Maybe it is simply winter “cabin fever”. Maybe the adult beverage at hand is the cause. But sitting by the fireside, dreaming about summer flying, and this is what I’ve got. I am pipe-dreaming a plan to fly the Mother Road, from near Chicago to near L.A. It is a total of about 2,000 nm. Just flying to the starting point near Chicago represents the longest distance I will have ever flown - by a wide margin! Big deal, you say? So, let’s add another criteria… landing and taking off only from grass or dirt or gravel strips. And how about (maybe) adding a tent camping element? Or at least being ready for that eventuality. Now, let’s visit some of the many abandoned / ghost towns along the way?
So I’ve put together a kmv layer in ForeFlight to display this route, and I can investigate the mostly private, un-paved strips, all along the way. I’ve begun compiling a list of landing strips of more than 2,000 feet long, contact names, phone numbers, etc. I’m going to call or contact each and every one of them to see what the prospects are for getting some fuel. And a tent spot. Not many of these private strips have 100LL fuel available for transients. So this will require some creative planning.
Feel free to chime in with comments, suggestions or elements of your own pipe dream related to this trip. Or maybe you’ve thought about doing something like this, too? Oh well, time to throw another log on the fire. And fill my empty tumbler. Perhaps, more postings later this winter.
So I’ve put together a kmv layer in ForeFlight to display this route, and I can investigate the mostly private, un-paved strips, all along the way. I’ve begun compiling a list of landing strips of more than 2,000 feet long, contact names, phone numbers, etc. I’m going to call or contact each and every one of them to see what the prospects are for getting some fuel. And a tent spot. Not many of these private strips have 100LL fuel available for transients. So this will require some creative planning.
Feel free to chime in with comments, suggestions or elements of your own pipe dream related to this trip. Or maybe you’ve thought about doing something like this, too? Oh well, time to throw another log on the fire. And fill my empty tumbler. Perhaps, more postings later this winter.
