Michigan Vacation!

Well, our summer vacation finally came. I prepared my flight plan to Traverse City, Michigan with care and we carefully packed our bags to keep our weight low and to fit in the Cessna 172. We had the oil changed, and were all ready to leave for Michigan. "Three hours, fifteen minutes - no traffic!" I kept telling my wife....just to get her all excited about flying up. Sunday morning, we drove up to the airport, loaded the plane, did our preflight and started off down the runway. Engine's good, check!, Airspeed's alive, check! Okay, rotate at 60mph and pull the nose up....I looked down again to make sure that I was climbing out at 80mph and saw a big fat "zero" on the airspeed indicator. What?!?!? I thought....well, maybe it just needs to be tapped. I flicked my finger against the dial a few times, and then announced to my wife that we would be taking the scenic driving tour of Michigan. I turned it back into the pattern and landed smoothly - I don't NEED an airspeed indicator to fly the Cessna 172...can practically do it by ear and control feel. However, it is on the minimum equipment list and it is a pretty important instrument to keep the aircraft from stalling, especially on a high density altitude day. So, we un-packed the airplane and packed up the car.

It didn't take that long - about 8 hours - to drive up to Traverse City, where the cherries are plentiful, the skies are clear, and the air is cool. It's really nice up here, and I've already played golf two times! It's shaping up to be a wonderful week! And, I've got a fully developed flight plan for the next time I take a trip up here!