$183 Backpack

[gredenko]

Hi all!

Wow, it was a great time meeting everyone! I think that when you make human connections as a result of a website like this, we're truly using the internet to its fullest extent.

We had quite an adventure coming back. Everyone should know that Clumpinglitter and I took an anemic PA28-151 down from the MSP area to Midway. It was amazing being vectored in between the 737s on our arrival Saturday morning. We launched off Sunday morning and took the VFR flyway northbound and it was simply the most amazing flight I'd ever done in a GA plane. We were the only plane on the flyway, and there were ample pictures taken by Clumpinglitter (waiting for the post?)

So we're coming back, clear of the Chicago class B. We've actually flown over 2 hours, in the middle of Wisconsin, and I decide to look in my backpack to see if I'm getting a cell phone signal. I unbuckle and climb in back, while my captain decides to give me some "unusual attitudes." As I'm being knocked around, I realize my backpack IS SITTING ON THE COUCH AT MILLION AIR MIDWAY! After breaking the news to Clumpinglitter, we put down in Black River Falls and troubleshoot. To make a long story short, we decide to fly BACK TO Midway, putting us there on a Sunday evening during a f'n busy push. Here's our PA28 coming back in, surrounded by the big iron:

SWA629 Pittsburgh Int'l (KPIT) Sun 05:48PM EDT Sun 05:53PM
EJM1897 Greater Rochester Int'l (KROC) Sun 05:18PM EDT Sun 05:50PM
SWA1006 Mc Carran Int'l (KLAS) Sun 01:00PM PDT Sun 05:49PM
TRS20 Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta Int'l Sun 05:08PM EDT Sun 05:42PM
SWA1830 Albany Int'l (KALB) Sun 04:48PM EDT Sun 05:40PM
TRS861 Sarasota Bradenton Int'l (KSRQ)Sun 04:16PM EDT Sun 05:38PM
SWA643 Louis Armstrong New Orleans Sun 03:48PM Sun 05:38PM
AMT4209 La Guardia (KLGA) Sun 04:43PM EDT Sun 05:32PM
SWA2705 Lambert St Louis Int'l (KSTL) Sun 04:52PM CDT Sun 05:31PM

N1150X P28A Black River Falls Area (KBCK) Sun 03:01PM CDT Sun 05:28PM

N28DM Pierre Elliott Trudeau Int'l (CYUL) Sun 04:18PM EDT Sun 05:28PM
SWA1901 Tampa Int'l (KTPA) Sun 04:08PM EDT Sun 05:27PM
SWA1612 Raleigh Durham Int'l (KRDU) Sun 04:38PM EDT Sun 05:24PM
N800CK Frankfort Dow Mem Field (KFKS) Sun 05:50PM EDT Sun 05:24PM
SWA848 Birmingham Int'l (KBHM) Sun 03:57PM CDT Sun 05:22PM
N401QS GLF4 Westchester Co (KHPN) Sun 04:35PM EDT Sun 05:20PM
SWA1080 Nashville Int'l (KBNA) Sun 04:11PM CDT Sun 05:18PM
SWA2606 Port Columbus Int'l (KCMH) Sun 05:26PM EDT Sun 05:16PM
SWA451 Baltimore Washington Int'l (KBWI)Sun 04:31PM EDT Sun 05:08PM
NWA1413 Detroit Metro Wayne Co (KDTW) Sun 05:21PM EDT Sun 05:06PM
SWA1368 B737 Los Angeles Int'l (KLAX) Sun 11:28AM PDT Sun 04:49PM

...you get the idea...

Anyway, I picked up the backpack at Million Air, paid for fuel at 5.10/gal and we then flew back to the MSP area. A 6.0 trip ended up being 11.5! Clumpinglitter and I were wiped out when we got back, but both agreed it was great experience and were happy to get the hours.

In case you'd like to see our odyssey, it's:

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N1150X (you won't see the first MDW-MSP leg because we didn't file) I'm pretty proud of the hand flying tracks!

Thank you Doug and Kristie for organizing everything and helping strangers to connect and make lasting friendships!