Family day flight

[BCPilotguy]

I can't think of anything better to do on BC's Family Day than to fly family down to Chilliwack to eat pie with family.
I flew my girlfriend and my grandmother down with me and I arranged for my cousin (who wasn't able to make it up for Christmas)
and his wife to "surprise" us there. To say my grandmother was thrilled is an understatement. It was an absolutely beautiful day and other
than the departure from Prince George it was absolutely smooth both ways.

[img width=500 height=375]http://i63.tinypic.com/eqwayo.jpg[/img]

There's no panorama quite like the Coast Mountains on a bluebird day.
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Chilliwack Airport is a busy place with people coming and going to get their last slices of pie before the Airport Coffee Shop closes.
That snazzy Cirrus is worth about 10 of my Cherokees, but it just isn't yellow.
[img width=500 height=375]http://i67.tinypic.com/2ex7ciu.jpg[/img]

In the time we were there I counted 4 other groups taking their photo under this sign. It represents a lot of memories to a lot of people.
I've passed under it a whole lot of times for someone who lives half a province away. After over 30 years it will be gone at the end of the month.
[img width=500 height=375]http://i66.tinypic.com/2yl89wx.jpg[/img]

You don't get a view like that flying in Saskatchewan!
[img width=500 height=375]http://i64.tinypic.com/vnic1y.jpg[/img]

[David MacRay]

EXCELLENT!

I'd rather have the Cherokee. Maybe I would be better off getting the exercise, fighting the springs in that weird side yoke contraption in the Cirrus.

[BCPilotguy]

[quote author=David MacRay link=topic=5652.msg14869#msg14869 date=1487255553]
EXCELLENT!

I'd rather have the Cherokee. Maybe I would be better off getting the exercise, fighting the springs in that weird side yoke contraption in the Cirrus.
[/quote]


I sat in a Cirrus SR22 mockup (along with their Vision jet) in Indianapolis last year. Comfortwise the cabin is head and shoulders above any other light airplane I've ever sat in, which is the #1 complaint I get about the Cherokee. It's also a low wing airplane with doors on both sides, freaking revolutionary. That sidestick makes it easier to watch the fancy TVs in the cockpit ;D The nose gear looks a bit flimsy and short field performance is lacking for some of the flying that I do though. Not to mention that it's worth more than my house.

[Fendermandan]

Nice pics. Cirrus might cost more than your house, but it's not worth more  ;D

[ScudRunner-d95]

sad news about the YCW coffee shop, I've partaken in my fair share of 100 slices. not recently though maybe my lack of patronage is to blame, sorry.

Awesome looking bird!

[BCPilotguy]

[quote author=Fendermandan link=topic=5652.msg14879#msg14879 date=1487307674]
Nice pics. Cirrus might cost more than your house, but it's not worth more  ;D
[/quote]


I'm not so sure, I can sleep in an airplane but I can't fly a house  ;D

[quote author=ScudRunner link=topic=5652.msg14889#msg14889 date=1487387782]
sad news about the YCW coffee shop, I've partaken in my fair share of 100 slices. not recently though maybe my lack of patronage is to blame, sorry.

Awesome looking bird!
[/quote]

It's definitely the end of an era, it was always one of my regular stops. It was one of those really great (and rare) general aviation crossroads places where you never knew who or what was going to come rolling up the ramp for a slice of pie. The closure probably has more to do with the 50%+ rent increase than a lack of patronage. Fortunately the Good sisters have set up shop at Langley so all is not lost. They don't have much space right now as they are sharing with the museum, but I hear there are expansion plans in the works.

The paint job on my airplane sure attracts attention for being over 30 years old and definitely having seen better days. You don't see many yellow Cherokees around. It was especially good for my ego last year when I landed at Eagle Creek Airpark in Indianapolis (I was there for the Red Bull Air Race, that's the same airport that all the race pilots used so there were slick looking Extras, Edge 540s and MXS-Rs coming and going for several days prior) and the first thing the line guy said when I got out of the airplane was "Great looking paint job! We saw you come in and we were all like that airplane looks cool!".

[John Swallow]

Who doesn't like a yellow aircraft?  Brother Steve and I are partial also...  (;>0)

[BCPilotguy]

Nice, I like 'em!

[quote author=John Swallow link=topic=5652.msg14895#msg14895 date=1487428824]
Who doesn't like a yellow aircraft?  Brother Steve and I are partial also...  (;>0)
[/quote]