Texas BAC fly-in - - morning of March 24, 2018 - - near Austin, TX

[trumpet nelson]

Let's hope for great weather in 2 weeks !! Here are the details:

- pancake breakfast - 8:00 am (ok, that did it for me!)
- 9:00 am - WEATHER CHALLENGES - this is an AOPA free Safety Seminar - no pre-registration needed
- this is a "piggy back" BAC get-together I am placing on top of the above event
- come meet with other BAC members, look at BAC planes, and see the fastest Sundowner nose wheel in the world (Nelson's)
- Lago Vista Airport - 210 Flightline Road, Leander, Texas 78645 - designator KRYW
- just a little bit southwest of Georgetown, Texas (that's where I took the attached photo of me and my plane)
- here is the official handout on the event https://www.faasafety.gov/SPANS/event_details.aspx?eid=81327
- bonus - - a WINGS credit for you !!
- SEE YA THERE, YOU 'ALL

 

[mgooderum]

Great idea! I’ll be there barring weather or a conflict (small chance I have to fly to fetch someone that day, but probability is low). Largo Vista is a neat little airport. The ridge it’s on is substantial - it’s about 600 feet above the Lake. But being up on a ridge it’s pretty easy to find. It’s the only “real” airport on the North side of Lake Travis.
-=-
Mark

 

[duknic]

OK - will try to get there. Looks good, and I am excited!

DD

 

[trumpet nelson]

Only 8 days to go! Be there !!

Hoping for sunny sunshine,

Nelson Amen
210-834-1991

 

[trumpet nelson]

Bumping to top - - - forecast states cloudy but the wind is slowing down. 20% chance of rain. We'll see ....

ONLY FOUR MORE DAYS !!!!

 

[CleoBen]

Hi Nelson, I won’t make it to the fly-in, but I will be in SA for a wedding the weekend of April 8th. Would love to meet up and see first-hand the fastest Sundowner nosewheel in the fleet!

CB

 

[duknic]

sigh - I have to back out this time. I am in the enviable position of having too much work.

It is only a rain check: I will have more time to fly around soon...

(Jenny says it is ridiculous to be an owner and an A&P yet not fly around for fun...)

DD

 

[mgooderum]

Forecast is not promising right now for VFR.

KAUS TAF:

From 04:00 UTC (Friday 23 March 2018 23:00 local time), Wind: True direction = 170 degrees, speed: 14 knots (26 km/h) (7 m/s).
Visibility greater than 6 statute miles.
Clouds: Overcast sky (8 oktas), at 1500 feet above aerodrome level (457 meters).


From 11:00 UTC (Saturday 24 March 2018 06:00 local time), Wind: True direction = 190 degrees, speed: 7 knots (13 km/h) (4 m/s).
Visibility greater than 6 statute miles.
Clouds: Overcast sky (8 oktas), at 700 feet above aerodrome level (213 meters).

KSAT TAF:

From 04:00 UTC (Friday 23 March 2018 23:00 local time), Wind: True direction = 170 degrees, speed: 14 knots (26 km/h) (7 m/s).
Visibility greater than 6 statute miles.
Clouds: Overcast sky (8 oktas), at 1500 feet above aerodrome level (457 meters).


From 11:00 UTC (Saturday 24 March 2018 06:00 local time), Wind: True direction = 160 degrees, speed: 7 knots (13 km/h) (4 m/s).
Visibility greater than 6 statute miles.
Clouds: Overcast sky (8 oktas), at 700 feet above aerodrome level (213 meters).

KRYW has an approach that isn't bad - 250 straight in and 500 circling minimums and the airport being up on a good sized ridge there is not a lot to run into (one tower a couple miles east about 200 above TDZE). But being IFR legal for the first time in 1/2 a decade 700 is a bit below my personal minimums for my first solo IFR actual.

We'll see what the forecast does this evening...
-=-
Mark

 

[trumpet nelson]

well - - that's that .... SO UNLESS YOU WISH TO DRIVE TO ATTEND, THIS IS MOST LIKELY GOING TO HAVE ZERO ATTENDANCE ....

both Austin and San Antonio TAF's are calling for 700 ovc in the morning. Well below my personal minimums of 2,400 AGL before I fly north into the Texas hill country. I guess I could fly over this afternoon (current conditions are broken at 4,400) and spend the night .... NOT!

Sorry. Another "weather bust" for us here in Southcentral, but I will keep on trying !!

You all be safe,
Nelson

 

[mgooderum]

Also I missed a detail in my last post...KAUS is 550, KRYW is 1230 - that's ~700 feet higher - so OVC 007 at KAUS means KRYW is in the clouds or close to it. I'll check one last time in the morning just in case it's better than forecast - which is only likely if something pushes the dry line farther east and earlier than normal.

I am still learning about this semi-"local" phenomenon that has so much to do with where it is VFR and IFR in Texas and when (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_line). FWIW the Dry Line is very far west today (West of Midland) and not coming very far east until well into the day - and even then not much past San Angelo. A dry line is shown as a grey line with circular bumps (like a warm front). The bumps are on the humid/wet side of the dry line.

On the other hand I might drive over - early on a Saturday morning it's only about 45 minutes if I'm willing to fork out for all 3 tolls.
-=-
Mark

 

[trumpet nelson]

I am staying home. Marginal VFR to IFR this morning. And forecasted to drop a little before it gets better in the late afternoon. And not anything near my 2,400 agl minimum. A bad day to find a radio tower in the Texas hill country. And the 2 hour drive is not for me.

Mark brings up an excellent point about the dry line across Texas. If this whole effort was shifted about 150 miles west this morning, we would be golden. If you ever look at the average annual rainfall chart for the State it is a bunch of vertical lines, with western areas in the low teens and the east extremes in the low fifties. San Antonio? JUST RIGHT!!

Be safe. Learn these lessons.

 

[arturo1]

Another possibility is to plan a fly in to Lockhart in central Texas (50R) for some delicius BBQ, shuttle vans are available at the FBO.