Waypoints--Logic: So overrated

I love recreational flying, but I also get a real charge out of the time efficiencies of flying my Bonanza for business purposes. It helps that many of the places I need to visit happen to be on GA airports, simplifying the ground transportation issues we face upon arrival.

Every once in a while, an opportunity comes up to fly to a location where logic suggests driving might be the more sensible choice. Sometimes logic wins. But other times, the sense of challenge and adventure prevails. I’m flying because I want that in my logbook. Period.

I think the statute of limitations has expired on this one, so I can tell you about one such bucket-list flight I made where driving would have been much more practical. The drive from our headquarters in Frederick, Maryland, to Joint Base Andrews is about an hour and 15 minutes. Flight time there is about 17 minutes. So 15 years ago when a chance to tour Air Force One at Andrews came up, the idea of flying there and making this a twofer—tour the world’s most famous airplane and land at a military-only airfield—was irresistible. How hard could it be? Plenty hard, as it turns out.

My host for the Air Force One visit, who asked at the time that we not write about the tour, was skeptical of my chances, but he put me contact with the right people at what was then known as Andrews Air Force Base and I started dialing…and then faxing. They wanted proof of citizenship, ownership, and insurance, among other things. But after many hours and phone calls, I got the green light and we were off for our 17-minute flight. Plus, of course, the time to preflight and taxi out.

Tour the world’s most famous airplane and land at a military-only airfield—how hard could it be? Plenty hard, as it turns out.Minutes after taking off from Frederick, I contacted Andrews Approach (now a part of Potomac Approach) and was set up for Runway 19L, the Navy side of the field; the parallel Air Force runway was closed for repairs. With only 9,800 feet of runway to work with, I managed to get the Bonanza down just beyond the numbers and exited to the left—the east side of the field. Because of the runway closure, I was then instructed to taxi all the way to the end on the parallel taxiway and, after waiting for a bunch of departures, to cross over the southern end of the airport and taxi half up the Air Force side. Taxi time: about 30 minutes.

I was directed to a parking spot amid a bunch of blue and white Learjets and King Airs used for VIP transport. As I went to lock the Bonanza door there in the shadow of the Air Force One hangar, I asked the young airman how security was there. “Your airplane will be secure,” he said without a smile. That was a joke, son….

So about an hour and 15 minutes after we took off, I had my Andrews logbook entry and we were in a van passing through the incredibly tight security that surrounds the president’s airplane. Bucket list item Number 2 of the day.

I was reminded of that trip recently when I was invited to Maryland’s Patuxent River Naval Air Station to fly an F/A–18 Hornet simulator as part of a demonstration of a new carrier-based augmented approach system. Hmmm. Two-and-a-half-hour drive each way or a 40-minute flight and a chance to add another military-only field to my logbook? Again, much skepticism surfaced on my chances of getting the paperwork done in time. But helpful hosts at Pax River lowered as many hurdles as possible, and I jumped in with my insurance company to get the appropriate forms completed. Within a few days, the paperwork was in order and we set off on another military adventure.

The Pax River approach controller assured us the arresting gear was stowed (thank you very much) and we were cleared for Runway 24. Again, I managed to eke the Bonanza onto the 11,800 feet of concrete, and we began another marathon taxi to the farthest corner of the airport, where we were being hosted by the military flying club.

A few minutes later I managed to nab the Number 3 wire on the simulated carrier deck, even without the Hornet’s augmented approach system. You’ll read more about that in an upcoming issue.

A couple of hours later I taxied onto Runway 6 for a quick flight home, another memorable logbook entry complete.

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