Flying Business Class

[Bonez]

No the Boss hasn't started upgrading our tickets when we fly domestic. :-(
This was the Olympia District Young Business People class on there way to Seattle for the bi-monthly business studies conference (or as they like to call it, the "bi-mon-bus-stud-con"). Either way these young whippersnappers (Jeez I feel old) have been investing in the stock market and running successful lemonade stand franchises since they were 5 or 6 years old and now have a bank balance approaching the gross national product of some 3rd world countries between them.

The trip was going to be in the Baron but it developed some strange murmurs in the engines so I moved us back over to my Arrow which had been sitting around Olympia for months.

Thankfully Barney had been able to transfer the ownership through PGA to my new alias after the tragic demise of "Bonez" and the plane was still in tip top shape.

KOLM KSEA Piper Arrow Captain Business Students 38nm $10 $380 Very Strong 2

The flight was quick and boring even with the eternal hassles of IFR navigation through busy airspace. With a minimum of diversions I was cleared in in 34R and I was soon descending through the muck onto a very smooth (considering my long absence from flying) landing.

The "Youngsters" asked if I would be available in a few days for a return trip. I said I would be and they headed off to their conference. Once they were gone I headed over to the office to introduce myself to Herbert and try out his renowned coffee making skills. :-D

KOLM KSEA Piper Arrow Captain Business Students 38nm .43hrs $10 $380 $760 Own Plane :-D

[Bonez]

After a nice warm cup of coffee with Herbert I asked if he had any work to tide me over until the conference was over.
"Sure", he replied, "How do you feel about hauling drums?"

"Not toxic waste drums or anything crazy??"

"No, just fuel drums out to some regional fields. Dead head to Paine then out to Whidbey, quick jump to Port Townsend and then back here with the empties"

Sounded good to me and the coffee had me fired up to do something anyway so off I went.

KSEA KPAE W10 0S9 KSEA Piper Arrow Captain Fuel Drums 28nm/65nm $5/$10 $140/$650 Very Strong 5

The weather was cloudy all round today but with 15 miles visibility and short hops to do I figured I'd go VFR until it got too nasty. The flight to Pain was incredibly smooth until about 10 miles out when the patchy rain became socked in overcast with 5 mile visibility under the clouds. Not too bad anyway, I had a VOR radial to the field and at about 4 miles the lights were showing through the haze quite easily.

I landed and pulled over to the cargo ramp where two oily, greasy loaders helped me get the fuel drums loaded into the back.

From Paine it was a very quick 9 mile hop to Whidbey. I never even got above 1800ft, although that was mainly to do with my desire to keep in contact with the ground. After a rough landing on the tiny strip at Whidbey it was off to Port Townsend with the last drum of fuel.

Port Townsend was still rained in but again the lighting on the field helped and I was down with little fuss.

The trip back to Seattle was quieter with the weather easing 10 miles out of Port Townsend. It was still raining but at least there were patches of sun out there.

A quick approach to 34R that got me ahead of the Caravan on my tail and I was down, locked up and sitting down to another fantastic cup of coffee with Herbert.

I couldn't help but think of my few weeks in Alaska and pity poor old Captain Geoff up there in the cold with Peggy.

KSEA KPAE W10 0S9 KSEA Piper Arrow Captain Fuel Drums 28nm/65nm 1.08hrs $5/$10 $140/$650 $1440 Own Plane

[Bonez]

The students finished their conference at about the same time I finished my coffee. They were fired up about getting back to Olympia to share their new found business knowledge with their teams and I was all fired up because I was going to miss the next round of coffee.

Even so, duty calls and the Boss is still sending me nasty emails about the state of the bribe fund and other nastiness.

KSEA KOLM Piper Arrow Captain Business Students 38nm $10 $380 Very Strong 2

With the youngsters loaded I was about to fire up the engine when Herbert came out clutching a small bag.
"I thought you might like these", he said as he handed the bag in to me.

I thanked him without opening it and started up. The weather seemed average for Seattle at this time of year. Partially cloudy, freezing cold, a different direction of wind for every 3 and a 1/2 feet that I climbed but the flight was still smooth. I spent most of the flight getting used to this new head tracking system someone had left in the hangar. It was rather dusty and hadn't been used much but I made sure it got a work out for the duration of the flight.

About half way there I remembered the bag and opened it up. Wouldn't you know it? A thermos full of coffee and a brand new, only recently condemned by the FDA, box of TOOTSD donuts. Great, now I have my emergency provisions back after some littlee upstart in San Francisco tossed my last batch out, and I have some of Herberts great coffee.

With my morning tea sorted I made my approach to Olympia, joined right downwind on 35 and realised what was annoying about this head tracker doohickey. It is great while you are looking around, but it doesn't help you bend down and crane your neck around the seats to spot the runway on the base leg.

As a result I blew out the base leg and made a fairly aerobatic turn to lineup on the runway. Once I finally got that sorted out I was well on my way to another PGA perfecto landing.

The kids unloaded themselves, I disconnected my doohickey wiring and began to contemplate how to get the voice control gadget to work. Hmmm, coffee might help with that :)

KSEA KOLM Piper Arrow Captain Business Students 38nm .37hrs $10 $380 $760 Own Plane