Fly George's Stinson to Lubbock

Just after takeoff from Fort Collins with the Rocky Mountains in the background.

A pretty day to be flying the Stinson.

Stinson-103 with the Rocky Mountains the the background near Longmont Colorado.

Off the right wingip.

Raton pass is ahead.

George sold his Stinson-103 N97383 to a gentleman in Lubbock Texas. We happened to run into each at the FNL airport when the buyer and another were up for a pre-purchase inspection with an A&P. The buyer did not have his pilots license yet and was planning on getting most of his training in the Stinson. (I learned in an Aeronca Champ and so definitely approve of this.) George would therefore transport the Stinson to Lubbock. I said to George, "If you need a ride back from Lubbock let me know." The rest is all recorded in the pictures here.

We flew down as a flight of two, handed off the Stinson, had dinner, and then returned in my airplane. It was a little bit of a long day but it was also one of the most fun flights that I have had in a long time. I really enjoyed it. I only wish I could have logged some time in the Stinson before it left. Oh well. Maybe next time.

George says that I should include this funny story that happened on the trip. At the end of five hours of flying we got flight following into Town & Country Airpark from Lubbock approach. George calls in to Lubbock Approach, requests flight following and reports us as a flight of two. Approach asks, a flight of two what? He was just a little tired and busy trying to navigate then and the reply came, "Two airplanes." I in the number two position was laughing hysterically at this point because I knew this was not what they wanted to hear. Approach simply asked again calmly, "A flight of what type of airplanes?" :-) It all worked out fine.

Flying back that night we were almost virtual IMC even in the clear weather due to being over the black night "abyss" of the panhandles of Texas and Oklahoma. Venus was bright to the left and played havoc with my senses. Flight Service had given us a clear weather report for the entire route. But just the same at our altitude we "poofed" through some cloud tuffs, otherwise invisible, making me apprehensive. Even in the clear weather we needed the instruments due to the lack of natural horizon. George was rock solid on the instruments in my Cessna. It must have been a couple of years flying the Stinson but he was much better than I at flying the gauges. I spelled him for a bit and I wondered around the sky not a small amount. I was quite impressed with George's instrument skills.