Arty's Ultimate Ultralight Adventure

Wednesday, April 15

Income tax day - and it never entered my mind at all! There's something about this flight that keeps me focused...so focused that I've been forgetting to call in and get messages from my office line. Not good, if I want to have clients to come back to.

I find that I'm writing this blog the way some people journal - not feeling done for the day until I post in this blog.

This will be a short post, since it’s already way past my bedtime! When John and I got to the Deer Camp this morning, where Tom and Randy had spent the night, we discovered they’d been having a great time – picking blackberries by the creek, looking at the antiques at the camp, and playing the diggerdy do. (Tom’s a musician and after a bit of work, was able to get real sounds from it!

For those of you who are skeptical about Naugas and Bopotomouses, here’s John Bickham with a Nauga, and a newspaper article about them.

We took our time leaving since we wanted to meet up with Brad Rose at False River, only a 12 mile flight. John was concerned that with the bogginess of his strip, we wouldn’t be able to fly out fully loaded, so he took most of our gear in his truck to deliver to the False River Airport. I was relieved, since I had lost some sleep last night wondering if I’d be able to make it out of his strip without hitting the wires. As it was, I lifted off like a bird, but Randy had more difficulty. John was signaling him to abort the takeoff when Randy felt the Carrera finally gain the rpms needed – and he lifted off successfully. Tom had no problem getting out.

We fooled around in the air for a while, following the Mississippi north, then headed to False River. I had forgotten to turn on my SPOT, so it seemed that I was still at Nauga. Randy turned his SPOT off when he landed – and due to the way the SPOT works, it looked like his last place of contact was in the swamp – occasioning a concerned call from his wife!

We hadn’t been at False River long when in flew Brad. Three Drifters! What a treat.

It didn’t last long – Tom headed west back to Beaumont and Brad, Randy and I took off to the east, heading for Picayune, Mississippi. It was a lovely flight, over swamp

and gorgeous scenery

and even a housing development.

We landed at Picyune, MS to the welcome grins of Rory and Harolyn Davis, Mike Shalbetter, Tim, and a few others. We looked at my oil seepage, which has not only continued but gotten worse, and agreed that the man to take care of it is Ronnie Smith, who is known throughout the area for his wizardry with Rotax engines. Although my engine has been running incredibly well, with never a burble and great fuel burn, it just shouldn’t be leaking oil. So tomorrow morning I’ll fly over to Ronnie’s strip – about an hour east – and he’ll figure it out.

Michal invited us to dinner at his place for barbequed sausages and – for me and Brad, since no one else would touch them - a wonderful pot of boiled Cajun shrimp. Not everyone’s cup of tea, but Brad and I scarfed them down.

Then it was flight planning time. From left to right, you’re looking at me, Michael, Rory, Brad and Randy. Tomorrow, after we leave Ronnie’s, we’ll have a wonderful time flying the Florida coast.

Before we left, Rory wanted his picture taken with me and Randy, and we obliged.

And now, before I get into my sleeping bag at the FBO here at Picyune – a few of you wanted to see pictures of our instrument panels. Randy’s is the first picture; mine is the second.

Now it’s midnight – and I PROMISED myself I wouldn’t stay up this late again blogging. Obviously I don’t keep promises to myself as well as I keep them to others!