Date: Mon, 1 Aug 2022 09:13:59 -0700
=EF=BBWow, what a week it was! As most of you know Fred Klein and I flew
N28ET from Las Vegas to Oshkosh and back. Round trip was approximately 3,1
00 sm burning 98 gallons of fuel, taking 20 hrs block to block. Of course t
his doesn=99t take into account the various ground delays, extended ta
xi time at KOSH, weather rerouting and strong headwinds that prevailed. St
ill, this works out to an average ground speed of 155 mph, and a fuel econom
y of 32 mpg.
With two tents, two sleeping bags, two air mattress, laptop, iPad, clothes, t
ools, and spare parts we were a bit on the heavy side. While in the planning
stage I consulted with Jim Butcher who advised me to limited the aft cg to 6
1.5=9D. This required some creative packing to get the cg just right.
Other than a longer than normal ground roll for takeoff the plane perform as
usual. The Rotax 914 is a wonderful engine perfectly suited for the Europa
.
A good portion of the trip was flown in the high teens. However, crossing t
he Rocky Mountains on the return required us to climb up 18,000 ft msl (20,0
00 ft DA) to remain clear of the convective buildups that we=99re form
ing at an alarming rate.
Our last leg from KVEL required the largest weather deviation in order to re
main clear of the convective front which was several hundred mile long.
All in all, it was a fantastic trip and N28ET did not disappoint to bring a s
mile to our faces as we crisscrossed the USA.
I would like to give a special shout out to Jim and Heather for coordinating
the Europa Forum and to Pete Z. for his hospitality (especially the NEXT be
er, haha) and rescuing me when my tent collapsed due to 60mph winds.
Blue skies,
Erich Trombley
N28ET Classic Mono 914
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