by Kirk Wennerstrom

Well, I'm aviated out. It took only one day to fly from the right coast to the other side of the Mississippi. It took three days to fly back. Ducking, dodging and dancing around clouds and thunderstorms. Along the way I stopped in Mansfield, OH for the night. Home of the prison used in "Shawshank Redemption".

 Several other planes dropped in to avoid the storms. Coincidentally all were returning from Oshkosh to the New York City area. Introductions were made all around. Art & Lauren were flying a beautiful Cessna 310, a previous Oshkosh Grand Champion.

Sean and JoAnne were in a Cardinal and are the publishers of "Aviators Guide" magazine.

Mike was flying a Cirrus SR20 and is the head of the Cirrus Owners and Pilots Association. Not a bad group to be grounded with. Dinner ran well into the evening. Wednesday was the first time I ignored the briefer's "VFR flight not recommended warning" and flew VFR anyway. If I could get within driving distance I could have my girlfriend pick me up and retrieve the plane at some later date (another big advantage of owning vs. renting). However, with some prodding from ATC and judicious looking around, I was able to dodge the isolated thunderstorms and miserable haze (4-5 miles) and finally make it home. Today the weather was even worse and the rest of the week promises no better.

Kirk Wennerstrom
'64 150D 4425U