{"id":4806,"date":"2019-03-26T16:13:24","date_gmt":"2019-03-26T22:13:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.texas-flyer.com\/newblog\/?p=4806"},"modified":"2023-11-20T16:14:40","modified_gmt":"2023-11-20T22:14:40","slug":"a-different-way-back_","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.texas-flyer.com\/newblog\/?p=4806","title":{"rendered":"A different way back_"},"content":{"rendered":"

March 26, 2019<\/span><\/p>\n

On March 26, my brother was able to go fly with me.\u00a0 Many years ago — 17 years, in fact! — when we were both flying our own planes, we once did a circumnavigation of Houston<\/a>.\u00a0 This isn’t a big deal for GA aircraft but for ultralights, it was kind of a cool thing to do.\u00a0 I have been wanting to replicate that trip in my gyroplane, but had not had the opportunity.\u00a0 Perhaps today is the day!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Jim is obviously excited to once again be aloft and taking aerial pictures.\u00a0 His opportunities to do this are few and far between due to a number of reasons, but he’s all geared up and and ready to go.\u00a0 The doors are still on the Cavalon, so he’ll have to shoot through plexiglass, but it still beats being on the ground.<\/p>\n

On our trek in 2002, there was no way the tiny gas tanks in our ultralights could allow us to make the entire circle without landing for fuel.\u00a0 But today my Cavalon has the ability to fly around the city and back to my home airport, all without stopping for fuel.\u00a0 However, we weren’t 100% sure we were going to be able to execute our full circle — there were some time constraints we were dealing with — so we decided to head for Gulf Coast Regional (KLBX) airport, have lunch, and then decide whether we would continue the flight around Houston.<\/p>\n

I’ve done this flight to KLBX many times, so there will be views that are familiar.\u00a0 But I also contend that there’s always something new to see, or at least a new angle on familiar sights, so let’s test that theory!<\/p>\n

First, we flew south from Anahuac, following the eastern edge of Trinity and Galveston Bay’s.\u00a0 We hopped over East Bay starting at Smith Point and continued until we hit Bolivar Peninsula, just south of Goat Island.\u00a0 From there we turned SW and skimmed just north of the Galveston airport Class D airspace.\u00a0 Another few miles and we turned SSW and headed toward an overfly of Demijohn Island.<\/p>\n

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

We circled Demijohn Island for some photos, then headed directly to our destination airport, which is now in a WNW direction.\u00a0 KLBX is sometimes busy but being a Tuesday, it wasn’t too bad.\u00a0 We overflew the runway and a tear-drop entry into the downwind, landed then taxied over to the diner.\u00a0 I had informed my friend, Chuck Noe — who hangars his Mooney there — that we might be there for lunch, so as we taxied, I send him a quick message that we had arrived.<\/p>\n

Here are some photos I took during this leg of the trip:<\/p>\n

\"Smith <\/a>
Smith Point, with East Galveston Bay beyond <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Evia <\/a>
Evia Island – Brown Pelican nesting site. <\/div> <\/div>
\"Bolivar <\/a>
Bolivar Lighthouse <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"SPPA <\/a>
SPPA 3-4-5 dredging placement area <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Petrochemical <\/a>
Petrochemical plant ponds next to the BP chemical plant <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Bayou <\/a>
Bayou Vista subdivision, next to I-45 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"A <\/a>
A variety of “restoration terraces” designed to help restore the wetlands <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Hoskins <\/a>
Hoskins Mound area <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Demijohn <\/a>
Demijohn Island and surrounds <\/div> <\/div>
\"4N1A5526\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Demijohn <\/a>
Demijohn Island and surrounds <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Demijohn <\/a>
Demijohn Island and surrounds <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Demijohn <\/a>
Demijohn Island <\/div> <\/div>
\"My <\/a>
My house on Demijohn Island <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Looking <\/a>
Looking back toward Galveston Island with Demijohn in the foreground <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Hungry <\/a>
Hungry and read to eat, we’re about to land at Gulf Coast Regional Airport (previously known as Brazoria County Airport) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

We ordered lunch at the Runway Cafe and soon after Chuck showed up and the three of us sat and chatted for quite some time…\u00a0 it was very nice!\u00a0 (As is often the case, the cook came out and took pictures of my Cavalon.)\u00a0 Yet, we still had a decision to make about whether we should continue the circumnavigation or not.\u00a0 After furtively looking at our watches and flight plan software, we decided that today was\u00a0not <\/em>going to be day.\u00a0 Instead, though, we thought we’d make our return flight through the Corridor.\u00a0 \u00a0Given our current location, this route\u00a0 would be a different way back…. directly north from KLBX, and then a sharp right turn into the Corridor.<\/p>\n

Chuck thought he’d accompany us in his Mooney for a few miles, just for fun, so off we all went.\u00a0 He had trouble slowing down to match our speed, but he did manage to go by fairly slow so we could get a few shots of him.<\/p>\n

\"4N1A5559\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"4N1A5560\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"4N1A5566\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

After his slow pass, he waved off and headed back to KLBX airport, while we continued due north.\u00a0 You can see from our track that we were not being too subtle about our intentions… clear the Class Bravo airspace around Hobby airport, then turn east and head back to Anahuac.<\/p>\n

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

This return route is what made this particular trip a bit different from other similar forays to KLBX.\u00a0 I can’t say that I haven’t been over this general area before, but more likely it would have been a track much wider, around Sugar Land, and further west.\u00a0 As we flew over the area, it certainly felt<\/em> different.\u00a0 The angle from which I saw familiar landmarks seemed new.\u00a0 An enjoyable feeling.<\/p>\n

Shortly after Chuck peeled off, we crossed near a skydiving airport.\u00a0 We could look far ahead and see the Medical Center and the building around the Galleria.\u00a0 We spotted the Astrodome and NRG Statdium.\u00a0 Then we flew along the west edge of Southside Place and West University.\u00a0 As we crossed Memorial Park, spotting the golf course below us, we starting turning east until we were just north of Interstate 10, then turned fully east and bisected the Corridor.\u00a0 (The cyan line below is our actual track… I added the red arrows to help identify that line.)<\/p>\n

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

Being a Tuesday, in the middle of the day, there were no stadium TFRs, so we could fly through the southern parts of the Corridor.\u00a0 (If you look closely, you’ll see the faint outlines indicating where the stadium TFRs\u00a0would be,<\/em> if they were active.\u00a0 Also note, the red arrow in the bottom-left corner is more-or-less pointing also toward the NRG stadium (a magenta colored diamond labeled “stadium”) and to its east the Astrodome… oddly, spelled with a lowercase “A”.)<\/p>\n

Up until we started the turn east, the views and landmarks were all considerably different than my usual trip around Houston.\u00a0 Very interesting and enjoyable.<\/p>\n

The rest of the pictures — through the Corridor and beyond, to Anahuac — were fairly normal, but being a beautiful day, I did manage a great shot of downtown. Also, we passed near the area where there had been a huge fire a few weeks before, and I managed an extreme telephoto shot of the blackened tanks.<\/p>\n

\""BB <\/a>
“BB Airpark”, used solely for skydiving <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"The <\/a>
The Galleria and Medical Center buildings <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Downtown <\/a>
Downtown Houston, with US-90 leading straight into it <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"The <\/a>
The “world famous” Astrodome looks small next to the much newer sport stadium. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"West <\/a>
West University on the left, Southside Place on the right <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"My <\/a>
My last good look at the Galleria area, before starting the turn to the east. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Looking <\/a>
Looking over West University, at downtown. <\/div> <\/div>
\"This <\/a>
This is the Southwest Freeway (Hwy 59, I-69), with the Greenway Plaza area. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Greenway <\/a>
Greenway Plaza area <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Now <\/a>
Now looking at downtown with River Oaks in the foreground. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"The <\/a>
The golf course in Memorial Park. <\/div> <\/div>
\"Now <\/a>
Now looking down the Washington corridor toward downtown. This is where the new parts ended and we’re now back to the usual Corridor photos. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Here's <\/a>
Here’s that great shot of downtown, with the I-45 and I-10 freeways converging (and diverging!) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"The <\/a>
The blackened tanks from the massive fire. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Wide-angle <\/a>
Wide-angle shot of the San Jacinto Monument area. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Baytown <\/a>
Baytown Bridge in the distance. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Power <\/a>
Power lines across Burnet Bay <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Railyard <\/a>
Railyard of Palmer Logistics <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"The <\/a>
The runway at RWJ Airpark <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Two <\/a>
Two miles out from my home airport, Anahuac <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

Overall, this turned out to be a great flight with new angles and new things to see despite covering some of the same ground.\u00a0 There will be a future opportunity, I’m sure, to properly do our full circumnavigation, but nevertheless today we did a grand tour, for sure!<\/p>\n

Time in the air, about 3 hrs 32 minutes.<\/p>\n

Distance covered, about 191.5 miles.<\/p>\n

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

If you are not viewing this post in a web browser, but would like to,\u00a0click here<\/a>.<\/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, open 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

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March 26, 2019 On March 26, my brother was able to go fly with me.\u00a0 Many years ago — 17 years, in fact! — when we were both flying our own planes, we once did a circumnavigation of Houston.\u00a0 This isn’t a big deal for GA aircraft but for ultralights, it was kind of a … Continue reading A different way back_<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2887,"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-4806","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\/2019\/05\/4N1A5619.jpg?fit=1920%2C1280&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.texas-flyer.com\/newblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4806","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=4806"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.texas-flyer.com\/newblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4806\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4807,"href":"https:\/\/www.texas-flyer.com\/newblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4806\/revisions\/4807"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.texas-flyer.com\/newblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2887"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.texas-flyer.com\/newblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4806"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.texas-flyer.com\/newblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4806"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.texas-flyer.com\/newblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4806"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}