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| DATE : Sunday, July 27th, 2003 | TIME : 07:30 (12:30 ZULU) |
| FROM : San Antonio International Airport (KSAT) | TO : Llano Municipal Airport (6R9) |
| FLIGHT TIME (Total) : 1.6 hours | AIRCRAFT : 2000 Cessna Skyhawk SP |
| TERMINAL AREA FORECAST (TAF) : Not recorded. |
| METAR (Weather Observed) :
Weather was clear with 10 miles or more visibility. During the flight, cloud formation began to occur at around 3,500 feet. By the time we left Llano at around 12:30pm, a scattered layer of clouds were present at 4,000 feet. |
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Cooper's Bar-B-Que. Never before had I launched on a flight with such a singular purpose. Cousin Joey and I were eager to experience the restaurant that was a frequent subject of hangar discussions about flying into Llano Municipal Airport. On a previous visit to Llano with my wife, I remember us being greeted by a nice gentleman on a golf cart who said politely, "How you folks doing? Heading into town for some Cooper's BBQ?". During that trip, a small timeframe on my aircraft rental prevented us from taking him up on the offer. It was time to reverse this previous sin and Joey was ready, willing and able...
Our bird for this trip was Skyhawk 614SP, one of several fine aircraft available for rental at the International Flight Center (IFC). IFC is my new base of operations since the abrupt and disappointing bankruptcy of Stinson Air Center (the FBO where I learned to fly). IFC is based at San Antonio International Airport(KSAT). As a result, I'm getting some great experience mixing it up with the "big iron". It is also great to be back in one of Cessna's Skyhawk SP's. The SP stands for "Special Performance" and on the takeoff run and climb, you can really feel the difference compared to the R models. We departed KSAT and climbed to 2,500 feet, heading northwest towards Fredericksburg, Texas. It was a nice change to stay at a lower altitude and enjoy the gorgeous views of the Texas Hill Country passing below us. There were no deadlines, no rush. Just a relaxing, 90 knot VFR experience (we had the 'Hawk throttled back to about 2000 RPM). It was just a few minutes before our departure that Joey had discovered that I'd left all of the 8mm tapes for his camcorder at home in my closet. We decided we'd enjoy the view on the way out and just pick up a tape in Llano. As we passed over Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, Joey captured some images of the massive granite monolith using my wife's Canon G2 digital camera. We vowed a return to "The Rock" on our way back, armed with a fresh 8mm tape! Cumulous clouds started to dot the sky as we made our approach and landing at Llano Municipal Airport. We arrived just a little after 11am, concluding a 54 minute flight from San Antonio. We were greeted by a nice gentleman who gave us a quick hop in a golf cart to the office. A few minutes later, we were driving a "City of Llano" marked Ford Crown Victoria - the airport's courtesy car - on our way to Cooper's. The car's cold A/C was a welcome respite from the stifling heat. Temperatures were already in the lower 90's. The drive to Cooper's is a short one, a left turn from the airport onto Highway 16 followed by a right turn at the first light (I believe this is Highway 29). Fortunately we beat the crowd and waited behind a couple of folks for our chance at the main pit. At Cooper's, you select your meat(s) outside in the pit area. You'll find a wide selection and as a first time visitor, you're almost certainly doomed to ordering too much ("Let me have one of those...and one of those.....mmm...that looks good...one of THOSE too..."). All in all, Joey and I managed to select about $25.00 worth of meat between the two of us. I had a half link of sausage and half a sirloin steak while Joey went exotic and had what I could only describe as a RACK OF GOAT. Your meat selections are dunked in a vat of BBQ sauce before being slapped on a tray and ready for you to take indoors for preparation. Inside, the friendly folks at Cooper's cut the meat into bite sized morsels. At this point, and moments before the feast begins, you realize you have ordered enough meat for six people!! All is not lost, however, since the folks at Cooper's BBQ have thought about this possibility. A few feet away, you have the tools you need to wrap up your meat and take some home for leftovers (which we did)! An hour or so later, Joey and I stumbled out of Cooper's. We were fat and happy and wondering just how we were going to fit in the trusty 'Hawk for our trip back home. We departed Cooper's just as the lunch crowd hit and remembered that we needed to purchase that 8mm tape for Joey's camcorder. A tiny Radio Shack was the answer and it wasn't long before we were climbing out of Llano for our return trip. With the video camera back in the game, Joey captured some great video of our return to Enchanted Rock. We said hello to the cumulous clouds about 1,000 feet above us and noticed a few towering cumulous clouds had joined the ensemble. This resulted in a bumpy ride back to San Antonio. Not at all unexpected mind you, but not exactly what the doctor ordered for the two bloated carnivores trying to make their way home. Before long, we were back on the ground at IFC. We thanked Skyhawk 614SP for the dependable service and promised ourselves that a combination of 95 degree temperatures, a bumpy atmosphere and great BBQ may not necessarily be the recipe for bliss! Thanks to the great crew out at Cooper's BBQ. We really enjoyed the visit and the food was extraordinary! |
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