{"id":4778,"date":"2020-02-14T15:24:01","date_gmt":"2020-02-14T21:24:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.texas-flyer.com\/newblog\/?p=4778"},"modified":"2023-11-20T15:27:49","modified_gmt":"2023-11-20T21:27:49","slug":"valentines-day-flight-to-rockport_","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.texas-flyer.com\/newblog\/?p=4778","title":{"rendered":"Valentine’s Day Flight to Rockport_"},"content":{"rendered":"

February 14, 2020<\/span><\/p>\n

Flying along the beach is always fun.\u00a0 I have several Texas-Flyer posts in the 2002-2003 time frame, relating stories of flying along (and sometimes landing on) the beach, southwest of Galveston.\u00a0 “Through the fog; to Matagorda<\/a>“, Apr 13, 2002; “Pierce Field, Matagorda<\/a>“, Apr 28, 2002; “Calhoun County (Port Lavaca)<\/a>“, June 7, 2002; “The Sandbar Landing<\/a>“, Jan 19, 2003; “Mustang Beach<\/a>“, Sept 6, 2003.\u00a0 Yet I haven’t made a trip down there for quite some time.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Tooling along in my RANS, circa 2002 (photo by Jim Laird)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For those 2002-2003 trips, I was in a slower ultralight but my home airport then was Bailes (7R9) which is much closer to the destinations along the Texas coastline.\u00a0 For example, for me to fly to Rockport (KRKP) now it’s 167 nm; from Bailes it’s only 113 nm.\u00a0 Time in the air, though, is likely about the same as my airspeeds were much slower in the ultralights.\u00a0 Either way, it’s a long way down there and back!<\/p>\n

For the trip today there were a couple of objectives:\u00a0 1) I had recently installed a fuel flow meter and I needed a long flight to “dial it in” with a proper K-factor; and 2) it was Valentine’s Day so it felt like a good day to fly someplace to eat.\u00a0\u00a0 It was nice, too, that the weather was spectacular plus we’d have a tailwind for the trip to Rockport.\u00a0 (Of course, that means a headwind on the way back but, hey!, we’re flying along the beach so it’s all good!)\u00a0 There were a few other smaller objectives as well:\u00a0 check the calibration marks I made on my fuel gauge, verify my radio was static-free after re-routing some cables, and determine how far off my compass was when in-flight.\u00a0 My other, usual objectives are always there:\u00a0 take a lot of photos and enjoy the freedom of flying!<\/p>\n

We called ahead to the airport to make sure they had a courtesy car (they did) then saddled up and headed out.\u00a0\u00a0 The first airspace we had to be concerned about was Scholes Field at Galveston (GLS).\u00a0 Just before we got there, we saw this beautiful (almost spooky looking) view of the ships traversing the ship channel where it meets the Gulf… the cloud layer casting shadows on the water gives it all a mottled look:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Since most of the fun of flying along the beach is to see people and things, we eventually ducked under this scattered cloud layer.\u00a0 Here is the little bump-around-GLS airspace (the blue-dashed line encircling the blue airport symbol) that we did (our track is the light blue line):<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>As we crossed West Bay, we descended below the cloud layer, ending up about 100 feet off-shore at an altitude of 500 feet.\u00a0 For the rest of the trip to Rockport, that is more or less where we stayed.\u00a0 In some of the very isolated spots, we got down as low at 100 feet, but any time we saw cars, people, houses or other structures, we’d go back up to 500 feet.<\/p>\n

\"West <\/a>
West Bay, above the clouds. Right after I took this, we started our descent. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Naturally <\/a>
Naturally we pass over the Intracoastal Waterway <\/div> <\/div>
\"Galveston <\/a>
Galveston Island, with the Gulf of Mexico on the left. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Now <\/a>
Now we’re out over the Gulf, paralleling the beach and heading SW <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

At the southern tip of Galveston Island is San Luis Pass.\u00a0 There is a narrow toll bridge for crossing over, and a very wide beach.\u00a0 In the past, I’ve landed on that beach.\u00a0 Also, when the water got very low, some of the sand bars reveal themselves and I’ve landed on those, too.\u00a0 (See “The Sandbar Landing<\/a>“.)\u00a0 I’ve also witnessed powered-parachute pilots take off and land on that wide beach.\u00a0 It’s a fun area.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Looking SW toward Surfside TX<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"The <\/a>
The southern (mainland) side of San Luis Pass, looking NW. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"I've <\/a>
I’ve never seen a long, narrow RV park like this before! <\/div> <\/div>
\"Looking <\/a>
Looking down at the water, waves and beach, I can see my shadow. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Boondocking <\/a>
Boondocking on the beach with an RV. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

Being a Friday morning, there isn’t a lot of activity, but we do see the occasional car, truck, RV, Jeep, etc.\u00a0\u00a0 Coming up in just a few miles is Surfside TX and the large port of Freeport.<\/p>\n

\"4N1A8513\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Approaching <\/a>
Approaching Freeport Harbor Channel, with Dow Chemical refinery in the distance. <\/div> <\/div>
\"Dow <\/a>
Dow Chemical <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"This <\/a>
This huge area is the Freeport LNG Pretreatment Facility <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"The <\/a>
The relatively new Highway 1495 bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway, connecting the small town of Quintana to the mainland. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

Five miles further on and we approach the mouth of the Brazos River…\u00a0\u00a0 Just a mile inland from this point is the Bryan Mound Strategic Petroleum Reserve.\u00a0 It consists of 20 caverns with a storage capacity of 254 million barrels (40,400,000\u00a0m3<\/sup>) with a drawdown capacity of 1.5 million barrels (240,000\u00a0m3<\/sup>) per day.\u00a0 You’d never realize that just by looking!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We’re now abreast of two wildlife areas (Justin Hurst Wildlife Management Area and the San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge) which are valuable animal sanctuaries.\u00a0 They provide quality habitats for wintering migratory waterfowl and are a vital complex of coastal wetlands harboring more than 300 bird species. \u00a0 Viewing the rippling marshes and ponds of the refuge gives an image of Southeast Texas as it was before human settlement.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The next (and last large settlement for a while) is Sargent, Texas.\u00a0 Sargent is a fishing, boating, and water sports community with a variable population, as most of its inhabitants are weekend commuters from larger cities such as Houston, Austin, and San Antonio.\u00a0 You can see that they are quite exposed when big storms roll in, but living on the water is so attractive that many people accept the risk.\u00a0 The inland waterway that you see paralleling the coast is the ever-present Intracoastal Waterway, which extends all the way to Brownsville on the Mexican border.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
The beach-side of the settlement of Sargent, Texas. Notice Mitchell’s Cut-Through further on down the coast.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I don’t have any facts to back it up, but my impression is that traffic on the waterway is only occasional from this point on south.\u00a0 At Sargent, to get over to the barrier island they’ve used a swing bridge for decades.\u00a0 This swing bridge is the last of its kind in Texas.\u00a0 The first bridge was built in 1943 as a 96- by 18-foot floating wooden pontoon.\u00a0 In 1975 the old wooden bridge was replaced with a larger metal pontoon span.\u00a0 As we approach we can see they are working on replacing it with a concrete overpass!\u00a0 I looks like it will have a spiral ramp on both sides, making it more compact.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

As shown two photos above and the one below, Mitchell’s Cut is is the only pass from Freeport to the town of Matagorda and has obvious importance to East Matagorda Bay, Sargent, and the people who live in the general area.\u00a0 Also called Caney Creek Gulf Cut, it’s actually a continuation of Caney Creek, which is almost long enough to be a river and has often had brackish water, even a few miles inland.\u00a0 The body of water to the left in the photo below is East Matagorda Bay.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Looking SW along the beach, East Matagorda Bay is on the right.\u00a0 What you see isn’t an island, just a sand barrier that is attached to the mainland at Matagorda Beach, 22 miles further along.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

There’s not a lot to see along this stretch, but it’s not totally devoid of interesting things:<\/p>\n

\"4N1A8528\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"A <\/a>
A washed-up boat <\/div> <\/div>
\"And <\/a>
And my shadow, too, graces the pristine beach <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

We have now reached Matagorda Beach, 1 hour and 23 minutes and 120 miles into the flight.\u00a0\u00a0 Below is a photo of the channel (the Colorado River) that leads to the town of Matagorda, 6 miles away.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
The mouth of the Colorado River<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What’s interesting is that in 1827 when the town of Matagorda was established, it was right at the mouth of the Colorado River.\u00a0 It emptied directly into Matagorda Bay.\u00a0\u00a0 Now there is a lot of land between the town of Matagorda and the current mouth of the Colorado, shown below.\u00a0 That land was created by all the silt carried downriver and deposited in Matagorda Bay, which now separates the Bay into east and west.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

About 8 miles along we encountered a house with a hard-surface (asphalt) runway… a nice one, too!\u00a0 On the sectionals it’s shown as “U” or “Unverified”.\u00a0 And that is all the information on the sectional or in the Chart Supplement (what has been known for decades as the A\/FD — Airport and Facilities Directory).\u00a0 What’s curious is that there doesn’t seem to be a hangar (that I can make out).\u00a0 Perhaps they fly in for short periods of time and leave the plane out, then fly out.<\/p>\n

\"4N1A8530\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"4N1A8531\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"4N1A8533\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"4N1A8534\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

A quick 13 minutes later, we encounter Pierce Field.\u00a0 In April 2002 I got permission to set down there, so my brother and I flew down the beach and landed.\u00a0 You can read that story here<\/a>.\u00a0 This time it was just a fly by, but I diverted a little to get a shot of the area from the bay side.\u00a0 It hasn’t changed much at all since 2002.<\/p>\n

\"Pierce <\/a>
Pierce Field, about 2 miles ahead <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"I <\/a>
I diverted to the bay side of the peninsula so I could get this shot. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

Being busy taking pictures of Pierce Field, I missed getting a shot of the Matagorda Channel, the primary route for boat traffic from Port O’Conner.\u00a0 Just beyond that is the old Matagorda Island Lighthouse.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It looks pretty lonely in that shot above, but as we got closer we were able to make it look a little less isolated.\u00a0 (We also got a lot of photos of it on the way back.)<\/p>\n

\"4N1A8541\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"4N1A8543\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"4N1A8545\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

The lighthouse has definitely had a makeover since I saw it in 2003.\u00a0 Here is a comparison, showing the way it looked in 2003 (left) and the way it looked today (right).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

It looks like it’s got a new top portion, repainted and the grounds look much better than before.\u00a0 There even seems to be a sign in front which perhaps gives some historical information.\u00a0 I know it was originally built in 1852, partially dynamited during the Civil War, officially retired in 1966 and now restored in 2004.\u00a0 For more information on the restoration and other info, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Less than a mile away is the now decrepit Matagorda Peninsula Army Airfield, but this airport has an impressive history.\u00a0 Built in 1942 the airfield had Single-Engine Gunnery Squadrons assigned and controlled by the 79th Flying Training Wing. Aircraft from other training schools also used the airfield.\u00a0 It’s highly likely my father — a U.S. Navy flight trainer during WWII — landed at this airfield (and all the others up and down the coast).\u00a0 At one point they even used it as a base for launching rockets and, in the late 40s, was in the running to be a space center!\u00a0 Cape Canaveral eventually won that contest.<\/p>\n

\"4N1A8549\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"4N1A8550\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"4N1A8551\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"4N1A8552\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"4N1A8553\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

We are now nearing our waypoint that will turn us toward the west. \u00a0 I choose another old (and closed) airport as that waypoint…<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This one is at the very southern tip of Matagorda Island.\u00a0 If you look at our track (the blue line) in the image below,\u00a0 you’ll see us turning (red arrow).\u00a0 We are also avoiding some military airspace called “Alert Area A-632B”.\u00a0 You can see it says “Concentrated Student Jet Training.”\u00a0 Our track takes us mostly around that corner of airspace.\u00a0 It’s not against the rules to fly into this kind of Alert Area, but — if it’s active (which this one was) — it’s also not a great idea if it can be avoided.\u00a0 And, in our case, we could avoid it and did.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

We clipped that area just a bit so we could start our approach into Aransas County Airport (Rockport).\u00a0 This is our view as we started across Aransas Bay:<\/p>\n

\"Sandbars <\/a>
Sandbars separate Mesquite Bay (right) from Carlos Bay (left). You’ll note the bay water is much prettier than the bay waters around Galveston <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"In <\/a>
In the distance is the Highway 35 bridge crossing Capano Bay. <\/div> <\/div>
\"A <\/a>
A bit closer look at the bridge <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"To <\/a>
To the left of the bridge is the Aransas County Airport <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

With the winds mostly from the NNE, I make a radio call to inform local traffic that I’ll be crossing over mid-field to enter the downwind leg for runway 36.\u00a0 I executed the new “teardrop” downwind entry maneuver then did a very nice landing.\u00a0 With GPS and modern flight mapping, it’s amazing the record it can make.\u00a0 If you make a mistake, everyone will know about it!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

(Note:\u00a0 I captured this image off of my computer at home, 2 days after my flight.\u00a0 So the wind-barb you see (in the middle of the triangle) isn’t for when I made my landing but for when I captured the image off the computer.)\u00a0 I waited until I was about 80% of the way down runway 36 before I touched down… less time to get off the runway and on to the taxiway!\u00a0 As you can see, I taxied directly over to the FBO and stopped in front of the self-serve fuel pump.<\/p>\n

I topped off the tank while Amy went into the FBO to see if we could get a courtesy car, and luckily they still had one available.\u00a0\u00a0 For this leg of 175 nm and 2 hours 16 minutes in the air, I needed 11.5 gallons of fuel.\u00a0 That represents a fuel use rate of 4.31 gallons per hour.\u00a0 Pretty nice for an almost fully loaded gyroplane!\u00a0 Granted, I had an almost 20 knot tailwind which helped quite a lot!<\/p>\n

\"Securely <\/a>
Securely chocked. The Aransas County FBO is the red-roofed building in the background. Nice folks! <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"4N1A8569\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"4N1A8568\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

As is usual, we were chocking the tires when someone drove up and wanted to take a look.\u00a0 So we chatted with the gentleman for a while but eventually got into our courtesy car (it was a very nice RAM truck) and headed into Fulton.\u00a0 Rockport is just a little further down the road but there were plenty of places to grab lunch that were closer so we decided on Moondog Seaside Eatery, only 7 minutes away.<\/p>\n

Moondog was pretty good, but we both ordered something neither of us had eaten before:\u00a0 soft-shelled crab.\u00a0 It wasn’t what we expected.\u00a0 That’s no reflection on the restaurant.\u00a0 The service was great and I’d give it another chance, just with a different choice for the meal!<\/p>\n

\"Moondog1\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Moondog2\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

It should be noted that it is<\/span><\/em><\/strong> Valentine’s Day and while my wife abhors getting material gifts, that didn’t stop me from writing her a poem and putting it into a nice, hand-made card…\u00a0 So I gave that to her after lunch and was rewarded with brief tears of happiness, and a warm kiss!\u00a0 \ud83d\ude42\u00a0 Frankly, it’s just such a joy to be able to share these flights with her… that makes it like Valentines every time we fly!<\/p>\n

After lunch it’s a quick 7 minutes back.\u00a0 We turned in the truck then got ready to taxi.\u00a0 While we were at lunch, the wind changed a bit, but it was now variable.\u00a0 I decided taking off from runway 36 was still okay (although others were using runway 14!).\u00a0 I had no issues at all and soon enough we had the Highway 35 bridge in our front window.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As before, we avoided the Alert Area and turned right before Goose Island State Park and the adjoining Bartell Pass (that straight structure to the right of the island).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We proceeded as before but in reverse, crossing Aransas Bay and directing the Cavalon toward the beach off Matagorda Island.\u00a0 Again, we set our altitude at between 100 and 500 feet depending on any traffic or structures.\u00a0 As we cruised up the beach again, Amy noticed what looked like large concentric circles on the island.\u00a0 We joked that they were crop circles, but in thinking about it, it made more sense that they were, perhaps, a target for bombers.\u00a0 If they were real bombs I’d expect to see craters, but there weren’t any.\u00a0 So, it may remain a mystery.\u00a0 I looked it up later with Google Maps and was able to find them and also noticed that they were surrounded by a triangle (see image below).\u00a0 In the image, I added faint yellow lines to make the pattern easier to see.\u00a0 I still don’t know what it’s for.<\/p>\n

\"4N1A8579\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"I <\/a>
I found those circles on Google Maps, and then saw there was a triangle surrounding the concentric circles. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

We cruised on up the coast, enjoying the flight and taking pictures.\u00a0 We were headed northeast, now, and were fighting a 10-20 knot headwind.\u00a0 Our pace was a lot more leisurely.<\/p>\n

\"4N1A8580\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"4N1A8577\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"4N1A8576\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"4N1A8578\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"4N1A8574\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

When approaching the Matagorda Lighthouse again, I deviated a bit inland so Amy could take some close-up shots.\u00a0 Maybe I’ll fly by it in another 17 years to see how it compares!<\/p>\n

\"4N1A8581\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"4N1A8582\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"4N1A8583\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"4N1A8585\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"4N1A8590\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"4N1A8592\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

Our ground speed was slower but that was a good excuse to really kick back and enjoy the passing view.\u00a0 At one point, my GPS\/Navigation\/EFB sent a traffic alert that was hard to believe.\u00a0 Even the highest aircraft I “see” will be no more than 30,000 feet above me.\u00a0 And, for reference, even the extremely<\/em> high-flying Lockheed U-2 spy plane will top out around 77,000 feet.\u00a0 So this had to be wrong:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Later I looked up the “Callsign” — N20TG — and it was a TF-51 (similar to a Mustang P-51) which has a service ceiling of about 30,000 feet.\u00a0 So there was no way it was at 101,769 feet!\u00a0 Later, I discussed this with the software people and they said it was a bug and told me how to resolve it on my end.\u00a0 Whew!\u00a0 Glad to know it wasn’t real!\u00a0 But it made for an interesting moment in the flight.\u00a0 After that little bit of excitement, we settled back to down watching the scenery:<\/p>\n

\"Pass <\/a>
Pass Cavallo and then the Matagorda Ship Channel <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Birds <\/a>
Birds sleeping near Sunday Beach Pass <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Pierce <\/a>
Pierce Field <\/div> <\/div>
\"Pierce <\/a>
Pierce Field <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Cows <\/a>
Cows on Matagorda Peninsula <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Close-up <\/a>
Close-up of the compound by the Unverified air strip <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Mouth <\/a>
Mouth of the Colorado River and Matagorda Beach settlement <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Amy <\/a>
Amy spotted the new Peyton Creek Wind farm, near Wadsworth TX <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Looking <\/a>
Looking up the Colorado River towards the town of Matagorda, with the Peyton Creek Wind farm in the distance <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Houses <\/a>
Houses along the single street in Matagorda Dunes community <\/div> <\/div>
\"Encampment <\/a>
Encampment on the beach <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"The <\/a>
The new bridge being built over the Intracoastal Waterway at Sargent <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Birds <\/a>
Birds snoozing near the mouth of the Brazos River <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Some <\/a>
Some A-frame houses sticking out into the surf at Surfside <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"The <\/a>
The Surfside water tower <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"A <\/a>
A lone sailboat in the Gulf <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Approach <\/a>
Approach San Luis Pass and the southern end of Galveston Island <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"San <\/a>
San Luis Pass <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Looking <\/a>
Looking at downtown Galveston and the northern end of the island, while we cross over West Bay <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"The <\/a>
The crowded Tiki Island in the foreground, Galveston behind it. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

The late afternoon sun was now much lower in the sky, and behind us, so it provided great, high-contrast lighting for some dramatic images:<\/p>\n

\"The <\/a>
The large, black area is likely a petroleum coke bulk handling area <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Likely <\/a>
Likely a Marathon refinery in Texas City <\/div> <\/div>
\"The <\/a>
The Texas City Dike <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"A <\/a>
A ship in the Houston Ship Channel <\/div> <\/div>
\"Interesting <\/a>
Interesting intersection of waves <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"A <\/a>
A grand look at some of the ships steaming in the Houston Ship Channel <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

We have passed over Galveston Bay and are over Smith Point, looking north toward the home airport.\u00a0 We spot a grass fire in the distance, pumping loads of smoke into the air.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A few more familiar landmarks as we approach the airport:<\/p>\n

\"4N1A8646\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"4N1A8647\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"4N1A8648\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"4N1A8651\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

And one final, dramatic shot of palm trees lining a driveway:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Gauging the wind, we select runway 35 for our approach.\u00a0 It’s turf and very rough, but I land near the end of it and quickly taxi around to the hangars.\u00a0 One of the club members is there, so while we get out and stretch our legs he asks us about our flight and relates details of his turn around the area in his Gyrobee.<\/p>\n

We put the Cavalon away into its comfy hangar and head home.\u00a0 It’s been a very long day, but a lot of fun!<\/p>\n

Trip Statistics<\/strong><\/p>\n

T00 to Rockport<\/p>\n

Time in the air:\u00a0 2:16\u00a0 (2.266)
\nDistance covered: 175.16 nm
\nMaximum ground speed:\u00a0 100 knots
\nAverage ground speed:\u00a0 77.3 knots<\/p>\n

Rockport to T00<\/p>\n

Time in the air:\u00a0 2:57\u00a0 (2.95)
\nDistance covered: 171.4 nm
\nMaximum ground speed:\u00a0 76.6 knots
\nAverage ground speed:\u00a0 58.1 knots<\/p>\n

Totals<\/p>\n

Time in the air:\u00a0 5:13 (5.216)
\n\u202dDistance covered: 346.56\u202c nm
\nAverage ground speed:\u00a0 66.4 knots<\/p>\n

To Rockport: 11.5 gallons actual, so 4.31 gal\/hour
\nTo Anahuac: 16.25 gallons actual, so 5.50 gal\/hour
\nAverage fuel use:\u00a0 4.9 gal\/hour<\/p>\n

\u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013<\/p>\n

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If you enjoyed this or any of my other blog entries, I suggest you subscribe to this blog so that you are automatically notified when I make a new entry.\u00a0 To subscribe,\u00a0open this page<\/a>\u00a0in a web browser (if you haven\u2019t already) and go to the top of this page, and look along the left side for the subscription field.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

February 14, 2020 Flying along the beach is always fun.\u00a0 I have several Texas-Flyer posts in the 2002-2003 time frame, relating stories of flying along (and sometimes landing on) the beach, southwest of Galveston.\u00a0 “Through the fog; to Matagorda“, Apr 13, 2002; “Pierce Field, Matagorda“, Apr 28, 2002; “Calhoun County (Port Lavaca)“, June 7, 2002; … Continue reading Valentine’s Day Flight to Rockport_<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3897,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4778","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cavalon"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texas-flyer.com\/newblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/overall-map5.jpg?fit=1822%2C1139&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.texas-flyer.com\/newblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4778","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.texas-flyer.com\/newblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.texas-flyer.com\/newblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.texas-flyer.com\/newblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.texas-flyer.com\/newblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4778"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.texas-flyer.com\/newblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4778\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4780,"href":"https:\/\/www.texas-flyer.com\/newblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4778\/revisions\/4780"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.texas-flyer.com\/newblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3897"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.texas-flyer.com\/newblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4778"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.texas-flyer.com\/newblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4778"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.texas-flyer.com\/newblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4778"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}