Close Our Flight Plans: Down Safely In Gaithersburg

---

---

Dick was up first, and had long since checked the weather and filed his final flight plan by the time Judy saw him at breakfast. The mood was low-key and intently focused. The weather was no problem. The briefers asked us whether we were familiar with the special procedures for flying in the Washington DC area. "Affirmative," we each replied. "We're based there." We were ready to be home, and called our friends and loved ones to let them know it wouldn't be long now.

Bob called up the Airport Cafe and told 'em to be ready for us.

It took two trips to ferry all the pilots in the courtesy car to the airport. Bill took Dick and Ruth first, and Dick scurried like a man on a mission to get moving and off. Bill went back to get Judy, Bob, and the remains of the luggage, and asked Judy to take a photo of the Super 8 as we pulled onto the road.

As the 172 and Cherokee crews readied, Ruth waved as Dick taxied for takeoff. Each pilot had set a slightly different route, and the two later-departing planes kept in touch on the air-to-air radio frequency trading position reports and exchanging information on where we found turbulence and how the clouds were. Within the first hour, in 624, Bill elected to descend below the scattered layer, deciding that we couldn't tell for sure whether the clouds were going to rise and thicken as we moved east. Bill and Judy bumped along in some mildly entertaining turbulence at 3,500 feet.

Faced with the same choice, Bob and Janice went up over top of the clouds to 11,200 feet and had a very smooth ride with strong tailwinds that pushed them to the screaming record ground speed of well over 150 miles an hour. Reported Bob, "On the last leg - Janice and I were at 12,500 for almost half an hour and we reached ground speeds of 156 Knots. We spent most of the time above 11,500."

We got handed off from one air traffic controller to the next, as we moved out of their ranges from west to east -- starting with Columbus Center, then Cleveland Center...and then the familiar voices of Washington Center. Home air space!

20300, with Dick and Ruth, came in first, just after noon local time. Bob and Janice brought in Cessna 172 next.

And the final wheels-down goes to Cherokee 624, the green-and-white low-wing airplane. The adventure was coming to a close, and we were closing on Gaithersburg. "Let me see if I remember how to land at Gaithersburg," Bill smiled to Judy as he set up for landing. The winds were gusty -- again -- and there was a student pilot practicing takeoffs and landings flying ahead of us. The student's instructor came on the radio and warned that they'd been getting strong winds and they'd been doing slow approaches and would be taking some time to line up their landing.

Bill graciously offered to give way and extend his approach to follow the student. "We've flown 5000 miles to get here. A little extra downwind won't hurt."

Just then, we got a radio call from a Falcon jet who was positioning for takeoff. Bill, ever the gentleman, gave way to the jet and executed an elegant series of S-turns to let the big airplane go first.

When the final airplane landed and we taxied into our parking space at Gaithersburg, what a sight we saw! Friends and loved ones, some holding balloons aloft, vehicles to pick us up that were NOT former police cruisers and had more than enough seats to carry us and our stuff in one trip. When we stopped the engine and started to get out, we we surrounded by a happy swarm of people helping with push-back, tie-down, and unloading. Okay, the club was awfully glad to get the airplanes back, and probably couldn't get US out of them fast enough either.

All the planes are due for their regular maintenance check (which has to take place every fifty hours), so they will get the kind of rest and recuperation that the pilots deserve, too. And we have a little list...of things that it's time to fix on the planes. Stuff that might seem "cosmetic" when you're flying a plane for an hour for lunch and back, but really matter for a longer trip, like clearly transmitting radios and refurbished seat cushions to name a few.

Over 5000 miles. Five participating aircraft. Eleven travelers in all, including three student pilots, an instructor, and two mechanics. Next time, maybe we should bring our own chiropractor....

The stories and debriefs will go on for a long time. Do ask the pilot -- or pilots -- who inspired YOU to subscribe to our blog to tell you their stories and share their pictures.

LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK OF OUR ADVENTURE -- especially if you're inspired to begin adventure of your own, whether to take a trip, learn to fly...

And email us if you've got questions about the trip or about flying. We'll get back to you!

---