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39 US States plus GUFY trips
Steubenville (2G2), OH
May 31, 2016 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C
Flight time 1.3 hours.
I have now finished visiting all 49 of the continental states.
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39 US States plus GUFY trips
Erie, PA
May 31, 2016 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C
About to cross Lake Erie.

On the way here, when on flight following, there was another one of those cases where radio communications was lost with the air traffic control. From my earlier lesson, I switched to 121.5 MHz where I heard them calling me to contact the Erie tower for further following. And I did, and he did, and I was happy.

Climbed to 8500 ft before crossing to be well within gliding range of land if the engine decided to take a break. But flying over water always makes me nervous. Always wondering if an errant Canada goose might shatter the wimpy propeller, crash through the windscreen, and peck my face with his dying breath (since he would be really pissed off), as my aircraft, with its now modifed glide range of a greased brick, plunged towards the cold water. And that's why I never get bored flying.Read more
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39 US States plus GUFY trips
Long Point Provincial Park, ON
May 31, 2016, Lake Erie ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
Just under the wing tip is Turkey Point. No I am neither going nor did I come from there.
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39 US States plus GUFY trips
Tillsonburg (CYTB), ON
May 31, 2016 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
Flight time 1.6 hours. Cleared customs the same way as when I did it in BC, i.e. no border agent showed up to question me so i was free to go.

I knew I was back in Canada. Many airports in the US offer a courtesy car for visiting pilots. Tillsonburg offers a courtesy bicycle. It's for visiting Coyles Country store just down the road.

A disappointment on this trip was that I arrived too late to take advantage of the bicycle. I arrived after 5 pm, too late to visit this store; it specializes in nuts.Read more
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39 US States plus GUFY trips
Woodstock (CPR5), ON
May 31, 2016 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C
Flight time 0.2 hours. Refueled. Daily total 4.6 hours and 889 km (479 nm).

The plan was to lounge around here for a few days with my brother. The reality was a single day.

After talking with a weather briefer the next day, it was clear that I would have to adjust my schedule, again, to avoid weather systems along the route. If I did not leave the next day, impending poor weather around home would keep me away for a week.

The only picture I have of the area was shows my brother lined up in his car next to my plane. Looks like he wanted to race. I won.Read more
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39 US States plus GUFY trips
Toronto Island Airport and CN Tower
June 2, 2016 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C
Flight following gave me the Lakeshore route through Toronto which goes right by the CN tower.
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39 US States plus GUFY trips
Woodstock Airport
June 2, 2016 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C
The plan is to travel to travel along the north sode of Lake Ontario to stop at Cornwall. Then go by Sherbrooke eastward through Maine to home. That's the theory.

On departure morning there was a line of thunderstorms was stretching from Toronto through New York state. The line was slowly moving down Lake Ontario then past Montreal. Unfortunately this wall was between me and home.

Had to wait until after 1 pm before the storms cleared out of Toronto and far enough east to enable a dash to Cornwall.Read more
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39 US States plus GUFY trips
Downtown Toronto
June 2, 2016 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C
They They vectored me just north of the CN tower at a height just below the top of the tower... maximum scenic route.
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39 US States plus GUFY trips
Cornwall (CYCC), ON
June 2, 2016 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
Flight time 2.4 hours. Refueled.

After Toronto the rest of this leg was uneventful until reaching north of Belleville where the clouds dropped and I skimmed along at 700 feet over lake-dotted cottage country. I prefer higher. My moving map gps system dutifully alerted me if when I got to close to 'obstacles' (mountains, towers, etc.). That resulted in a few detours.

Got through that before reaching Cornwall.

At Cornwall the weather briefer advised me there were some scattered storms around the Montreal on the way to Maine. I took off to see how far I could get, expecting to possibly have to sit in some place like Sherbrooke for a few days.Read more
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39 US States plus GUFY trips
St Jean sur Richelieu, QC
June 2, 2016 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
Photo features farms, a river, a city, an airport, and a quarry.
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39 US States plus GUFY trips
Boundary Bald Mountain, ME
June 2, 2016 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C
Humidity and wind were high enough to cause cloud formations on leeward edges of the mountain.
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39 US States plus GUFY trips
Cloud layer downwind of Mount Katahdan
June 2, 2016 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C
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39 US States plus GUFY trips
Weyman Airpark (CCG3), NB
June 2, 2016 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
Flight time 2.5 hours. Trip is done. Daily total of 4.9 hours and 1164 km (628 nm).

Home.

My wife, Barb took this picture.
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39 US States plus GUFY trips
Trip summary
June 2, 2016 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C
The complete track, as well as looking like a gufy smile, resembles a bat in flight. Coincidentally, the word pipistrel means bat.

The entire trip covered 14591 km (7879 nautical miles) using 70.7 hours flying time. The trip took 8 days westbound, including one day for weather. Eastbound took 6 days with no net days lost. I left May 9 and returned June 2. Photographs and movie clips taken were 876.

The westbound segment to Vancouver, the lower lip of the smile, is 8076 km (4361 nm). It took 39.6 hours giving an average speed of 204 kph (110 knots). The eastbound segment, the upper lip, of 6515 km (3518 nm) took 31 hours giving an average speed of 210 kph(113 knots).

Total fuel consumed was 1204 L giving a trip fuel economy of 12.1 km/L or 28.5 mpgUS at an average speed of 206 kph (111 knots).

Eastern extreme: Weyman Airpark NB (home)
Western extreme: Vancouver BC
Northern extreme: Embarras AB
Southern extreme: Tri-County airport FL
Highest: 11480 feet, Soda Springs CA
Coldest ground temperature 1 C at Houlton ME
Warmest temperature 37 C Benson AZ
Longest leg 3.5 hours Bend OR to Abbottsford BC
Longest total daily flying time 7.1 hr
Most airports visited in a day 7
Unplanned stops: 2 -- Atwood KS, Middlesboro KY
Unplanned overnight destinations: 2 -- (Atwood KS, Bend OR)
Longest weather delay: 1 day (Bend OR)
Shortest visit to a country: 4 seconds (did not land), Mexico

Unplanned maintenance events: 5
-Oil line touching inside cowling. (Moved and secured it away using silicone 'rescue tape')
-Radio transmit button fell through top of joystick. Securing nut unscrewed itself and lost. Transferred nut from passenger side button. Secured passenger side button with rescue tape.
-Excessive erosion pit in prop (from stone chip penetrating composite). Filled pit with JB Weld.
-Noticed a bolt and washer missing from wheel pant mounting. Replaced from spares kit.
-Duplicate spark plug not firing for a cylinder during ground check. Tightened plug leads
-Rough running after takeoff. Landed and tightened spark plug leads.

Propellers consumed: zero

The radio button incident merits more explanation. While approaching Las Vegas, in the Hoover dam area, and talking with air traffic control, when I pressed the transmit button on the top of my stick it fell through the hole completely... its securing nut was gone. For the rest of that flight, to talk on the radio I would reach across and press the button on the passenger's stick.

This trip completed my goal of visiting all continental US states. To get Hawaii would require a 13 hour flight over water. Not happening. Siberia is another matter. Hmmm.Read more
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Trip end
June 3, 2016