Brian's place: Pancakes and Skyhawks

As summer comes to an end so does the pancake fly-in season. The pancake fly-in is probably as old of an idea as the airplane itself. Airplanes and food seem to go hand in hand as far as pilots are concerned. Maybe it is because we view them both as necessity. To a pilot the only thing better than airplanes and food is airplanes and free food. What a perfect justification for owning a small airplane. Never mind that it costs 10 times in gas what a short stack would cost at the local IHOP. Details like costs are unimportant and best left undisclosed, especially with our spouses. What is important is the opportunity to share some good food with good folks who share a similar passion.

The weekend of September 22nd saw me participate in my first pancake fly-in. I know I know, I have been flying for many years now and it is just now that I am going to a fly-in. I have recently rediscovered my pilots license and have promised to put it to good use from now on. Cessna Aircraft Company sponsored their 2^nd annual fly-in pancake breakfast at their Independence, Kansas factory. The Independence factory is the home to the 172 Skyhawk which is exactly the plane I would be flying to the event.

This would be a solo trip and would be the farthest I have ever flown cross-country. The trip checked in at just over 450 nautical miles one way. Depending on winds I figured the trip would be between 3 ½ and 4 ½ hours. I planned it as a non-stop flight but a stiff headwind might require a precautionary fuel stop somewhere along the route.

I filed an Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) flightplan. Continuing with the theme of flying firsts this would be my first solo IFR flight since getting my instrument rating. Heeding the advice of people wiser than me I chose a beautiful sunny day for my first instrument trip. I would be busy enough without having to deal with weather as well.

Evidently I picked a busy time to depart because ATC took me north about 40 miles before ever turning me on course to the east. Nobody said IFR was always efficient. ATC did make up for taking me so far north as once they turned me east they cleared me direct to Goodland, KS and then direct to Independence. Combine this with the 30 knot tailwind I was getting and things were turning out nicely for this trip.

If you have ever drove across Kansas, you probably understand just how painful that can be. Flying across Kansas is not much better but it is mercifully faster. Time went quickly enough and before long I could see the Independence airport in the distance.

Not easy to get good pictures flying eastbound in the morning

Kansas flatlands

My first IFR flight was winding up very nicely. Overall it was very smooth and ATC did not throw anything at me that I could not handle. Even the brief times that I was not under radar coverage I handled like a pro and made the mandatory reports as needed. Only as I approached Independence did the trip suffer it's first hiccup. After passing through the Wichita area I was handed off to Kansas City Center and it took about 9 tries to get them to acknowledge me. I was just about to revert to the previously assigned frequency when they finally responded. They acknowledged the handoff but failed to give me any type of descent into the Independence area so I was extremely high when I got to the airport. Not being sure if it was because I did something wrong or an oversight by ATC I decided to cancel IFR and do some descending 360’s over a nearby lake to get down to pattern altitude of 1600 feet.

After a normal landing and a short taxi I tied down outside the FBO and requested fuel. One less thing to do in the morning and I expect there will be quite a demand for fuel from all the fly-in traffic. It is not normal to fly-in the night before a pancake fly-in but then again it’s not normal to travel 450 miles for pancakes either. John and Martha King of the King Schools have already reserved the courtesy vehicle so I am left take a cab to my hotel in town. Independence has quite a reputation for a raging nightlife so it is hard to resist the temptation but I do. A quick dinner and a little television and I am fast asleep.

Cessna's Independence Factory

John and Martha King's Falcon 10

The photo below from flightaware.com shows my flight from Rocky Mountain Metro (KBJC) to Independence Municipal Airport (KIDP). FlightAware is a fascinating website that allows you to track any IFR flight from start to finish. In addition it maintains them for a period of time so if you recently took an airline trip you can bring it up on the website and see the routing you took. Pretty cool if you ask me.

The fly-in itself was very fun. Events kicked off around 0730 under cloudy skies. It had rained the night before and was still misting occasionally. The forecast called for it to clear quickly but I suspect the weather kept some folks home as the attendance numbers were down from the previous year. Cessna gave us a good look at the new Mustang jet, fed us a fantastic breakfast and gave us tours of the assembly line for the Mustang and the Skyhawk. As a benefit for the Kansas food bank they held some raffles for door prizes and I walked away with a very nice stadium blanket. Considering that summer was coming to an end and another Colorado winter is just around the corner I think I won the best prize.