Dayton & Indianapolis

I've been really busy recently (so what else is new). On Tuesday (May 13th), I flew to Dayton, OH to pick up my good friend Charlie who was in the US for a couple of weeks. It was a beautiful day for flying, and it was fun to share my new hobby with him. We used to work together for a major wheel & brake supplier to the aerospace industry. It was fun to get back together with him and to catch up and talk about all the changes and things happening in our lives. Life sure does move fast! We had a nice lunch at a Japanese restaurant in Dayton, then it was back to Ohio for some golf and some fun times together. Tuesday was really nice and clear, just cool enough that it was perfect for flying - great visibility! On the way, I snapped a couple of photos of the Newark and Columbus area.

The city of Newark, OH from 6500ft

Moundbuilders Country Club - Check out the circular Native American mounds that are part of the course!

I'm not positive, but I believe that this large estate in New Albany, OH is probably owned by Les Wexner of "The Limited" - It's simply outrageous!

The corner of Columbus, OH where I grew up - Just across the street from Don Scott OSU Airport

The Columbus Zoo - I've spent many a day here looking at the elephants and gorillas

Left Base for Runway 18 at Dayton, just over Tipp City, OH

3 mile Final for Runway 18 at Dayton-Cox International Airport

It was pretty fun to fly into Dayton, probably because I had been to that airport so much when I worked for Goodrich AWB traveling around the world, and because I had seen so many airshows from the tarmac when I was a kid. It was really neat to be able to talk to the controllers and land on the runway myself. Very cool. I'm really getting more comfortable talking to approach, tower, and clearance delivery controllers, which is encouraging, since I'm trying to study for my instrument rating (in my copius free time). Here's a couple of photos of the Goodrich Aircraft Wheels & Brakes plant in Troy, OH that I worked at for several years after school. Lots of good memories, good friends, and cool engineering stuff going on down there!

Goodrich AWB in Troy, OH

Later that week, I flew over to Indianapolis, IN with Dad. We had a little business to attend to, and it meant flying under some low scud to get into Indianapolis, IN. It was a high overcast when we were in Columbus, but as we headed west of Dayton, the clouds descended and we were cruising along at 2000ft, dodging the radio towers. It was pretty exciting, especially when the controller gave us a slight tail-wind landing on Runway 32 - good thing that there is 8000ft to play with!

Flying between an interstate and a hard place East of Indianapolis, IN

Check out the crab! Established on final for runway 32 at KIND