Nate and Rick, Flight One

(Ricknote: Nate becomes Preferred Passenger #001. Preferred passengers get priority booking and wider choices of destinations. Find out how you can become PP002!

So the itinerary was to fly from Nevada County to Willows (for BIG breakfast), then to fly up to Sierraville and land for a soak, if possible, then enjoy a quick flight home. So we set off to Willows!

(Did Rick mention this was a small plane?)

(Ricknote: Small is relative, isn't it? I mean, my plane is large compared to a cell phone. )

Nate flew the plane for a while on the way out to Willows (and did pretty well for not having done so for the better part of a decade) (Ricknote: VERY well indeed. Nate held course and altitude perfectly, while keeping a good eye out for traffic. He's got "good hands". I actually took the photo on the left, the hands you see flying the plane are Nate's. Is that my finger in the shot? I hope I'm a better pilot than I am a photographer! ) while Rick took some pictures of the SutterButtes^? for me.

Rick brought us in to Willows on landing strip 16 for a meal at Nancy's -- a place that really caters to the air crowd. Lots of flyer pictures on the wall, huge servings, (Ricknote: and huge customers!) cheap prices, and a prime location several feet from the tie downs.

While we were here I saw the smallest helicopter I've ever encountered, an experimental two seater that sounded like an overgrown lawn-mower taking off with a father on one side, and a 25 lbs bag of buck shot in the passenger side with his teenage daughter.

The CHP helicopter stopped by for some fuel (Jet, not Nancy's), as well as a number of colorful aircraft.

Unfortunately, we spent a little too long in Willows because we started having a little non-emergency spark-plug trouble. As this was not a "grounding the plane kind of problem" we elected to fly to Chico to see if we could get a little spark-plug help there. (Ricknote: Not a big deal, we lost one redundant spark plug. Plugs were cleaned and gapped on Monday, and she's back in the air at 100%.)

No, there were no mechanics just waiting there for us... so we choose to fly high over the valley and take the safest route home, basically up highway 20. Rick must have gotten enough altitude, because the nice folks at Beale AFB didn't stop by to visit us. (Ricknote: And a good thing that is, indeed, those interceptors carry cannons.)

We made a high approach into Nevada County Airport and touched down safely. A nice bit of flying, even if not exactly what was planned. (Ricknote: I had a great time, will fly with Nate again, anytime!

-- NatePerryThistle - 04 Jul 2004

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