Montana Migration, Pt 1: Tulsa to Hastings, NE
We did the first part of 621CT's Montana migration yesterday. My father and I are splitting the airplane's time between ADS and BZN.
I apologize for the lack of photos - the memory card went kaput on me and I only got two photos at the hangar - as well as the lengthy post.
We picked up the newly renumbered 621CT (originally 612CT - totally my fault) at Tulsa Tom G's new hangar at Tulsa Riverside (RVS) where it had undergone its first annual / 100 hr inspection and had the pictorial pilot swapped out for a ADI Pilot II. The ADI Pilot II worked perfectly during the flight.
Our original plan was to head from RVS through central Kansas (Hays) and into Nebraska (MCK) and overnighting in Scottsbluff (BFF); the second day would be BFF - GCC - BIL and, if winds allowed, over to BZN. This would keep us in terrain below 5000MSL and allow us to fly ~5 hours per day, keeping us out of afternoon buildup and winds, both of which are common on the plains.
With the 00z TAFs the night before, however, it became clear that our route would have to be modified. Ceilings over central KS were forecast to be IFR for much of the morning and into the afternoon, with a good chance of convective in the afternoon. Since that didn't sound good, we decided to head straight north to Chanute and just south of Manhattan, then turning west to Kearney, NE (EAR). We would decide at EAR where to go from there.
We loaded the airplane and calculated that we would be 1,305lb at takeoff. Since I hadn't flown the airplane at this weight or aft CG (85 lb baggage) and we were fresh off the annual, we decided to do at least one pattern to get a feel for the airplane. Good plan, because I was not prepared for the difference in rotation. Normally, even with two aboard, the airplane rotates and it starts to fly. Not this time - the rotation required light stick pressure and, at 45 kt, the airplane thought about lifting off and finally did. Climb was decent for the 2,500 DA. The landing was better than I've ever had in the airplane - it just lands better with more weight, IMHO.
We turned north and - yes, I'll admit it - did a scud run to Chanute. Ceilings were about 2000 agl, so we were at about 1500 agl or 2000 msl. That doesn't leave much time to pick a spot to land if the engine quits, so I was always looking for landing spots.
The ceiling lifted a bit and began to break up at Chanute, and we got up to about 2500 agl / 3000 msl. However, the broken ceiling meant that the surface was heating, and thermals were setting up, making the ride bumpier. We put up with that until we got about 20 miles south of Manhattan and turned west to "cut the corner" and also avoid the restricted areas.
The clouds now were scattered. A quick call to center told us that the MOAs were cold, so we got flight following and climbed up to 6500 above the scattered layer and got a smooth ride. We then went up to 8500 as the clouds (and bumps) started coming up.
We were about 100NM from EAR when we noticed a HUGE thunderstorm anvil off at about 10 o' clock. We started to see the core of the storm as we moved on and started to hear people asking center for deviations around it. We zoomed out on the G396 and the XM WX was showing it as a large cell on radar and the visible satellite. As we motored on, we noticed little cauliflowers of cloud starting to appear in the distance in front of us. I watched in horror as in about 10 minutes, one of them was well on its way to becoming a TS cell.
I quickly realized that we weren't going to make it direct to EAR from there. Our best alternative was Hastings, NE (HSI), which was 30 deg to our right and away from the storms. We decided to hear for HSI and, if possible, cut north of the quickly developing storm and land at EAR.
About 30 miles from HSI, we checked the ASOS there and at EAR. Kearny was reporting 090@10G19. However, the crosswind runway was closed, meaning that this would be a 90 deg crosswind. I could see the mangled airplane and stack of insurance company and NTSB paperwork that would come from me trying to land in that. A look over at the storm, now 20 miles and with a obvious rain shaft, told me that we needed to get on the ground while we could.
HSI was reporting 140@10, but the sock was shifting right and left a lot. We lined up for 14 and I almost got it down when a gust came along and bounced us. I recovered, tried again and had the same result. With the runway fast disappearing, I went around. The airplane climbed slowly at 6,500 DA and I made a tight pattern at 700agl. The second approach was good, being quicker on the controls to keep the airplane where I wanted it. An uneventful landing and roll out. I looked over at the second sock and it too was weathervaneing around. (It wasn't until I looked at my logbook later and realized that I had three landings in the past 6 weeks, including the one at Tulsa. Guess I was rusty.)
We parked next to a Citation VII, shutdown and got out. The very friendly ramper was curious about this strange plane that had come to visit. We arranged a night in the hangar for the airplane, a hotel for my father, and a rental car for him to drive me to EAR to catch my flight home - I had to be at work today.
Flying from EAR to DEN on a EMB-120, I got a great look at the convective complex that formed from that one cell. It was massive, and we were north of it for most of the way into DEN. Getting from EAR to DFW took an hour longer than our flight from RVS to HSI and cost me a lot more.
3.6 hr, ~17 gal fuel, 2 landings, density altitude education and my first long (> 250NM) cross country. A pretty good day.
Doug
190 hours in the CT and have loved every one.
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Originally Posted by CTflyer 
