake fleet.) Also good to
know about Lake Chelan: The golf here is
as good as it gets. The new Bear Mountain
Ranch public course (i.e., reasonable at a
$30-$65 fee) is just as hilly and challenging as Pilot Michael likes. Work your
woods here for awhile before again taking
flight – direction Winthrop (S52) – and
your Cascade Loop adventure will express
excellent Cascade Loop fun.
The moment you land in Winthrop, the
eastern gateway to the nearly 505,000-acre
North Cascades National Park, you will
connect with your inner Bonanza.
Winthrop is movie-Western authentic
Flying Adventures August 2005 33
Flying Adventure
Alternate Loop Swoop
Here is a worth-it detour for intrepid Cascade Loop adventurers:
Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO), just north of Everett, Washington, is oh-soclose to Paine Field, where the Cascade Loop flight is suggested to begin and end. So,
why not run up and catch its wonderful attraction: The Flying Heritage Collection of
WWII and Cold War-era warriors and workhorses? These iconic military craft, some
recovered from battlefields, others the last of their kind, are collected and meticulously
restored to perfection by aviation-lover Paul G. Allen, he of Microsoft fame. Here,
U.S., British, German, Russian and Japanese treasures reflect the keen craftsmanship
and engineering innovation so characteristic of 20th c. aviation. Even better: the collection’s informative docents include friendly war veterans, some of whose stories are
more riveting than the craft on display. So whether it is a powerful P51-D Mustang or
fierce Curtiss P40-C Tomahawk – or the acquaintance of the pilot who once flew it –
this Heritage homage to the might of military flight is a must-see pleaser.
Tours by appointment only: www.flyingheritage.com.
(P.S.: The beautifully equipped Crossroads Inn across the street will put you up. Call (360)
403-7222 to alert them of your arrival.)
Lovely Lake Chelan
34 Flying Adventures August 2005
down to the wooden hitching rails, but you
will find treats here Hoss never knew.
Like? Like the apricot scone-beyondscones at the Chewuch Inn & Cabins, the
charming B&B found front and center to
most Methow Valley amusements. How
they so flourish here! Fishing, cycling, hiking, horseback riding, luxuriating…
Among the maples and golden aspens that
in fall appear so spectacular, outdoor sport
prevails. Luxuriating? Venture up to Sun
Mountain Lodge for at least a meal (an
overnight is better) to see what I mean.
This place is pure Pilot Michael approval.
Three thousand acres of private wilderness,
its own flyfishing lake, and a wine cellar
like no tomorrow – this resort adds the
oomph of upscale pampering to your Loop
circuit with spa, conference facilities and, I
must mention, a mushroom truffle special
on the dining menu I found utterly yum.
Pilot Michael’s personal P.S. before continuing on northwest across the Cascades
to the Skagit Valley: Fly along Early Winter
Creek from Winthrop to the tiny resort of
Lost River (W12). Here, in splendid isolation, if you don’t stay in one of the four
adorable rental cabins on the runway, you
will find in the nearby town of Mazama the
Freestone Inn (they will gladly come get
you). This is another luxury overnight
option where the Eggs Provençal at breakfast are just one of the many incredible
pleasures – spa to whitewater rafting
adventures – promised by the inn’s prodigious charms.
Once you again are airborne toward
Skagit Regional Airport (BVS) in
Burlington/Mount Vernon, your Cascade
Loop escapade will bring home the dazzling impression of the Cascade Range
itself. Dazzling is really the least of it!
Dramatic 7,600-ft Liberty Bell Mountain;
waterfalls; alpine meadows, mountain
lakes, and thick stands of timber – all manner of breathtaking wonder you will see
below as you cross the volcanic range that
even today spits fire – to wit, the eruptions
of Lassen Peak (1914, 1921) and Mount St.
Helens (1980). Not to worry! These hotheaded peaks are found well south of your
Loop flying route. The Native Americans
thought the Cascades sacred, god-like
peaks who according to their “Bridge of
the God” myth, made war by throwing
flame and stone. On the other hand, the
US Geological Survey considers the range a
massive untapped source of geothermal
power that awaits exploitation. (Kalamath
Falls, OR already is on the ball by heating
its public buildings with volcanic steam.)
But to us, easily awe-struck airmen and
Flying Adventures August 2005 35
Flying Adventure
Quaint, quiet LaConner
36 Flying Adventures August 2005
–women, these mountains in their beauty
alone is – dare I gush? – stunning!
So, cross the Cascades in wonderment.
Once you alight at Skagit, in the flood plain
formed from the Skagit River’s rush to fuse
with Puget Sound, the Oyster Creek Inn
will lure you into loving this next Loop
adventure: oysters so good you will sing for
them. Grab a crew car and cruise along the
rocky shoulder of Chuckanut Drive – with
views of the San Juan Islands – until you
arrive at the treehouse-like setting where
the lovely, historic inn overlooks a chum
salmon stream churning below. Here, four
to six varieties of Samish Bay oysters are
served fresh daily. Delightful! A return
drive along Chuckanut eventually puts you
in quaint, arty LaConner, where smalltown Victorian charm blends with plenty of
gallery-going (and a don’t-miss art walk) to
create a terrific day excursion.
Also in the Skagit Valley: amazing eagle
watching (they nest along the Skagit
River). The Padilla Bay National Estuarine
Sanctuary Interpretive Center can help you
connect with the thrill.
The circle nearly complete, the Loop
leaves Skagit and proceeds to Whidbey
Island, the country’s longest. Wing-in to
Whidbey Air Park (W10) in Langley and
enjoy all the reasons why this part of the
San Juan archipelago is such an enthrall.
Picnic near Deception Pass, one of
Washington’s most heart-revving ocean
sites. Acquaint yourself with the 2,000 varieties of “rhodie” you will encounter hiking
the 53-acre Meerkerk Rhododendron
Gardens. Feast on delectable Penn Cove
mussels in Dutch-settled Oak Harbor.
Shop ’til you drop in the artist’s colony of
Langley. And just try to decide which
Victorian B&B is Coupeville’s most enticing. Whidbey Island, indeed, is one of the
best possible concluding stops on the
Cascade Loop. Why?
Because if you are anything like me,
Pilot Michael, you too will see that this nifty
trip, like each and every landing along the
Loop, is pure and powerful fun. Leave soon
on the Loop yourself and you will agree:
when it comes to a phenomenal flying
adventure, the Cascades are truly great!
To See & Do Along the Loop
Pique your interest and satisfy your curiosity by acquiring the further
Cascade Loop scoop available at any of the following websites:
Cascade Loop Region details
Wenatchee River Valley Region
www.cascadeloop.com
Wings & Wheels Fly-In:
www.east-wenatchee.com
Wenatchee Museum & Cultural
Center: www.museum.wsd.wednet.edu
Highlander Golf Club:
www.highlandergolfclub.com
Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail:
Call (509) 663-8121 for details.
Entiat Princess Dinner Cruise:
Call (509) 886-8888 for information.
Ohme Gardens:
www.ohmegardens.com
Pangborn Airport:
www.pangbornairport.com
Cascade Loop-area wineries
www.columbiacascadewines.com
Lake Chelan Area
Bear Mountain Ranch Golf:
www.bearmt.com
Campbell’s Resort:
www.campbellsresort.com
Chelan Airways:
www.chelanairways.com
Snohomish Valley Region
Boeing: www.boeing.com
Future of Flight: www.futureofflight.org
Countryman B&B:
www.countrymanbandb.com
Methow Valley Region
Chewuch Inn & Cabins:
www.chewuchinn.com
Sun Mountain Lodge:
www.sunmountainlodge.com
Freestone Inn: www.freestoneinn.com
Skagit River Area
Oyster Creek Inn:
www.oystercreekinn.com
Meerkerk Rhododendron Gardens:
www.meerkerkgardens.org
Padilla Bay National Estuarine
Sanctuary Interpretive Center:
www.padillabay.gov
Flying Adventures August 2005 37
Nature’s peace will flow into you as
sunshine flows into trees.
- John Muir (1838-1914)
T
he prairie island and its grove are like the hammock
in the everglades, like an atoll in the sea, like an oasis
upon the desert,” writes Donald Culross Peattie in A Prairie
Grove, his rapturous homage to this land. “It is something
worth floundering and sweating for, a spot where man can
throw himself down and drink the wind and bathe in the
shade, where, as the blood stops pounding in his temples, he
can begin to hear the birds singing deeper in the woods.”
Drink the wind, bathe in the shade, and golf like there is
A Peaceful Sense of Place:
no tomorrow, he might add. And shop and birdwatch and
GLENVIEW
ty. In Peattie’s prairie all this is possible, why? Because it is
with a picnic plop down in a spot of perfect peace and beau-
Flying Adventures August 2005 39
Glenview, the Illinois town that’s really a village, the village
that’s really a nature preserve, the nature preserve that is, in fact, a
flyer’s Midwest delight. For the prairie of which Peattie speaks is
The Grove, a 124-acre national historic landmark that once was the
estate of 19th c. naturalist Robert Kennicott. And this splendor of
savanna, flora, fauna and all manner of natural wonders (down to
the humblest redheaded woodpecker pecking the shady bur oaks
for lunch) is merely one outdoor pleasure prospering here. With its
Gothic-style house and hawks nesting in groves it is simply the
beginning of all there is to enjoy in this Illinois village where a
weekend or more of fly-in fun is truly an inspired idea.
You will see. Wing into the Chicago area’s Palwaukee Municipal
Airport (PWK), venture just two miles south to the leafy suburb
where the Illiniwek and Potowatami Indians once created happy
camps along the Des Plaines river, and give yourself over body and
soul to the former farming community that today offers it all –
wonderful restaurants to super golf to nature walks that are among
the best in the country.
The exceeding beauty of the scattered trees, gradually
dotting the verge of the prairie…with a lovely chain
of blue islands obscurely visible in the western horizon,
renders the whole landscape most truly delicious.
- Robert Kennicott (1835-66)
What was truly delicious to a famed naturalist – the sheer
beauty of Glenview – is truly delicious still. Especially when
besides The Grove there The Glen. Rising like a dazzling
phoenix on the abandoned site of the Glenview Naval Air
Station (closed in 1993), this colorful new world of parks,
shopping, offices, golf courses and more offers the visitor plenty
to see and do while in Glenview. Here in Gallery Park (named
for one Admiral Gallery, whose forces captured the German U505 submarine now displayed at Chicago’s Museum of Science
& Industry), fish, walk or bike around the sparkling 45-acre
lake. Here in Air Station Prairie, observe prairie creatures in their
A working farm (left) and historic homes (right) lend Glenview its authentic allure
2 Flying Adventures August 2005
natural habitat of beautifully hued prairie grasses. And if painted
turtles, Western toads and precious collection of rare native
plants fail to enthrall, there is always the golf. The Glen Club, a
$27 million thrill carved between two air base runways, is a Tom
Fazio-designed , par-72 newsmaker with a plush clubhouse
(complete with chandelier-lit ballroom), plenty of holes with
water, and a selection of difficult par-3s said to be, all in all,
spectacular. Also here and well worth a tour: The Illinois Golf
Hall of Fame. Another course, right next door, is Glenview
Natural 9, which is 2,016-yards of pure par-3 and –4 excitement.
Delicious? Oh, yes!
Yet for all its fairway fun, “the country kingdom in a bubble
of its own,” as Peattie put it, where the air smells “moist and soft
yet adventure-tanged,” is a village whose magic is especially
conjured in the many Midwest Waldens that flourish – and
lushly – here. Besides The Grove and The Glen, there is the River
Trail Nature Center, with its wonderful rambling trails
overlooking the Des Plaines river. For the kids there is Wagner
Farm – 18.6 acres of authentic barnyard activities where
children can get their giddies cow-milking, butter-churning and
otherwise working an active farm. And there are the acre upon
acre (700 in all) of beautiful parklands that Glenview boasts are
its own; from tennis to swimming to bike trails, the possibilities
for play here are great.
In the ’70s a lobbying group known as the “Frog & Fern
Ladies” fought (and won) a skirmish to keep The Grove as
undefiled by development as Glenview was in, say, 1930, when
the prosperous farm-town had fewer than 2,000 residents.
Luckily the Ladies’ vision is realized of a Grove – and a Glenview
– that retains the spirit so dear to its early naturalist fans, like
Peattie. “The frogs are still heard!” he once exclaimed. “The
midges still dancing, and a few butterflies – yellow clovers and
cabbage whites – (are) still on the wing.” Still, indeed. Whether
it is enjoying a wetlands walk across a pond gouged by a
retreating glacier to visit a hibernaculum that is home to such
creatures as the rare Kirtland’s snake (at The Grove), or loving
Nature both wild (of flourishing parklands, left) and cultivated (as in its plethora of golf courses, right) is this Illinois wonderland
Flying Adventures August 2005 3
where the prime rib arrives in mammoth
2-lb slabs, make sure your long nature walks
and tough rounds of golf do not go
unrewarded. Dining here is a perfectly
sophisticated pleasure and, as Peattie is apt to
agree, “something worth floundering and
sweating for.”
In every walk with nature, one receives
far more than he seeks.
- John Muir
the lush native grasslands that surround
one breathtaking 559-yard par-5 thrill (at
The Glen Club), the options for
immersion in wild, “adventure-tanged”
nature are plentiful. And all this within
minutes of downtown Chicago!
Big city influences do manifest in
Glenview, however; this is great news for the
fine dining inclined. Desserts flown in from
Milan at continentally stylish Gusto Italiano
(1470 Waukegan Rd.). Al fresco seating and
Irish pub grub said to be a true Chicago
tradition at Hackney’s (1241 Harms Rd.).
And, at the Walker Bros. Original Pancake
House (1615 Waukegan Rd.), breakfasts of
ham and bacon custom-cured in St. Louis,
apple pancakes of childhood dreams, and
omelets stuffed with veggies so fresh it has
been said they “practically have dewdrops
stuck to them”: These and other Glenview
eateries like Prime Minister (1880 Tower Dr.),
In Glenview, it is true: Not only will
nature’s peace will flow through you “like
sunshine through the trees,” in the words of
Muir, who no doubt would have loved it here,
but also, “the winds will blow their freshness
into you…while cares will drop off like
autumn leaves.” Delicious, delicious, indeed.
For further details on the Village and region
of Glenview, visit www.glenview.com and
www.theglentowncenter.com
PALWAUKEE MUNICIPAL AIRPORT (PWK)
AIRPORT DATA
Elevation:
647’
Runways: 16/34 5,000’ 12/30 4,386’ 6/24 3,660’
Approaches:
GPS RVAV, ILS, VOR
ATIS / ASOS:
847.465.0291
Illinois
Palwaukee
Airport
FIXED BASE OPERATIONS / FUEL / SERVICES
North American Jet (AirBP) 130.325 888.359.6244
Signature Flight Support (Phillips) 847.537.1200
TRANSPORTATION
Glenview
City Wide Limousine
American Taxi
Hertz
AIRPORT RESTAURANTS
94th Aero Squadron
847.933.9900
847.259.1555
847.465.1156
N
AIRPORT LODGING
Palwaukee Motor Inn (on field)
Fairfield Inn (Glenview) (2 mi)
Wyndham Glenview (3 mi) airport
pick-up
847.537.9100
847.299.1600
847.303.9800
Profile map viewed from
Palwaukee looking west.
The Naval Air Station
transformed (above right);
this page, a naturalist's delight
Chicago
847.459.3700
Maps provided by Voyager
Flight Planning Software
2500
2000
1500
1000
0
PWK
Flying Adventures August 2005 5
It is apparent that pilots never were too conventional.
After getting away with the thrill of being able to land
not just on landing strips, but roads,
farmer’s fields, meadows, deserts, and beaches,
we pilots said ‘we’re still not satisfied!
We want to land everywhere!’
- Aviator Mark Swint
Serendipity,
thy Name is
Sea plane!
There comes a time in every pilot’s life when something sizzling calls. Call it new adven-
T
ture. Loftier horizons. The challenge of skills improved, boundaries broken and worlds as
yet unknown, opened. The time arrived for me, Pilot Michael, the day I awoke to the
thought, hey, ducks can land on water, why not I? The sizzle of this unrealized dream sent
me spinning. Seaplanes! I simply must try them, fly them – buy one? It is time, said I, to
splash onto lakes, glide into bays and visit those magical places that only 10 percent of
pilots are incredibly blessed to know, grace of their seaplane rating: The ice fields of Alaska,
remote narrows of Canada, and, perhaps, the romantic, sun-kissed islands here, there and
everywhere that now would be my flight plan.
A Super Cub splashes
into aa placid
placid bay
bay off
off
into
the Colorado
Colorado River
River
the
“Jerry, my friend,” I said as soon as I hit the
phone. “How would you like to join me on a
fabulous Flying Adventures adventure and
obtain our seaplane rating?” To a fellow flyer
ever up for a dare I said, “How about we wow
ourselves with a flying world that is new and
wonderful and fun?”
“Great!” said Jerry. Done. Based in
Minnesota, Jerry signed-up in Brainerd, MN at
pilot-friendly Madden’s Resort (www.maddens.com) for its 3-day seaplane rating package;
here, instruction takes place on gorgeous Gull
Lake. I chose the accelerated, 6-hour course
offered by Sheble Aviation in Kingman, AZ
(Sheble is also in Henderson, NV, although its
floatplane program happens on the Colorado
River in Laughlin, NV; www.shebleaviation.com). We two Flying Adventures adventur-
ers would receive the curriculum given in courses all across the country, from Seattle to Ft.
Lauderdale (see accompanying sidebar).
Whether the ocean waters off Washington’s San
Juan Islands, the 10,000-plus lakes of
Minnesota, the subtropical everglades of Florida
or the ancient flow of the Colorado, water, wonderful water would be our airfields now.
Amazing! Who knew learning to fly a plane
on floats well enough to ace the FAA flight test
would involve for an already-licensed pilot a
mere few hours of ground and around six hours
of flight instruction? Jerry knew. That’s why
when instructor Brian Addis handed him a copy
of Learn to Fly Floats, his course textbook of 10
seriously exciting lessons (they seemed), he so
looked forward to checkride success that he
booked a celebratory tee time at Madden’s top-
Flying Adventures August 2005 45
Checkride-prepping above
the Colorado River, north of
Lake Havasu, AZ
The thrilling river
as classroom: training
above the Colorado
46 Flying Adventures August 2005
50 rated golf course, The Classic. I knew,
too, which is why the prospect of upcoming new things to learn and fresh flying
challenges to master got me jazzed. Step
turns and stalls; river landings and takeoffs;
docking and “sailing” on lakes; lift-offs and
landings in both smooth and extremely
rough waters: I had a sense these and other
maneuvers we were required to perfect
before FAA would say okay would be just
as pilot Mark Swint described.
“What a thrill!” he said of his own floatplane indoctrination in Southwest Pilot
magazine. “To pour coals to the trusty
Lycoming and watch spray fly off our floats
as the plane’s nose first rose from the thrust
and again as it got up on the step.” What a
thrill! I thus expected for my own waterworld plans. I couldn’t wait.
Still, I wondered: During typical aircraft maneuvering, wouldn’t the floats
counteract my rudder’s stability because of
their large side area? Wouldn’t take-off and
landing attitudes be altogether a different
story, as well as how you deal with an
emergency engine out? Yes, yes, and you
bet! are the answers I got to these and the
other seaplane trainee questions. That is,
after Joe “JoJo” Sheble III got his hands on
me. I had flown into Laughlin-Bullhead
field (IFP) and spent a wonderful night in
the Riverside Hotel & Casino in Laughlin,
NV, where there is lots of wining, dining
and entertainment. In the morning a hotel
shuttle boat cruised me across the
Colorado River to the sandy beach where
awaited JoJo and a Super Cub fitted with
straight floats. (These are for water-only
landings, whereas amphibious floats
include retractable gear for water and land
landings.) You gotta know: From the
moment JoJo put me up front to the checkride I later ecstatically passed, this was the
way to go!
“After nearly 17,000 hours of ‘dancing
aloft’,” said Swint, “you would think I’d
be satisfied. Aviation has taken me to all
the corners of the earth. I’ve seen magnificent sunsets and sunrises, comets by
night and awe-inspiring thunderstorms
by day.” And still….there is a “restless
spirit urging” that will not be fulfilled
until, he said, it flies a floatplane. Oh,
baby. I so now saw what he means.
Hydrodynamics. “Prefloat” inspection.
And, ultimately, airwork, from slowflight to
stalls to system-malfunction procedures:
The seaplane pilot’s art was a hoot. No
wonder once upon a time that visionary
Igor Sikorsky fashioned the bellies of his
planes in the form of a boat hull; no wonder others like Grumman followed with its
Mallards, Widgeons, Gooses and
Albatrosses, and Boeing & Martin with its
ocean-going Clippership. To put a plane
down where only boats (and ducks) fear to
float….could there be a bigger rush?
“I just had the most fun ever in my 20plus years of flying,” raved Jerry when later
I called to compare notes. “Adapting to
floats is a hell of a good time!” Whether it
was his displaced, plow or step-taxi procedures, his rough or smooth water landings,
this excited seaplane recruit was amped
with such newfound – and joyful – sensations as consistent 400-ft takeoffs from turf
and zero-to-off-the-water flying in 20 seconds flat. “Anyone who has not come to
terms with the concept ‘cross-wind landing’ will love it,” said Jerry, who found flying a floatplane “quite intuitive.”
“Seaplanes almost always take off and land
into the wind.” Is that a kick, or what?
It’s a kick. It can be high wing or low
wing, stick or yoke equipped, and fitted
with straight or amphibious floats. But
whatever seaplane you fly, it takes only six
to eight hours of learning (including
checkride) to split open wide a glittering
new galaxy of air travel possibilities.
Wow, said Jerry, so thrilled with his
new skill there will be no sticking strictly
to land for him now. Wow, say I. How
exciting is this, to know so many new flying adventures will beckon and we, like
Swint, can satisfy our ever “restless spirit
urging”? Very. Bring them on! we both
exult now. Bring them on!
Seize the
Seaplane Excitement
Has the sizzle of seaplane fun called to your yearning, too? Time to satisfy the desire.
A quick call or website visit to any of the following fine seaplane-rating facilities will have
you, in as little as one day, splashing onto lakes, skimming into bays and flying-into places
you never dreamed could be so beautiful, so accessible – so amazing: (For more in-depth
descriptions, visit www.flyingdventures.com/weblinks, click “aviation”)
Maddens Resort:
On gorgeous Gull Lake, MN. $1,700
for an all-inclusive package of training,
accommodations, meals and more.
www.maddens.com (800) 642-5363
Seaplane Safaris:
Boynton Beach, FL. $1,299 for a rating
to access Lake Okeechobee, canals in
the everglades and more. www.seaplanesafaris.com (954) 849-3432.
Sheble Aviation:
In Kingman, AZ. $1,025-1,225 for a oneday “accelerated” course on the Colorado
River. www.shebleaviation.com
(800) 249-6482.
Adventure Seaplanes, Inc.:
Blaine, MN. $1,095-1,495 for training
that grants entrée to limitless US Midwest
and Canada waters.www.adventureseaplanes.com (763) 783-2498.
Wings, Inc.:
Two Minnesota locations – Holman Field
(STP) and Fleming Field (SGS). $1,495
for training on one or more of the state’s
10,000 lakes. www.wingsinc.com
(651) 552-7382 or (651) 227-8981.
Brown’s Seaplane Base:
In the “land of 1,000 lakes,” Winter
Haven, FL. $990 for comprehensive
training. www.gate.net/~seaplane.
(863) 956-2243.
Kenmore Air Seaplanes:
In the Seattle area. $1,295 for a comprehensive course on lovely Lake
Washington. www.kenmoreair.com
(800) 543-9595.
Boca Grande Seaplane Air Taxi:
On beautiful Gasparilla Island, FL.
$1,500 for rating that specializes in
reading tides and docking in currents.
markfutch@boca grande.net
(941) 964-0234.
Flying Adventures August 2005 47
Floatplane flying 101:
a lesson above beautiful
Gull Lake, MN
Rating - ready,
Seaplane - set,
now go!
Fly-off from water anywhere in the world
to a whole new universe of adventure.
Lakes, bays, inlets, islands – destinations of
your most shimmering, water-loving
dreams. Consider a trip to any of these and
begin your new life with excitement:
Maine’s Moosehead Lake region is
hundreds of thousands of acres of lakes
and ponds, and it is pure seaplane pilots’
paradise. Canoe, kayak, fly-fish, whitewater raft or hike the Appalachian Trail after
flying-in to the land whose virtues Henry
David Thoreau extolled. The Penobscot
Lake Lodge in Penobscot Lake (penobscotlakelodge.com) will put you in fine
enough form to fish for the lake’s rare and
elusive blueback trout; the romantic 1917
Cape Cod Colonial Lodge at Moosehead
Lake in Greenville (lodgeatmooseheadlake.com) will pamper you, too.
The Great Lakes area is great, indeed for
splash-in fun. Superior, Huron, Michigan,
F
48 Flying Adventures August 2005
Erie, Ontario and St. Clair – altogether the
largest freshwater system on Earth, so
expansive their 94,000 sq. miles of sea
(holding 6 quadrillion gallons of water) can
be seen from the moon. And then there is
Minnesota. Marvelous! Try Nelson’s Resort
at Crater Lake, MN (nelsonsresort.com) for
a premier getaway by the 1-million-acre
Boundary Waters Canoe Area (bwcaw.org).
Or the 24-hour fun of Treasure Island
Resort & Casino (www. treasureislandcasino.com). Here, on the Mississippi River
outside Red Wing, MN, seven gaming
areas, lady luck and great entertainment are
the delightful draw. In Voyageurs National
Park on Lake Kabetogama, MN, the “jewel
in the wilderness,” Kettle Falls Hotel (kettlefalls hotel.com) reflects a colorful past of
fur traders, gold miners and timber barons.
And on the marvelous Mississippi in Red
Wing, the equally historic St. James Hotel
(st-james-hotel.com) will woo you into
falling in love with “old man river” for its
limitless seaplane possibilities.
Dolphins, pelicans, osprey and manatee play in 750,000 acres of estuary that is
the sportfishing mecca of Florida’s barrier
island of Gasparilla. Splash in for its pristine white sands, artists’ galleries, the
romance of “old” Florida and more. Book
a romantic B&B or rent a private villa,
condo, chalet, cottage or home (gasparilla
island.rentalo.com), and your seaplane
dreams have only begun.
Of course: the Florida Keys. These 30
inhabited islands (of 800) are the land of
pirates and shipwrecks, hurricanes and
history – this, of Spanish explorers intent
on finding gold and eternal youth. For
you, they are a splendor of recreational
activities. Try Hawk’s Cay Resort in Duck
Key (hawskcay.com) for its charming, luxury villas on grand canals traversed by
ornate Victorian bridges. On Key Largo,
the “diving capital of the world,” the gorgeous Bayside Resort (baysideresort.com)
offers prime beachgoing, great Everglades
fishing and birdwatching among the best
in the world. In Key West, thriving with
art, architecture, museums and galleries,
the tropical Banyan Resort (banyanresort.com) is eight Victorian houses secluded beneath centuries-old Banyan trees –
and site of golf and relaxation sublime.
In the Pacific Northwest, the spectacular
San Juan Island archipelago, including
British Columbia’s Gulf Islands, is more
than 700 islands set in a splendor of wilderness wonders. From Orca whale-watching
to grizzly bear viewing to a glorious galaxy
of sport – hiking to kayaking to fishing
to golf – this seaplane sensation is as
wonderful they come. Set against the wild
beauty of British Columbia’s West Coast,
there is luxurious Sonora Resort (sonora
resort.com), a sportfishing eco-touring paradise. Also found on the stunning Canadian
coastline is Knight Inlet resort (knightinlet.com). Here, the drama of the wild – temperate rainforest to thundering, glacier-fed
waterfalls – blends with the spectacle of
grizzly bear and whale-watching adventures; the floating lodge is pretty cool, too.
From British Columbia’s majestic
West Coast Wilderness Lodge (www.
wcwl.com), to pretty Roche Harbor on
San Juan Island (rocheharbor.com) and its
historic Hotel de Haro, the pristine
waters of the Pacific Northwest are simply
floatplane phenomenal.
For superb seaplane adventure among
remote rugged canyons and a desert paradise of spires, buttes and other red-rock
drama, glide onto Arizona’s Lake Powell
(lakepowell.com). Here, five marinas and
1,986 miles of shoreline offer a hiking,
kayaking, fishing and camping and opportunities simply to love the star-spangled
night sky. Nevada’s huge Lake Mead
(nps.gov/lame), where the Mojave, Great
Basin and Sonoran Desert eco-systems converge, is also a prize for seaplane pilots dazzled by sport. And Lake Havasu? This
Arizona wonder on the Colorado River
(lakehavasucity.com), where the actual
London Bridge stands, is big time fly-in fun.
In Alaska, the art of seaplane flying is
high drama all over. Land on the Juneau
Ice Fields, 1800 sq. miles of glacier that
drop down into the Taku River Valley. Or,
A water-reveling
Beaver at home in the
Pacific Northwest
travel back to the last ice age at Glacier Bay
National Monument, to scout for humpback whales, sea lions, brown and black
bears and eagles. Admiralty Island, home
to the world’s densest collection of bear, is a
floatplane flyer’s fascination, as is the
island’s salmon-rich Pack Cove. At Point
Adolphus, humpback whale, following
their long migration from Baja, congregate
to mid-September, while Tongass National
Forest, packed with remote lakes, rivers,
streams and beaches, offers 158 wilderness
cabins ready to welcome Alaska-loving seaplane explorers. (Call the US Forest Service
for info, 907.587.8751; for all other Alaska
information visit www.alaska.com.)
Step-taxi up into fun, floatplane flyers, and
you’ll exult like Pilot Michael, Bring it on!
Flying Adventures August 2005 49
Book Scene
Flight Review
Do You Have Enough Devotion To Fly?
by Gary Wiblin
9,000 hour Commercial/IF/Multi/Instructor
For the Glory of the Game
This Fall, Let a Flyer’s Thoughts Turn to Golf
Lovers of the game know golf as a sport of
distinction. At times a noble pursuit of
royal and ancient roots, golf as a passion
inspires joys – camaraderie, an appreciation for beauty, the satisfaction of accomplishment – that lend no small measure of
thrill to life. In Golf Through the Ages – 600
Years of Golfing Art, authors Michael
Flannery and Richard Leech celebrate in
handsome, magnificent style the game as it
is often played – with respect.
Lavishly crafted according to bookbinding artistry rooted in 15th c Venice, and produced in the manner of exquisite, state-ofthe-art German printing, this is a 440-page
testament to the glory of golf. Three hundred sixty-four largely unknown illustrations document in a splendor of color the
game’s centuries-long evolution from
medieval European club and ball game to
the modern Scottish pursuit today’s golfers
know and love. For the serious collector or
the most distinctive golf library, Golf
Through the Ages is an impressive, weighty
masterpiece whose text and artwork reflect
the exhaustive research of Flannery, a thirdgeneration descendant of a passionate
Scots-Irish golfing family who, at Virginia
and Vanderbilt universities, studied under
Nobel Prize author William Faulkner and
Flannery O’Connor. Co-author Richard
Leech, vice president of two American scientific publishing houses that also specialize in luxury limited editions, joins him in
producing a book whose beauty is as important as its story.
For instance, the Imperial edition
(limited to 176 books) features a handpainted fore-edge watercolor of golf’s earliest canvas, View of St. Andrews from the
Old Course, an original work of art by
fore-edge artist Linda Donais Weir, as well
as gilt-edged pages that in a historical
tour de force tell the tale of golf’s early
Catching up with Last Issue’s Contest Winner…
Gee, says Frank Singer of Huntington Harbor, CA, “it’s nice to
be a winner.” The semi-retired owner of a small aerospace company let us in on his favorite aviation gadget (the Terrain Awareness
System [TAWS]), so in last issue’s random drawing Frank won
Voyager, the awesome flight planning software. The married father
50 Flying Adventures August 2005
relationship to polo, early football, rugby,
hockey, cricket, “bowls,” even tennis. The
Royal edition (limited to 1999 copies) is
numbered in Arabic, signed by the
authors, beautifully leather-bound, and
protected by a handmade silk slipcase.
Reading of golf’s great evolution during
six centuries of play is thus an experience
of unparalleled luxury.
From the first depiction of a tee (in
1580) to the roots of the word “fore,” to a
17th c. Flemish painting of a golf lesson,
the joys of Golf Through the Ages more than
match those of a well-played game.
Golf Through the Ages –
600 Years of Golfing Art
by Michael Flannery and Richard Leech.
Golf Links Press.
Imperial edition (in full leather): $3000;
Royal edition (quarter leather): $950.
www.golfthroughtheages.com
of four loves to fly his seventh airplane (the King Air C90B he
bought himself last year for his 70th birthday) to the homes he and
his wife share in Baja, Mexico and Big Bear, CA. “Controlled flight
into terrain is the single largest cause of accidents,” says the avionics company owner, which makes TAWS for him the gadget to have.
To which we say, Bravo! Way to go, Frank. Congratulations!
I am often puzzled by how so many
Commercial/IFR students reach the flying training stage while having so
little understanding of the principles
involved in flying on instruments. At
the student pilot stage we are all given
at least a basic idea of how to intercept
a radial using the VOR and how to track
towards an NDB using the onboard ADF
system. Even though this is at best just
a rudimentary application of the basic
principles involved it does allow a qualified PPL to successfully navigate using
these helpful navigation instruments. It
cannot be argued that all pilots switch
to using GPS once they pass their PPL
test because even a GPS is really just a
glorified VOR. A GPS receiver also
merely commands you to steer left or
right to regain track while you keep the
aircraft more or less pointing in the
right direction.
Why then do so many pilots pitch up
for flight training, after having passed
their CPL written examinations, with
very little idea of how to track VOR radials, QDM’s, and QDR’s? I have often
been left speechless when faced with a
qualified PPL, who has passed his
Comm written exams well, yet has no
inkling of how to track to or from an
NDB facility using the ADF receiver. Did
he not see it carefully explained in his
Comm notes? Did he think they were
merely pretty pictures to make the notes
more attractive?
I am convinced that there is a different mindset these days to what there was
more than ten years ago. I am beginning
to believe that because flying training is
now so prohibitively expensive, and
there is so much competition between
flight training establishments, trainees
now expect their instructor to do all the
work. By cramming for an
outdated examination syllabus they manage to pass
without really having a
true understanding of
what they were studying
and then rely on the
weary instructor to spoon-feed them.
I always find it an absolute pleasure
to do a PPL renewal with someone who
was taught to fly twenty, thirty, or more
years ago. These are the people who fly
without checklists, or headsets. When
they have finished doing a pre-flight
inspection their hands are filthy and
need to be scrubbed. They speak on the
radio with the general ease of someone
chatting to their neighbor across the
fence. They taxi as if the aircraft has no
brakes because, when they learned to fly,
the aircraft didn’t have any brakes. They
treat the engine with utmost care
because, when they learned to fly, if you
didn’t do so the engine would surely fail.
They will spin an aircraft without batting an eyelid, and land it bang on centerline with the stall warning wailing.
They will also track to an NDB as if taking a walk in the park. These are the
people that soloed in five hours.
What has happened to our flight
training that we now have a crib of
spoon-fed babies that get scared when
the wind increases beyond 10kts and
who vomit when doing spin training?
People who do not devour aviation magazines. People who do not sit in a parked
aircraft for hours on end, just soaking up
aviation. I well remember being a preschooler and standing with my face
pressed against the chicken wire of the
airport perimeter fence, just watching
the comings and goings of now ancient
aircraft. I too remember building aero-
planes out of discarded
tomato boxes and swinging
them around on bits of gut.
I remember walking right
across town on a Saturday
morning with patiently
saved money to buy a small
bottle of fuel for the Baby-B
engine that powered my newly built balsawood control-line aircraft. I think we
are a dying breed. We are becoming
extinct. We are being replaced by computer operators that sit in airborne
offices. We are being replaced by people
that don’t particularly want to fly, they
just want a cool job. The sad thing is
that those that have enough money to
throw at it will actually achieve their
goal while those that really want to fly
because they have avgas in their veins
will probably end up standing with their
faces pressed against the chicken wire
perimeter fence at their local airport for
good. It saddens me.
I have long held the belief that many
people should be washed at the pre-solo
student pilot stage. I regularly fly with
Instrument Rated Commercial Pilots
that scare me. I often wonder how they
actually got there and then feel sad that
our skies are less safe for it. I long for
the days of a government subsidy
scheme being reimplemented for student pilots who display merit so that
some of our true talent can be brought
out of their mind-numbing occupations
and put into airline cockpits, where
they long to be. I was one of the lucky
ones who received a very substantial
government subsidy in order to complete my CPL. Without it, I probably
would never have obtained my CPL.
Maybe this article can be shoved under
the nose of the right government official. Who knows?
Flying Adventures August 2005 51
TM
AirCar Buyers Guide
New & Nice: Nifty Planes Under $400k
Enough of merely longing. Later, to simply
wishing. There it is, the object of your
desire: A brand new, factory fresh, perfectly
gorgeous plane – the craft tricked out with
every feature you desire. The fabulous fly,
in short, with no previous owner in sight.
Well, we are happy to say, it is time. Flying
Adventures wants you to know a freshfrom-the-box plane – gift-wrapped in all
applicable warranties – can be yours for
under $400,000. No ordinary, make-do
number, like some previously owned aircraft on the tarmac, this is the plane that
will thrill your heart, sing to your soul, and
love your budget like only the happiest
spanking-new acquisition can.
Here, in our second installment of a
series designed to assist you, the savvy
AirCar buyer, in choosing the best possible
plane for your life, your style and your
money, we present the line-up of new craft
available for under $400,000. All singleengine, four-place, solo-pilot winners,
these factory-certified, warranty-covered
wings reflect a range of speeds, size, fuel
consumption and the like. But all share
the same exciting characteristic: They
allow you, for the most minimal outlay of
cash, to own the newest, hottest, best performing plane being made today.
Ready to rumba?
Check-out the chart below. A couple of
Cessnas, a duo of Cirrus Designs, a
Mooney, a Lancair, a New Piper and a
Socata: These planes are the Top 8 cut in
Flying Adventures’ comprehensive process
of working with pros in the business of
selling aircraft, industry experts and pilots
proficient in buying to cull from the
current market our under-$400,000 winners. And winners they are, to a one!
Some have retractable gear; others are
fixed. Some feature the latest-tech allglass panel; others rely on the tried-andtrue traditional style; still others allow
you to choose. And then there are the
parachutes, Cirrus Designs’ unique safety
feature: these reveal there are options on
some that may say to you, hey, this is
what I mean by tricked-out! Whether
aluminum or composite, these planes
with one exception (the Cessna Turbo
Skylane) have normally aspirated
engines; the turbo, you will be excited to
know, provides all the performance at altitude you can want. (Isn’t it thrilling to
think you can get into a turbo for less
than $300,000?)
You will see from the chart that certain
considerations that go into buying an aircraft (listed top to bottom at left) should
well uncover your preferences and ultimately assist you in making the most
informed choice come shopping day for
your new plane. Ceiling. Cabin size.
Useful load. Operating cost. From
whether or not you want to own the most
prestigious plane in the sky (aircraft prestige factor”), to whether or not you insist
on having lots of service facilities at your
disposal, these decision-making considerations should navigate you straight into the
craft that, among all possible choices, will
make you the happiest.
How?
Simply work the chart. First, consult
the Scoring Legend at left. Gotta have the
fastest thing on wings? Enter a “3” under
the crafts whose speeds really please.
Don’t care a whit whether you need more
than one tank of fuel to get you where
you are going? Enter a “0” under those
planes whose range is relatively
restrained. From avionics to power to
landing gear, simply rate 0-3 its importance to you, total up the numbers, and
bingo: You have got the AirCar candidates
most worthy of your further inquiry.
Because Flying Adventures aims with
this guide to provide you with an exceptional tool for helping you acquire your
heart’s desire of a fly while making the
shrewdest possible use of your money in
your AirCar buying decision, do let us
know if there are attributes important to
you that do not appear on the chart. Who
knows, maybe next issue when we review
how much aircraft you can buy for
$400,000-$500,000, yours will be the category that makes or breaks the ultimate
deal. (And when you are really ready to
up the ante, check-out our March-April
2005 issue’s buying guide, How Much
Aircraft Will $6 Million Buy? at www.flyingadventures.com/magazines).
In the meantime, have fun with our
AirCar Buyers Guide. After all, soon – very
soon, we trust – you are going to be owner
of something new, something wonderful,
something exceptionally gorgeous to fly.
How exciting!
Scoring Legend
Top Priority . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Important . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Has Some Value . . . . . . 1
Not Important . . . . . . . . 0
Manufacturer
Model
Engines
Price (in price order)
Lancair
Columbia 350
Single Engine Piston
lancair.com
$399,000
Socata
Trinidad TB20-GT
Single Engine Piston
socata.eads.com
$381,500
Score
Cirrus Design
SR22-G2
Single Engine Piston
cirrusdesign.com
$334,700
Score
Mooney
Ovation
Single Engine Piston
mooney.com
$299,000
Score
New Piper
Arrow
Single Engine Piston
newpiper.com
$292,400
Score
Cessna
Turbo Skylane T182
Single Engine Piston Turbo
turboskylane.cessna.com
$286,500
Score
Cessna
Skylane182
Single Engine Piston
skylane.cessna.com
$258,500
Score
Cirrus Design
SR20-G2
Single Engine Piston
cirrusdesign.com
$236,700
Score
Score
Speed - TAS
190 TAS
163 TAS
185 TAS
191 TAS
137 TAS
158 TAS
140 TAS
156 TAS
Range - Nautical Miles
1,320 nm
935 nm
1,001 nm
1,550 nm
880 nm
886 nm
968 nm
882 nm
Useful Load - Pounds
1,100 lbs
1,270 lbs
1,150 lbs
1,208 lbs
969 lbs
1,095 lbs
1,213 lbs
930 lbs
Take-Off (full fuel + 4 pass.) - Sea Level / Std Temp
5,000' elevation / 25˚C
1,250 feet
1,750 feet
2,083 feet
3,400 feet
1,575 feet
2,717 feet
2,700 feet
3,900 feet
1,600 feet
3,200 feet
1,350 feet
1,928 feet
1,350 feet
2,708 feet
1,958 feet
3,486 feet
7.9L x 4.2H x 4.2W
8.3L x 3.9H x 4.2W
8.0L x 4.1H x 4.1W
8.1L x 4.1H x 4.1W
7.3L x 4.1H x 4.1W
7.2L x 4.0H x 3.5W
7.2L x 4.0H x 3.5W
8.0L x 4.1H x 4.1W
13.3 gal/hr
2:42 / 43gal
12.2 gal/hr
3:11 / 41gal
15.2 gal/hr
2:45 / 51gal
15.6 gal/hr
2:38 / 37gal
9.2 gal/hr
3:41 / 38gal
12.0 gal/hr
3:05 / 50gal
11.3 gal/hr
3:37 / 46gal
10.5 gal/hr
3:17 / 38gal
Included
Not Available
Included
Upgrade - $139,000
Not Available
Upgrade - $53,500
Upgrade - $53,500
Included
Continental/310hp
Lycoming/250hp
Continental/310hp
Continental/280hp
Lycoming/200hp
Lycoming/235hp
Lycoming/230hp
Continental/200hp
Fixed
Retract
Fixed
Retract
Retract
Fixed
Fixed
Fixed
Columbia 350
Socata Trinidad
Cirrus SR22
Mooney Ovation
New Piper Arrow
Cessna Turbo Skylane
Cessna Skylane
Cirrus SR20
Cabin Size - Internal Dimensions
Operating Cost - Cruise Fuel Flow
Time / Fuel (500 nm trip)
Avionics - Glass Panel
Interior - Options and Style
Exterior - Ramp Appeal
Company Reputation
Aircraft Prestige Factor
Engine - Manufacture/Horsepower
Landing Gear
Miscellaneous - Salesperson? Service? Etc.?
TOTAL SCORE
52 Flying Adventures August 2005
Flying Adventures August 2005 53
Aviator Profile
Larry Hahn
The Happy-Talking, Baja-Loving Aviator Likes Putting People First
Honestly, laughs Larry Hahn at himself,
“Who is this character?”
Tell us.
“Nothing about my life makes any
sense.”
You mean, senseless as wild success?
“I’m just a fantastic dreamer who
knows when to shut-up and listen.
Listen,” he says. “For me, it is all a
matter of using your imagination
and having fun while you’re at it.”
Larry Hahn, as everyone who
knows him knows, is at it. Always
has been. The “character,” an
accomplished aviator who lives in
Santa Teresa, NM, was at it for
years when he and his buddy
Glen Bell built Taco Bell from one
bitty burrito stand in Los Angeles
to…well, to the taco megalopolis
that in 1978 PepsiCo took over for
“a jillion million dollars,” according to Hahn. But never mind that.
The guy who jokes that his three
kids grew up on nothing but tacos
may have told PepsiCo, “hey, get
out your checkbook, we want to
go fishing,” but he is not about
the jillion-millions. In fact, the 71year-old former farm boy from
Imperial, CA whose dad grew cotton and sugar beets, and whose
mom baked cherry pies while he
milked cows and thought not much of
school but for its football, is not about
bottom-lines or business or even, for that
matter, success.
Larry Hahn is about people. Larry
Hahn loves people. Larry Hahn loves
people a lot. And if it is one thing the life
of Larry Hahn proves, it is this: the feeling
is mutual.
“The only thing I ever was any good at
was talking to people,” he says. “I like to
dwell in the fact I could not have achieved
the smallest fraction of what I have been
lucky enough to accomplish without the
54 Flying Adventures August 2005
help of a lot of nice people. It’s the only
thing I preach,” he adds: “If you want to
be super successful you can’t forget who
has helped you. You can’t forget where
you’re from!”
And if you are savvy like a talk-loving,
people-hugging aviation nut, you get it all
right from the get-go.
“The luckiest thing I ever did was
marry a woman smarter than me,” Hahn
says of Valentine Oborne, “Val,” who at
age 19 he met on a blind date and with
whom today, 52 splendid years later, he
shares the delight of eight grandchildren
and a tight family life of love and fun and
flying. “She saw my body and melted!” he
laughs. If you notice, there he goes, doing
what Larry Hahn does, giving all the credit to others. Such is the “Hahn-o” manifesto, using the nickname given the aviator by his dear friend J.L. Silago after a
host of wild ’n crazy “Hahnian adventures” the duo have enjoyed flying in
Baja, Mexico. Baja is where 80 percent of
Hahn’s 150 yearly hours left-seat in his
1977 Aztec F. Turbo (call sign: Six Two
Seven Taco Bell) take flight, mainly in
fantastic golf and sportfishing escapades.
“We old Baja farts still flying Baja”
is Hahn’s 40-year fantasy in action,
the dream made real of a 14-yearold “airport bum” who worked
Imperial Valley crop dusters until
earning his private license at 17.
Not long after when he conscripted his dad and cruised a $300
Aeronca Chief over the border
to far-flung San Felipe in the first
flights of a lifelong Baja love
affair,the “hotshot pilot who takes
no chances,” in the words of Silagi,
again was at it: fusing imagination
and fun into a passion that today
makes Hahn a majo domo authority
on flying – and fishing – Mexico,
as well as the popular, jokester
host of www.bajadreams.com, a
website devoted to Baja adventures, Hahnian style.
Bahia de Los Angeles. San
Francisquito. Gonzaga Bay. From
Don Johnson’s Hotel Serenidad to
Hotel Las Palmas de Cortez, the
once tiny and remote villages and
fish camps served by short, dirt strips that
Hahn has visited since the ’50s welcome
him still. Incredible, says Silagi, how
Hahn-o “is loved on both sides of the border. He can sail through customs without
a hitch, working the agents on both sides
like a family reunion.”
“It’s the donut holes,” corrects Hahn,
diverting the compliment. You take them
donut holes and before you know it, ahh,
life is good. He says: In Baja, “I just love
to trawl the beautiful ocean and have a
big ’ol fish strike my plug and go crazy,
coming up only to spit in my face before I
get totally pooped reeling him in.”
The exhausting life-and-death struggle of Hahn vs. a feisty Mexican marlin
(caught and released, he insists) might be
a metaphor for the taco king’s career
trajectory from its earliest days. Not so.
Then, the junior college graduate excelled
at selling fertilizer for Ortho before making an enthusiastic but doomed go at the
cattle business. “It got too big too fast,”
he says. “But you have to make mistakes.
You work your way out.” But his next
effort, meeting Glen Bell through friends
and eventually taking on the task of franchising Bell’s little L.A. taco stand in El
Paso, TX, was not tiring, as impossible
and hopeless as the whole thing looked –
often. (“Mr. Bell didn’t have any money
and I didn’t have any money.”) It was,
says Hahn, “a big kick.” Why? Because
when the talker par excellence retired as
owner of 15 Taco Bell franchises and various other steakhouses and what-haveyou throughout the Rio Grande Valley, he
feels his trail was charmed: it sparkled
with people, people, people, all to love
and appreciate.
“It is the burning thing in my mind,”
says the aviator. “When you take a little
out, you’ve got to put a little back.” Help
as you have been helped. Especially in
aviation. So when as a kid you crash-land
a Taylor Craft into smithereens and a
benevolent friend pieces it back together
for free just to keep you flying, you don’t
forget. Says the farmer’s son who felt
blessed to have grown up “knowing I
don’t need a lot to be happy”: I promised
then that I, too, would make sure someone else would start or keep flying.”
Hahn’s “someone else” is now, besides his
father, Rue, and son, Jerry, “a lot of
friends, a lot of guys,” with whom he has
shared his beloved Baja and inspired to
take to the air in pursuit of their own
“Baja dreams.”
Indeed, from the bankers during the
Taco Bell years whom “we begged our
way with,” to every face ever met in
Mexico since the ’50s, when for $5 Mama
and Papa Dias of Los Alamos Bay would
offer a cot, three meals, and a dirt landing
strip so he could fish, you definitely don’t
forget. Not if you are Larry Hahn. Because
if you are Larry Hahn, and Hahn-o himself will take a tiny bit of credit for this –
very tiny – I am not on an ego trip. I just
talk, and that’s about it.” Everything
else…well, he says, “it’s just this character, doing a bunch of goofy things. It’s all
about having fun!”
Larry, Val and the
Aztec (above) before a
“Hahnian” Baja adventure;
(below) Hahn-o, left,
and friends display the
“big 'ol fish” he thrills
to trawl for in Mexico
Flying Adventures August 2005 55
Aviator Profile
Mike Rounds
South Dakota’s Aviation-loving Governor Serves Best Via the Air
Between Custer and Hill City, South Dakota,
not far from majestic Mt. Rushmore, Crazy
Horse astride a horse emerges from the towering granite of Thunderhead Mountain.
When the project begun in 1948 is complete, the Oglala Sioux Native American
Chief will be the world’s largest sculpture.
The presidential heads of Mt. Rushmore
seem dwarfed at a height of merely 60 feet
with this, the massive 641-ft
wide, 563-ft high honor to the
vision, strength and warrior spirit of the Battle of Little Big Horn
victor who once walked tall and
proud through the beautiful,
sacred Black Hills.
Mike Rounds can relate. As
governor of South Dakota, the
avid aviator shares something of
Crazy Horse’s spirit: A love of
the land, a concern for the people who live there, and a vision
for its future. “I always knew
that (serving as governor) was
the one job I’d like to have the
opportunity to work at,” he says.
“And it is everything I hoped it
would be. But I tell you, I certainly couldn’t do what I do if I
didn’t have an aircraft always
available.” Intense 60-hour
workweeks with stops around
the state may be a great excuse to
pilot something exciting in
South Dakota’s fleet, whether
King Air 200 or Seneca, but Rounds, age
50, also possesses a more personal agenda:
“As a kid all I wanted when I grew up was
to be a pilot,” says the 2,000-hour commercial- and multi-rated flyer who earned his
private license at 17 and today relaxes –
when he can – by reading aviation books and
magazines. Says Rounds: “Even back in seventh grade when I’d check books out of the
Jr. High library on how a wing works, it was
all so fascinating!” Back then the passionate
Civil Air Patrol cadet also was absorbing an
56 Flying Adventures August 2005
awe for politics that was learned partly at the
knee of his father, Don, who served in a variety of South Dakota government positions,
among them Director of Highway Safety.But
the oldest of Don Rounds’s 11 children living
with the family in Pierre, the state capital,
distinguished himself again and again as he
grew – especially when after a successful
insurance career (Rounds is founding direc-
tor of Fischer Rounds and Associates, Inc.)
his own political ambitions took off.
Consider his wins: First, in 1990, to the
South Dakota state legislature; then, re-elections in 1992, 1994, 1996, and 1998; finally,
in 2002, there was the Republican
Gubernatorial Primary victory – said to be
“one of South Dakota’s greatest political
upsets” – that led him to become the state’s
31st governor. This was quite a thrill for the
1977 graduate of South Dakota State
University who enjoys, according to a Survey
USA poll, the second highest approval rating
of the nation’s 50 governors, second only to
John Hoeven of North Dakota.
“I didn’t bad mouth anyone” in any campaign, explains Rounds of his favor with voters. My style always has been “a matter of
sticking to the issues and talking the challenges we have, the things I want to do.”
Like the warrior Crazy Horse, whose vision
– and war parties – were committed to preserving the traditions
and values of the Lakota (though
in 1876 it cost General George A.
Custer’s entire 7th Cavalry, down
to the last soldier), Rounds wants
to do a lot on behalf of South
Dakotans. Not through war parties, of course, but through hard
work. Through fun. Through flying? You bet!
Never mind his desire to
make South Dakota’s air fields
super user-friendly, GPSapproach equipped and the like.
Focus less on his enthusiasm for
excellent air access to South
Dakota’s 100-plus premier hunting and wilderness lodges. Think
instead that Rounds, a devoted
husband and father of four whose
eldest son, Chris, has upheld
family tradition by earning his
pilot’s license, is jazzed by the job
he has of bringing to bear upon
the state the aviation passions
that dwell so nearly and dearly to his heart.
“We have saved (the state) $780,000 in
travel time, expenses and overtime just by
‘airplane pooling’ and having staff replace
driving with flying,” Rounds says. Among
the government craft he pilots himself as
often as possible are two King Airs (200
and 90), a Navajo and a Seneca. “Keeping
employees out of cars is so efficient!”
Keeping himself airborne virtually every
other day also pays off on the happy
domestic front. “It is very, very important
to me to have a home life, a family life,”
says Rounds, who is a member of Saints
Peter and Paul Catholic Church as well as
a number of community service organizations such as The Elks and the Exchange
Club. “I gotta tell you, getting home is
truly appreciated after a 60-hour week. It is
nice to see (wife) Jean every night and the
kids early the next morning. Without an
aircraft I would have to spend much more
time away from my family but this way…”
Well, this way Rounds has more off-duty
time, too, to indulge his passion for that
South Dakota stunner, Custer State Park.
“It is such a beautiful, gentle place, and I
love it!” he says of the spectacular 71,000acre Black Hills wilderness area where
Custer in 1874 first found gold. “It has the
largest public buffalo herd in the world and
in spring and fall the colors are fabulous –
just gorgeous.” An avid pheasant hunter,
Rounds also escapes now and then to one of
South Dakota’s equally gorgeous preserves
where the game lodge pampers him to happiness. “The third Saturday of October, on
opening day of hunting season, you can’t
find a ramp available in the state,” he says of
the lodges’ popularity. This is a situation that
pleases the politician in him with its inflow
of tourism dollars. The sportsman in him
jumps for joy as well. “I love the season after
Thanksgiving when the weather is fabulous,
the birds are wily and the shooting is the
best,” he says. And what of fishing the marvelous Missouri River, which bisects South
Dakota into the sweet grass prairie and livestock lands of “East River” and the dramatic
Black Hills of “West River”? “For walleye
there is nothing better,” says Rounds, who
also is something of an enthusiastic fixture
around the new Sutton Place Golf Club on
beautiful Lake Oahe in Agar, SD.
The good life of the hard-working governor has a lot to do with the once upon a time
boy within who long before public service
entertained a fascination. From the earliest
time, “if I could take a toy airplane and find
a way to make it fly, with a rubber band or
whatever,” he says. “I always loved aviation.” Now the boy grown is in a position to
make larger, more weighty and worldly
things fly – an adequate state infrastructure
for emergency air services, for instance. But
he has not lost any of the thrill or the wonder or the fun of those rubber band years.
“To get up there in a quick, sleek Mooney or
a Seneca and feel free? Oh,” he says, “There
is nothing better.” Nothing better at all.
Tailwinds toward a job well done,
Mr. Governor: Rounds at
work in the cockpit (above)
and at leisure (below)
Flying Adventures August 2005 57
Fabulous FBOs
Las Vegas
Great Escapes
Your Best Bet FBO
Astronomical Wow
San Agustin Plains, New Mexico
Golf the Audubon Trail
New Orleans, Louisiana
Island Sublime
Little Torch Key, Florida
As intriguing as Stonehenge, the 27 radio
antennas splayed across the plains west
of Socorro, New Mexico are an awe to
one and all. Called the Very Large Array,
this national radio astronomy observatory
makes its business the study of wonderful
things. Like? Like Galaxy M81’s newly
discovered supernova. Like gamma ray
bursts, the planet Uranus, and the neutron star some 50,000 light years from
Earth that in 2004 caused a to-do with
its wild doings. In short, the Very Large
Array reveals a cosmos invisible to even
the most powerful optical telescopes.
To cruise through its Visitors Center is to
enter a world where space and time –
and life – are thoughts to entertain with
fascination. www.via.nrao.edu
(505) 835-7243.
The bayous of Louisiana once proved dizzying inspiration for John James Audubon,
who famously sketched the birds found here.
Now, the same marshy tidal lands that
impressed the artist can move golfers to similar ecstasies. The Audubon Golf Trail, a
serious of 10 courses that include the newest
– the Tournament Players Club of Louisiana,
only 15 minutes from New Orleans’s French
Quarter – winds its way through 189 holes
of utterly wonderful play. From Audubon
Park Executive course’s 81 tree-lined acres
along scenic St. Charles Avenue, accessible
by streetcar, to Gray Plantation’s artfully
landscaped challenge among 60 acres of
lakes along the Calcasieu River, the
Audubon Trail’s great, great golf is Louisiana
at its most intriguing and beautiful – in the
tradition of Audubon himself.
www.audubongolf.com (866) 248-4852.
Just 28 watery miles east of Key West
lies an island Shangri-la among hundreds of Jamaican coconut palms that
is accessed only by boat or float plane.
The Little Palm Island Resort & Spa
is worlds away from the mainland,
indeed, with its romantic thatchedroof bungalows, its white sand beach,
its array of all-day play. Snorkel,
kayak or scuba at Looe Kay National
Marine Sanctuary; dive the wreck of
the Adolphus Busch; sail or cruise the
Atlantic’s crystal waters. Kick back
after that with a Balinese massage, a
cocktail in the exotic Monkey Hut
Lounge, and dinner on the terrace
above the beach, where key deer and
songbirds visit. This luxury hideaway
is Little Palm luscious – an escape to
not dream of, but take. www.litlepalm
island.com (800) 343-8567.
FBO in the know: Sure, there are fields
perhaps closer to the Very Large Array,
but why alight there when in
Albuquerque, NM there is Double
Eagle II (AEG) and its oh-so-wonderful
West Mesa Aviation & Jet Center?
These are the people who specialize
in "fast turns, full tanks and lunch in
less than 30 minutes." The people whose
jet and line service, overnight hangars,
and generous discounts for Jet A fuel
are a boast. Add the awesome biscuits
and gravy and breakfast burrito of
Shannon’s Prop Wash Café, and the
preferred rates West Mesa gets you at
local hotels, and you know? This FBO
is the place to go. www.where2fly.com
(866) 475-3390.
58 Flying Adventures August 2005
FBO in the know: At Louis Armstrong
New Orleans Int’l Airport (MSY), the cobblestone streets of New Orleans’s historic
French Quarter are closer than close. Why?
Because Signature Flight Support is so committed to super-speedy service that there will
be no on-ground dawdling, not if GM Ronald
Crouch can help it. Signature’s storied dedication – to skilled front-line techs, a state-ofthe-art facility, and a host of complimentary
niceties from ice to Internet to aircraft cleaning – is in large supply at MSY. The FBO’s
24-hour camera surveillance and unique
security program, as well as its nifty fuelsavings deals, mean Louis Armstrong and
Signature sing a happy tune together…for
you. www.bba-aviation.com (504) 468-7722.
FBO in the know: Land at Key West
International (EYW) and get it in
quickly: the visit to Hemingway House,
where “Papa” lived 20 years and wrote
a number of his tomes. Then when
you get back to Island City Flying
Service, you’ll feel more free leisurely
to enjoy its charms. With no parking
fee for overnight and an A&P mechanic
at your beckon, this full-service FBO
will fix you up more than fine for
your trip to Little Palm Island. Whether
it’s a car or Ramada (3 miles from the
airport), a boat or floatplane you desire,
Island City Flying is the Key West contact
to call. (305) 296-5422.
Exceptional & Efficient Service
For ALL Aircraft
The
Two Blocks from Vegas Strip
Courtesy Transportation To & From Your Hotel
Executive Concierge Service
Jet A • 100LL • Ramp • Tie-Down • Hangars
Maintenance • Avionics • Supplies
Las Vegas
Executive
Air Terminal
702-736-1830
fax: 702-597-9181
Beautiful Passenger Lounge, Pilots Lounge,
Snooze Room and Showers
lambrogio@lasvegasfbo.com
www.lasvegasfbo.com
800-726-2810
Fabulous FBOs
Service that Rates
Maui Magic
Hana, Hawaii
Cattle Drive in Style
Libby, Montana
Fantastical Gardens
Wayne, Pennsylvania
Lush. Secluded. Beautiful. The enchanted east coast of Maui is a romantic’s fantasy – the Hotel Hana-Maui makes sure of
it. For more than 40 years this plantationstyle retreat of coast-side cottage suites,
Honua Spa and full complement of outdoor activities has put the aloha – and
how – into the best of Hana escapes.
From James Michener’s "most perfect crescent beach in the Pacific" nearby to Ohe’o
Gulch’s seven sacred pools – and all the
hiking, horseback riding and Jeep excursions through magical bamboo forest in
between – Hotel Hana-Maui pampers the
leis off romantics wooed to the moon by
its dining sublime, phone- and TV-free
rooms (whose views are Hawaiian heaven)
and many blissful exclusives.
www.hotelhanamaui.com (800) 321-4262.
For a true True West experience, the
McGinnis Meadows Ranch in northwest
Montana is where wranglers most worth
their Stetsons head. Homesteaded in the
1890s, this working cattle ranch on
75,000 spectacular acres surrounding the
Lost Trail Wildlife Refuge is pure dude
ranching delight. All levels of rider in
intimate 20-guests-per-week retreats finetune their Brannaman (i.e., "horse whisperer") style of horsemanship while kicking back ultra-comfortably in Amish
handcrafted log cabins loaded with lavish
amenities. In the lodge, a roaring fire,
reading loft of 500 Western novels, and
dynamite ranch fixin’s like tender ribs
and brandied pecan pie (also try the
plate-size pancakes with wild Montana
huckleberries) make time spent out of the
saddle as swell as the hours spent happily
in. www.mmgranch.net (406) 293-5000.
It is said to be one of the most interesting
and edgy gardens in America, a splendor
of flora that is “beauty without bureaucracy.” Stroll through the Chanticleer Garden
outside Philadelphia and let its pleasures
envelope you. It is a surprise around every
turn with thousands of bulbs, orchards of
flowering trees, woods of native wildflowers, and pots and plots of exotic groundcovers, grasses and sweet-smelling herbs:
Thirty-five acres’ worth. From the
Chanticleer mansion, a wedding gift to
the estate’s one-time mistress, to such
outdoor wonders as the Water Garden, a
magnificent tableau of ponds and fall fruit
trees and flowers, this is pleasure gardensas-art. A horticultural experience to
delight all who find joy in beauty, both
cultivated and wild. www.chanticleer
garden.org (610) 687-4163.
FBO in the know: Hard by the Kootenai
Atlantic Aviation. When it puts its mind
to expanding its family by designing a
new facility, it wants some wow in the
outcome. Witness its newish child at
Philadelphia Int’l Airport (PHL). This
state-of-the-art home away from home for
Philly-bound flyers features two 24,000sq-ft hangars among its pretty swanky
assets. Atlantic’s 24-hour TLC here
include sit all – luxe pilot lounge to fine
line service to executive meeting space –
and when it comes to everything from
catering to concierge care, “the Atlantic
Attitude” prevails. In a word, it’s AllAbout-You. www.atlanticaviation.com
(215) 492-7060.
FBO in the Know: To Air Service Hawaii’s
president Bob Fraker, a pilot’s flight support experience should be seamless, the
service world-class, and the house specialty Mai Tai mixed without delay.
Which is why his crew at Kahului Airport
(PHOG) in Kahului, HI rallies round the
"ready when you are" flag to deliver on
Bob’s promise. A traditional lei greeting;
full-service fueling, catering, weather –
the works; and custom concierge care
characterize Air Service Hawaii. Arrange
for a car so you can drive the spectacular
road to Hana (and the Hotel Hana-Maui),
one of the 10 most beautiful drives in
North America, and just watch Bob’s
promise in action. www.airservice
hawaii.com (800) 578-8405.
60 Flying Adventures August 2005
National Forest’s glorious two million
acres of amazing hiking, camping, fishing
and other classic Montana fun, the Libby
Airport (S59) and its Mountain West
Flying Services welcomes all flyers with a
smile. Hangars, tie-downs and all manner of services – aircraft maintenance to
courtesy rides – do the meet-and-greet
with unparalleled style. After all, with
90-mile Kootenai River sharing its neighborhood, the river famous for its worldrecord 33-pound (and then some) rainbow trout, Mountain West has many reasons besides its snazzy service to operate
with pride. (406) 293-9776.
FBO in the know: Gotta hand it to
Got a Great Destination
in your Logbook?
Let Us Know
editor@FlyingAdventures.com
Fly-In Favorites
Definitely Destin
Florida’s Emerald Coast Gem
Rush and Reed McKelvey are doubly loving
life. Not only do the identical twins share the
fun of their new Cirrus SR20-G2, but the
Dadeville, Alabama brothers, 35, also have a
gem of a destination they thrill to fly it to:
Destin, Florida.
Ah, the Emerald Coast. White sand
beaches. The world’s “luckiest” fishing village. Scuba and sailing; jet boating and golf.
“It’s awesome!” says Reed, who with his
brother owns Dadeville’s McKelvey
Chevrolet. Rush agrees: “In a 50-minute
flight we’re at the condo at the beach, having
oysters, watching the porpoises…” And
blissfully chilling, he might add, in northwest Florida’s most upscale and fastest-growing vacation destination.
Broad and beautiful Chocatawhatchee
Bay flows into the Gulf of Mexico; here
Destin dazzles the brothers McKelvey like
nothing else. Not like close-to-home’s Lake
Martin, where Rush, a 200-hour pilot currently IFR training, met his wife, Lisa. And
not like Talladega, AL, where Reed, also a
200-hour pilot currently IFR training, loves
some fast NASCAR action. Destin’s a delight,
they say, because besides October’s monthlong, world-class fishing extravaganza, the
Destin Fishing Rodeo (www.destinfishingrodeo.com), this harbor-side resort is all
about wonderful watersport. Hobie Cat,
Wave Runner, jet boat, jet ski, speedboat
62 Flying Adventures August 2005
and parasailing fun pervades the bay; Destin
Watertoys (850.837.7755) provides the
gear. Pontoon boats are oh-so-popular for
floating parties in the back bays; Adventure
Pontoon Rentals (850.837.3041) outfits the
revelers. And the scuba? Out of this world.
Scuba Tech Diving Charters (www.scubatechnwfl.com) makes Destin’s glittering
underwater wonderworld accessible.
To Rush and Reed there is nothing finer
than flying the Cirrus in for a little – or a lot
– of all this. When in 2004 the twins became
pilots, and that same year bought the parachute-equipped, leather-luxe SR-20, the
brothers were thinking ahead. “We knew we
wanted to keep flying this airplane,” says
Rush, who admits work stress takes its toll.
“It will keep us young. It’s just so simple, so
fun to fly that all that stress stuff just rolls
right.” Right, says Reed. “It spoils you!”
Stress-busting is best, say the lookalike
McKelveys, with Destin.
Excellent golf at gorgeous Emerald Bay
Golf Club (www.emeraldbaydestin.com).
Nearby, the picturesque village – and hideaway – of Seaside. And, at the imposing
Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort
(www.sandestin.com), where 81 holes of
golf, lagoons, and marina keep the R&R
coming, there is dining at the elegant
Elephant Walk restaurant (followed perhaps
by a cigar and cognac upstairs at the swanky
Governor’s Attic). What could be more sublime? For the oyster-mad twins there is AJ’s
Seafood & Oyster Bar, where raw or steamed
Apalechicola oysters headline, and at
Cooper Grill, an amazing steak fondue.
For the brothers McKelvey, all this is the
prize for working hard and well at the auto
dealership their father founded (one in
sales, the other in service – jobs every two
years they swap). So with their wives and
three children each – plus the hunting dogs
who fly along – they zip the Cirrus to the
Emerald Coast often. “Destin is just beautiful,” says Rush. “Crystal-clear water, white,
white beaches…” And more. There is shopping (the 120 upscale Silver Sands Factory
Stores). Park-going (Eden Gardens State
Park (www.floridastateparks.org/edengardens)). And there is romance: an overnight
and lavish Southern breakfast on the veranda at beautiful Henderson Park Inn
(www.hendersonparkinn.com).Then there
is swimming, sunning and sailing, like
aboard the schooner Nathaniel Bowditch
(www.bowditchsailing.com).
Really, “it is awesome!” says Reed
McKelvey, or is it Rush? Either way, these
brothers share more than identical looks. It
is Destin – in the Cirrus – that they are
convinced will keep them young.
Visit www.destinfwb.com for further Destin
travel details.
Animals • Landscapes • Aerials
Limited Edition Fine Art Photographs
Hand Printed • Double Matted • Signed & Numbered
626.618.4000
w w w. F l y i n g A d v e n t u r e s . c o m / p h o t o g r a p h y
Adventure Logbook
Great Go-To Destinations
DATE: ASAP!
AIRCRAFT TYPE: Cessna, Piper, Mooney,
Beechcraft, Learjet, Gulfstream or any bird
with wings
ROUTE FROM: Here
TO: There & Everywhere
CONDITIONS OF FLIGHT: Always exciting!
REMARKS: In the world of airborne adventure, there are some destinations that simply trip the fun fantastic. Exciting, romantic
or just plain packed with loads of great
things to see and cool things to do, these are
the places that beckon fly! And some,
whether resort or spa or golf course; inn or
restaurant or winery, call us to the throttle
not just once but again and again. These are
the destinations that – hey, let’s be honest –
readers of Flying Adventures flip for. So, go
ahead, flip. Then promptly prep those props
and rev those jets: great flying adventures
await at the following beckoning places …
as well as at www.FlyingAdventures.com:
64 Flying Adventures August 2005
CA – Palm Springs
“America’s foremost desert resort,” as Palm
Springs was dubbed back in 1936, is in the
midst of a party: it’s a wingding, a fling, a wonderful what-have-you with the architectural
movement so dear to every aviator’s heart:
Modernism. It’s the mirage made real of
California dreamers, golf resort schemers and
the elite of Hollywood’s Golden Age. The
place Palm Springs Life touted as “the sandbox
of society where sophisticates go Native!
See the full story in the Oct/Nov 2004
issue or visit www.FlyingAdventures.com
Flying Adventures August 2005 65
Let’s Go Flying
A World of Fly-In Fun
The Wizard of Crater Lake
Wizard Island, a surfacing cone
from the 1,932' depths of Crater
Lake in southwestern Oregon.
Photo by Michael Higgins
Science, beauty, adventure: what more could you ask of life?
Aviation combined all the elements I love. There is science in each curve of an airfoil,
in each angle between strut and wire... freedom in the unlimited horizon,
and the open fields where one landed. A pilot is surrounded by beauty of earth and sky.
He brushed treetops with the birds, leapt valleys and rivers,
explored the cloud canyons he had gazed at as a child. Adventure lay in each puff of wind.
I began to feel that I lived on a higher plane than the skeptics of the ground.
–Charles A. Lindbergh
66 Flying Adventures August 2005
Join us!
$25 One Year • $40 Two Years • www.FlyingAdventures.com/subscribe
Or send your name, address and check to Box 93613, Pasadena, CA 91109-3613
Get Published! Tell us about your Fly-In Favorite destination
Email us at Radio@FlyingAdventures.com or call 888-4-Pilots (474-5687)
Advertise in Flying Adventures
Email us at Advertise@FlyingAdventures.com or call 800-4-Pilots (474-5687)
w w w . F ly i n g A d v e n t u r e s . c o m