A Rare Flying Opportunity

Over the course of the past three months, I've had plenty of spare time. Of course, without income, spare time doesn't yield too many flying opportunities. As of February 5th, it had been 90 days since being at the controls of an aircraft. 90 days is kind of a milestone. It meant I was no longer current. In order to be current again, I would need 3 take offs and landings and figured the next chance to get current would be at the new job.

Now, back a few weeks. My father has had a rough ordeal involving his eyesight over the past several years. It all came to a conclusion a few weeks ago with some pretty major surgery. I decided to go and visit my parents for a few days before heading overseas for an extended period of time.

While deciding the best date to go, my friend and former co-worker Mark invited me to go flying with him when I came out to Arizona. He needed someone to fly to California with him in his personal V-tail Bonanza. So on top of a nice visit with my parents there would be an opportunity to get back in an airplane.

I headed over to Phoenix for a jam packed trip full of family, friends, flying, Mexican food and In 'N Out Burgers. The first night, I enjoyed dinner with one of my oldest friends. Day two, I spent enjoying the company of my parents and seeing Slumdog Millionaire (highly recommended) with my mother.

On day three, I headed over to Deer Valley airport where the 1967 V35 Bonanza is stored. It was time to go flying with a CFI and get signed off in the Bonanza. There was a special flying event for physically challenged children going on, which was great. But between that and flight school traffic, it took almost 2 hours on the Hobbs to complete the checkout. By the final landing the weather had deteriorated and the winds were kicking, but all I could think about was how much fun it was to be back in a light aircraft.

I have to say, I love this plane. Even though the all of 42 years old, it flies nice and tight, like it was built yesterday. The Continental IO-520 engine started without the slightest protest and its full complement of IFR avionics work flawlessly. The interior is gorgeous and the leather still smells new. It's obvious how well Mark maintains his Bonanza.

The previous owner was a character named Tex Earnhardt, Arizona car dealer with the slogan "NO BULL". With more money than taste, the man puts his giant bull horn logo on everything and this poor Bonanza was no exception.

Even though the logo has been removed, years of oxidation left a giant "Tex" stain on the side that won't rub out. Only new paint will erase it. "And that ain't NO BULL!"

We put the plane back in the hangar with plans to take it to Yucca Valley, California the next day...if the weather was going to cooperate.

On the way back, my phone rang and it was a friend who will be working with me at the new job in the Middle East. Travis happens to live in Phoenix. Once he found out that we were planning on a trip to California in the Bonanza the next day, he told me that the V-tail Bonanza is his favorite aircraft. One call and he was invited to join us the next day...if the weather...

Sunday rolled around and the weather looked dismal. A check of the weather said our best chance was to depart Deer Valley around 2 p.m. Ceilings were about 5,000 broken. So our plan was to fly VFR at 4,500 feet...not the most efficient altitude but for three guys itching to go flying it was perfect.

We had a pretty strong tailwind, so the trip took a little over 2 hours. On the plus side, flying low provided for some pretty spectacular views. It was really neat to see things like the huge CAP pumping stations built in to the side of the San Jacinto mountains. It was also cool to see Joshua Tree National Park from the air. Joshua Trees are pretty amazing things.

The ceiling came down as we turned north towards Yucca Valley and we got some close up views of the surrounding foothills. The airport has a single runway 4300x60' runway with no taxiway. The surface is pretty deteriorated. We entered on the upwind and came in on 24. The winds were pretty gusty, but Mark's landing was picture perfect.

We taxied over to parking and met up with an interesting guy named Glen Porter. Glen is a retired Marine with a background in airport management. With more degrees than you can shake a stick at, this guys is full of knowledge. His latest venture is working with metal. He customer manufactures weather vanes to match just about any aircraft you can imagine. Mark had ordered one a few months ago and this trip was to pick up the finished product in person.

Here's a photo. It doesn't justify the craftsmanship. For example, the prop and spinner is custom made, precision balanced and has commercial grade bearings to keep it spinning flawlessly for years. It really is a beautiful piece of work.


The lighting doesn't do the copper finish justice. The welds are nearly invisible, the copper finish is gorgeous and the price was very reasonable. Here's a link to his site.

The brief intermission in the weather that allowed us to slip over there was coming to an end rather quickly, so we jumped in the plane and headed back to Deer Valley. We had a nice tailwind on the way back, giving us about a 200 knot ground speed. We got back to Deer Valley just before sunset and had a nice dinner at Macaroni Grill.

One of the things I've enjoyed most about getting in to aviation is the friends I have made along the way. Some through training, some through work and many right through this blog. It's experiences like these that make flying so enjoyable.

Here are a few more photos from this trip:

Ain't she pretty? (the plane)

Downwind for Yucca Valley Runway 24

This picture doesn't do justice for how beautiful the moon looked.

The Moon Valley area of Phoenix as we returned to to Deer Valley.

Many thanks to Mark for providing such a great aircraft for us to fly and to Travis for providing the photos. I can't wait to do it again some time soon.