Time for an update!

Well we ended up spending an extra day in Winters Haven on Tuesday due to of all things bad weather - It was just like home clouds and actual rain. It meant we had an exciting day sitting around the airport, just wishing the Cold Front would pass us by. No such luck - but still cant speak highly enough of the guys in the school there (www.tailwheelsetc.com) because they were so kind and friendly to these two goons who had got themselves stuck there. The owner and his son even took us out with them for lunch. Not much flying done by anyone that day tho - but Marc did get into the circuit for an hour or so.

Wednesday and the weather was far better - we were out at the airport at 8 and off the ground close to 9 heading up to tallahasee - Quite a straight forward flight really with nothing too exciting - but Tallahasee itself was something different. As we landed and taxied to the ramp not only were there a load of GA aircraft, private jets but also some military hardware with 2 blackhawks (i think) and a couple of fixed wing prop trainers. Also this was our first proper experience of an FBO (Fixed Based Operator apparently) Basically these guys look after you - Fuel, oil, tie downs, cars, hotels - they'll organise the lot. Flightline in Tallahasee was well posh - first class all the way - how much fuel can we give you - here borrow our car to go get some lunch and the poshest "restrooms" ever complete with tv's above the urinalls and mouthwash. So we took their car - found a starbucks and planned the next leg to New Orleans.

The trip to New Orleans was a long one at 3hrs or more. Also because of a load of military bases and operating areas, quite busy on the radios. We've decided at this stage to work multi-crew Style - as in one flys and the other handles the radios and stuff. Keeps us both busy and we'll have to do it eventually - good practise - I was flying and generally tracking VORS - which to be honest i thought i did quite well at, leaving marc to do the radios - he was kept busy switching from controller to controller - but we got through it all and landed with a great sense of accomplishment in a sunny New Orleans. The FBO organised a hotel for us in the French Quarter, along with a taxi to get there - so we went to explore the Temple Bar of New Orleans.

Today was another long day of flying - New Orleans to Galveston was a 2.5 to 3 hr flight with marc flying and me on radios - we took a route along the coast all the way and spotted a load of Oil Rigs in he Gulf of Mexico which kinda just appeared out of the haze every now and again. Landing in Galveston, we had been told that it too had been hit by a hurricaine this yr (i think) but it was weird to see so many houses with blue roofs where they had lost tiles and covered it with tarps or something to keep it all dry. There was a mad hotel at the end of the runway which we literally flew past before marc put 'maik-charlie' down with a stinker of a crosswind. 

This was a quick fuel stop - to get back on the road to San Antonio, making sure we'd get there before sundown, but we did manage to find out about the US Airways 320 ditching in the Hudson (big birds!!!). The trip on to San Antonio wasnt the nicest of flights - the viz was pretty poor, so really we didnt see a lot. But we did begin to get a feeling for the vastness and emptiness of Texas. Also there were periods when the radio got very quiet and began to make you wonder if we could still reach anyone. But reached San Antonio in good time, and landed again with a cross wind on a runway that was slightly higher then we were expecting (500-600 ft above sea level)

Went into  San Antonio for dinner tonite and its a very nice city - you can see the Mexican influences - i'd say it'd be nice to stay for an extra day to sightsee - but that would probs be it really.

2moro (or today depending what timezone your in) were off to Odessa and El Paso - this is where it starts to get high and interesting. My Phone battery for GPS didnt last the trip to tallahasee so i dont think thats gonna work but if you go to www.flightaware.com and type N961MC into the tailnumber part you should get a rough idea of where we are.