Holes in the Sky

It was TJ's idea. He had seen a sign advertising the War birds Museum in Nampa Idaho while visiting his Aunt."It's a destination, Dave." He said. That's all we need , a destination. so this trip had been planned , the three of us, TJ, Lauri, & I were flying to Nampa. Museum hours were 10 to 5, but we needed to be done at the airport by 3 to suit his aunts plans. That gave us a 9 am last departure time to allow time to see the P-40 Warhawks , among the collection. I awoke just after 4AM. I wandered out to the deck and peered upward.
the Moon broke out of the overcast, then dimmed as a few wisps of cloud and teased me with a clear full view. A sight that only lasted a few minutes before once again the clouds hid the bright glow of the reflecting surface of the Moon. but that was enough. After quickly showering and dressing ,I gathered my bags left at the stair the night before and kissed my wife before locking the house behind me. One last wave and I am on my way to Auburn. It has been a long time since I have been up this early, or out this late, and the traffic is sparse. It is not long before my Breakfast Jack is served and I have driven across the street and into the airport. The Moon, it still teases me. How big are those holes I wonder? I keep seeing them so I believe there is hope I can fly thru one to the bright clear VFR I know awaits me on top.TJ and Lauri are on the way as soon as I call, we board and taxi to the line, mags check, radio call , pullout a,turn and apply the throttle. in less than a minute we are climbing out. Late, I pull up the take off flaps and the Cherokee immediately responds by jumping up to 120 mph. Gathering speed we are soon hurtling along under the scud at better that 140 looking for those holes we saw. Finding what looks like an opening I use my airspeed to zoom up at over 1000 FPM. The sky closes up and we are between layers. The lower layer is scattered and the ground below can still be seen. I circle. Checking the GPS I assure myself I am outside the 3000' class B lid.I can go to 5 if I need to, but the tops should not be that high. .Pacing back and forth over eastern King county we probe first one than another glimpse of blue.It is just to early I decide. Going back to Auburn, TJ asks to be let out while I gas up again. We load on almost full tanks this time. with over 40 gallons I have the range to make Nampa with a hour reserve. Computer weather doesn't give me much hope, but the moon keeps on teasing us with prolonged gaps in the clouds that reveal the bright crescent of the moon. Although it is loaded heavier than I have ever been, the aircraft easily climbs out. Soon we are again chasing spots of blue above us. Each time I zoom up until my airspeed drops off and the cloud begins to creep closer. With the opening misting over I dive back to the still visible surface below me. the metar's seem to have reported a higher ceiling up north, so I decide to try to look there for an opening. Even if I have to gas up later because it takes longer to get out we can still make Nampa before 1 local.I talk to Renton , then flight watch. I am not given much hope, and as we cruise north the layers only get worse. We are not going to Nampa today.

Great NW Air Race

We had the windows open as we slowly followed the biplane down the taxiway. There was no hurry now,we were awaiting the departure of the scheduled airline. Our timing was good, the fastest plane stops for less than a minute before the turboprop full of paying passengers rolls out to the runway. Then it is on. The fastest classes depart at 15 to 30 second intervals. We creep forward steadily , till at last the biplane turns into the wind and accelerates away. He is much faster so I am waved out a mere 15 seconds later. I climb to 1000 agl and accelerate toward the start line. It is only a few minutes on this heading until we reach the confluence of the Wenatchee River & Columbia, our next Checkpoint. Gil, my Co-pilot, calls the turn and I pivot the Cherokee to the right as we follow the gorge of he Colombia northward. Chelan is on our left as we climb gradually just enough to clear the bluff ahead by the merest of margins. 200 ft is good enough for me, then everything gets light as I nose over on the far side losing a few hundred feet before the turn at Anderson Field, Brewster. The Southeast leg to Mansfield takes us over a few dry valleys and ranches. Below I spot a few developed lots among a maze of roads & graded right of ways for future roads. All part of a grand scheme of a bustling community of homes and dreams that never sold or came true. A few had pioneered , only to have a vast sprawl of roads without homes surrounding them. The next ridge was cleared by a few hundred feet and the altitude maintained. This kept us 1000 agl over the turn at Mansfield. I made one of my mistakes next. Crossing the next ridge I saw a small town at the base of the next rise , and assumed it to be Quincy. It wasn't. I was far short, but I had let down and now the climb cost me. over one more ridge , past a cell tower, and there it was, Quincy. But where is the airport? Gil spots something ,He thinks it is the field, but I can't see it. I keep flying on another few precious miles before I realize I have to be past it. Banking hard right I steady on the final heading hoping the Grumman who had been a mere two minutes behind as we called in to Quincy had not past me.The gauges were all good.EGT steady just ROP. RPM at max cruise 75%. There the edge of the gorge again, now I can descend another few hundred feet and pick up a few more mph. The 5 mile call. the Grumman calls in too. We are neck and neck. I know he is straining to see me. Gil and I are frantically looking to the plane we know is very close and only two hundred feet above. We sped on,tugging the throttle out a touch to be sure i am getting all the throttle the POH allows.(It is a shared airplane, I might consider running at full T/O rpm if I owned it outright.) A red roof, we are aiming for a red roof and there it is! keep it smooth & steady center the ball, everything slick.Without a single noticeable difference it is over. The red roof has vanished beneath us and I am cooling of the engine. Slowing to pattern speed. The Grumman beat me by seconds, but he is not in my class. The waiting is as exiting as the race itself, then they announce , " The winner of the GOLD in FAC3FX, Dave Rice, in a PA28-180, at 136.95 mph. My first air race , my first win. My co-pilot Gil was a great help. We had chow and chatted with the other racers before we made our return over the rocks to the green side of the hill.












sgl over the turn at Mansfield