Flight Planning to Waco, Texas

I can see the light at the end of the recovery tunnel, well, at least in my minds eye I can.  The latest cast (blue) comes off one week from toady, Yeah! I'm not sure what the Doc has in store for me, hopefully a boot that won't be as cumbersome as the cast.

I am figuring to be back to speed sometime in mid to late April, that's my plan.  With that schedule in mind, Mary and I are targeting our first trip in 08Romeo to take us to Waco, Texas. Why Waco? Well, it's a great cross country and we want to explore the Magnolia Market at the Silos as seen on the TV show Fixer Upper.

As I sit here looking in my log book I have but one hour for 2017, most depressing for sure. I aim to change that, and once I knock off the rust we'll get in the air and head South West.

As always, depending on the winds, I'll flight plan our first overnight stop to Chattanooga, Tennessee. The initial flight plan for day one calls for 5:42 of flight time. We'll make a fuel stop halfway in Dublin, Virginia at the New River Valley Airport. The Runway is 6,200 feet and there are plenty of RNAV approaches.

We'll depart New River and continue on to Lovell Field Airport in Chattanooga. Plenty of runway and approaches with easy access to town. The only downside is the fuel prices, oh well.

We haven't been to Chattanooga before so we wanted to spend some time investigating the city. A few items of interest for us would be the Aquarium, Zoo, Lookout Mountain, the National Cemetery and whatever downtown tours we can find. Always fun finding the perfect place to dine and I'll get to see the architecture of the area. The plan is open, maybe one or two days, there is no time restriction.

When we decide to continue on to Waco we'll once again make a stop for fuel about halfway. Initial flight planning looks like it will be Malvern Municipal Airport in Malvern, AR. This airport will knock out a number of requirements; fuel, runway, RNAV approach, AND it will be a new state. With a gas and go complete, we will saddle up for our final destination, Waco.

We are still looking into hotels and rental cars. Flight planning keeps my mind busy and it's something I really enjoy.

Oh, almost forgot. I am taking the commercial studies to the next step. Simply stated, I need a break from the King course. I recently ordered, and received today, the Gleim 2017 Commercial Pilot FAA Knowledge Test study guide for the Commercial Pilot written exam. If reading is what I want, I may as well put that appetite to good use.