Flight to SEMA 2009

November 5, 2009

Yesterday Margie and I made our first trip in our C182 to Las Vegas for the SEMA show.

After checking the latest weather briefings online and filing our VFR flight plan, we walked out to our hanger fifty feet outside our front door, did a preflight inspection and taxied onto our runway for departure.

After departure we climbed and leveled out at 8500 feet for the one and a half hour flight.

My iPhone seldom works from the air, but Margie’s Blackberry maintained a solid connection throughout the flight as she was sending text messages to our daughter, her friends and my flight instructor keeping them all updated on her first cross country in N918RR.

After landing at KHND Margie gave me a high five for a perfect landing

We grabbed a rental car, checked into our hotel and she then dropped me off at the Las Vegas Convention Center for the SEMA show.

I taped several interviews with my pals at Escort Radar and Leon from Blinder (see www.RadarRoy.com)

I then caught a cab back to our Hotel and Margie and I met up with Caleb Jennings at the Rio Seafood Buffet for dinner.

Caleb is one of the brightest and committed Internet Marketers that I’ve ever met and works directly for the legionary Joe Sugarman.

After diner Margie and I headed to the Palazzo to see Jersey Boys.

Growing up in Belleville NJ and having a neighbor that was “connected” I met Frankie Valli several times when he came back to the neighborhood for his Sunday family dinners, so I was able to relate to many of the situations and characters that were portrayed during the show.

After the show Margie and I both agreed that we would be making another trip to Vegas to see another showing, we enjoyed it so much.

This morning we both got up early and drove to the Wedding Chapel that our daughter Erin will be getting married at in February. As it was early in the morning, the chapel was not yet open, but we both commented on how attractive the grounds were and how they had all the amenities all in one location.

We then headed back to KHND (Henderson Executive Airport), returned the rental car and loaded up our suitcase into N918RR for departure.

While flying over Kingman I checked our weather reporting station at our home base and found out that the winds we blowing at 15 knots, gusting to 25 from the southeast. As this is the standard approach for our airpark I diverted to E25 (Wickenburg Airport).

A friend of ours met us at the Airport and drove us back home and I returned a few hours later when the winds became more manageable to land at our home.

I caught Margie several times covering her eyes when she began questioning my flying abilities or getting rocked around when we hit turbulence south of Kingman, but all in all she was a great champ on her first cross country trip in N918RR

Posted by roy | Filed Under Airpark Information, Cessna, Morristown, Az | 1 Comment