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| DATE : Sunday, August 4th, 2002 | TIME : 13:30 (18:30 ZULU) |
| FROM : Stinson Municipal Airport (KSSF) | TO : New Braunfels Municipal Airport (KBAZ) |
| FLIGHT TIME : 2.0 hours | AIRCRAFT : 1999 Cessna Skyhawk SP (C172S) |
| TERMINAL AREA FORECAST (TAF) : 10:00am CDT (1500Z): wind 110 degrees at 5 knots, visibility greater than 6 miles, 3,000 feet scattered, 25,000 feet scattered, 2:00pm CDT (1900Z): wind 110 degrees at 10 knots, visibility greater than 6 miles, scattered cumulonimbus at 6,000 feet, 25,000 feet broken |
| METAR (Weather Observed) :
San Antonio TX (Stinson Muni) [KSSF] hourly observation on the 4th at 9:53am CDT (1453Z), wind variable at 3 knots, visibility 10 miles, sky clear below 12,000 feet, temperature 27C (81F), dewpoint 21C (70F), altimeter 30.08 New Braunfels TX [KBAZ] automated hourly observation on the 4th at 9:51am CDT (1451Z), wind variable at 4 knots, visibility 10 miles, sky clear below 12,000 feet, temperature 27C (81F), dewpoint 20C (68F), altimeter 30.08 |
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Sunday afternoon, I shared the skies with Joey Hemming (m'cousin) and Josh. This was the first time Josh had flown in a small airplane, so it was my pleasure to introduce him to what "real" flying is like (compared to seeing the ground for 2 minutes as you take off in a 737 during a commercial flight).
Our plan included an overflight of Canyon Lake and a landing at New Braunfels Municipal Airport (KBAZ). The GPS unit in the plane we flew was not installed, so it was also a good lesson for me to concentrate on navigation using ground references, radio navigation aids and "dead reckoning" (where you plan that based on your speed and direction you should be over point X in Y minutes). Only a few clouds were present and we climbed to our cruise altitude of 3,500. It only took about 20-25 minutes for us to arrive over Canyon Lake (after departing an airport on the SOUTH side of San Antonio)! It would have been an even shorter trip but we decided to head east and then north to avoid the busy San Antonio controlled airspace and to scoot east of Randolph AFB. As we arrived at Canyon Lake I was once again shocked at the magnitude of the Flood of 2002. Canyon Lake, like Choke Canyon Reservoir, was huge - we could see green treetops and even a few rooftops totally or partially submerged by the lakes waters. The spillway was still alive and well. We circled the lake at 2,800-3,000ft and then headed back east/southeast to New Braunfels airport. After landing there, we escaped the MISERABLE heat and cooled off at the "Aviator's Cafe" where we had a soda and enjoyed the air conditioning and ceiling fans overhead. This was a fun flight. It felt really cool to be sitting in the restaurant and looking at "my" plane sitting outside the window!! Hope you enjoy the photos!! |
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