With only 32 hours logged on my new Sting S3, I departed from my home base of Auburn, IN (GWB). on August 4, for my annual aviation trip to Grand Junction, CO (GJT), where I have family and a mountain cabin. On the first day I cruised at between 6,500 and 8,500 to stay cool with stops at Quincy, IL, and St. Joseph, MO. My final destination that day was Hutchinson, KS.
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Day 1 Of Eric Rieke's IFRRR Flight To Grand Junction, Colorado
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Although I had some headwinds all day, I made fairly good time. The winds picked up by late afternoon to 20KT with 30KT gusts. The crosswind factor at Hutchinson was only 7º. I was completely amazed and pleased at how well the airplane handled the landing.
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Evening in Boulder
Photo Credit Ed Babovec
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I had made previous arrangements to meet up with Ed Babovec in Boulder, CO, to help me with my initial oil change (as I was a bit timid about doing it myself). Ed is a Sting dealer and mechanic based at Erie Municipal (EIK), just east of Boulder, and was very gracious in accepting my plea for help. To put in a p lug for Ed, I highly recommend using him for any service, including annuals. His phone number is (303) 587-0174. You will not only get good service on your airplane, but will thoroughly enjoy the time spent with Ed.
Later in the day I moved on to Cheyenne, WY, for the night. There had been severe thunderstorms in the Denver area and when I arrived at Cheyenne, I was surprised to see seven wide-body jet airliners on the tarmac. They had been diverted from Denver International due to the bad weather. The personnel at Sky Harbor Air Service accommodated me with hanger service. Good decision, as Cheyenne got 3 inches of rain with hail during the night.
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Days 2 & 3 Of Eric Rieke's IFRRR Flight To Grand Junction, Colorado
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At 7:00 am on August 6 I departed and climbed up to 10,000 with my 250 lb frame, 33 gallons of fuel, and approximately 175lb of luggage beside and behind me. I had no problem with the altitude. (I must say, on the first day of this trip the airplane worked hard leaving Quincy and St. Joseph with the high-density altitude and 100º temperatures.)
From Cheyenne I basically followed I-80 through Laramie to approximately 25 miles west of Rawlins to Creston Junction, where I followed Hwy 789/13 South via Dixon, WY, Craig, Meeker and Rifle, CO. From Rifle you turn right and follow I-70 to Grand Junction. With my mountain flying experience in Alaska four years ago, I learned to fly "IFR,R,R" (I Follow Roads, Railroads and Rivers). With that advice you will rarely get caught in a box canyon. Finally, at 10:00 am I completed the outward leg of the trip, landing at Walker Field.
I must say, without exaggeration, I had a smile from ear to ear and was bubbling with joy regarding my new Sting airplane. Thanks to Bill and the gang back at Little Rock for making it possible.
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