Day 1

No disappointments on the drama front for day one. Tuesday morning started out with low overcast over Plymouth, MA preventing my departure. Pete, our wonderful airplane mechanic and friend, commented that this was a replay of last year trying to get out for the race.

Once the skies cleared around noon I was off with the goal of reaching Indiana to meet up with Sheryl. Shortly after departure and climbing on top of the clouds my radio went south and I was unable to transmit. Bill had done a great job neatening up the wires with tie wraps so out came my knife as I tried to trouble shoot the problem en route. I finally got the radio working and collected flight following from Providence. Providence turned me over to Bradley and then shortly after things got quiet. The radio was again not transmitting or receiving. More troubleshooting and a while later I received some very negative feedback from Bradley for having an open mike that disrupted their operations. Yikes! That test button on the radio is a good thing to check from time to time when things get quiet. The good news is that I realized I had a problem. The bad news is that I didn't think to change the channel, although I had no way of knowing the problem was manifesting itself as an open mike disrupting communications over Bradley airspace.

Things went smoothly from there into PA until shortly before Wilkes Barre. I had climbed up over the clouds and had to keep climbing to stay above them. At 8,500 feet with cloud tops still looming above me I dropped down through a hole and proceeded at about 3,500 feet. That was fine until the ceiling started dropping more and more. Wilkes Barre suggested that I accept vectors to their airport, land and wait for the overcast to clear a bit. I took their suggestion, especially when seeing how close I was to the mountaintops and the line of windmills along the ridge going into Wilkes Barre.

The briefer indicated I should have VRF weather going west so off I went - for about 25 minutes until turning around. Visibility was below 2000 feet which did not allow for mountain clearance. I have never turned around due to weather before, but remembered the maxim that Bill's flight instructor Brendan Haley used to state, "Better to be on the ground wishing you were flying than being in the air and wishing you were on the ground!"

The next briefer suggested heading north toward Elmira and then heading west, so off I was again.

Forecasts for Ohio were clear, but hazy which meant barely seeing the ground from 4,500 feet. Weather was definitely marginal VFR.

As I came over Youngstown, OH after 7 PM that was it for me for the day. 701 doesn't have an autopilot and my inability to hold a solid altitude and direction were indicative of my fatigue. I put down in Youngstown and called it a day.

Two C5's came in behind me as a flight of two. Very impressive. The fun part was when the tower told them to hold for me to pass. I felt so special and as though I was playing with the big boys.

Wednesday morning the weather in Youngstown is rain and fog, so here I sit waiting for a clearing to continue my journey.