On Saturday morning, December 8, 2007, Pam and I arrived at the airport (CUB) around 10:00 a.m. to see that plenty of folks – pilots and YEs – turned out for the last planned Young Eagles Day of the year. I had planned to fly one or two YE flights, and Pam said she would find something to do at the SAC to help out.
We had to go thru the north gate to get into the airport as the gate nearest the SAC was out of order. That was just fine since my hangar is up that way. Once at the hangar, I gave Betsy (N2878L) a good looking over and pulled her out onto the tarmac. Since Pam and I had this weekend to ourselves – kids gone to Dad’s – we decided to forego the YE flights and take a trip to Aiken to see my mom.
We hadn’t called her in advance to let her know, but decided to try and call her while in flight to give her enough time to meet us at the airport. To my surprise, Pam’s cell phone works well while in flight – mine does not. So Pam called my mom and told her that we were air borne and about twenty-five minutes from KAIK.
We had departed CUB about 10:30 a.m. and the air was really smooth to well beyond Pelion airport. Visibility was about six with a ceiling of around 2300 feet. About three-fourths the way there we hit some really bumpy air for a few minutes and then it smoothed out again.
The wind at Aiken favored runway two-five and I wanted to do a straight in final, but since there was traffic in the pattern doing touch and goes, we chose to fly a pattern entering upwind for two-five. We taxied to the ramp at the FBO and were greeted by a polite lineman who parked us right up front. The folks there have always been pleasant and courteous.
We sat in the FBO’s very nice pilots lounge while waiting for my mom to arrive. After about ten minutes, she pulled up and we greeted her out front on the sidewalk. We had planned to have lunch nearby, so she recommend a little “home cooking” buffet restaurant named Baynhams Family Restaurant, located on Highway 1 about a mile north of the airport entrance.
My mom’s old car had a seating problem and she could not get but one of us in the car at a time, so she and Pam rode to the restaurant first and mom returned to the airport to get me. Something about not being able to put the backseats up (old mini-SUV) because the driver’s seat back would fall back. Oh well!
As mom and I pulled into the restaurant, there were several motorcycles lined up outside. I asked, “What kind of place is this?” Mom said, “I’ve never seen motorcycles here.” Well, Pam was already inside getting us a table, so I figured it couldn’t be that bad. Looks are deceiving and those folks were a group of guys and gals just enjoying a day like we were – and were not the Hell’s Angels I had expected to encounter.
Once we were inside and having coffee, the waitress, Mickie, offered good Southern hospitality, and we enjoyed a nice buffet. I think it was around $8.00 including a drink, and there was plenty of good food. But don’t ask for a “to go” box! Mickie told us that Thursday is their BBQ day. Perhaps we’ll have to take a trip over there one Thursday to try it.
Once we finished eating, we had to take the “one-passenger-at-a-time” rides back to the airport. Mom took Pam back first, so I hung around in the parking lot for a few minutes, wondering if the restaurant owners thought we might be crazy for how we had arrived and departed their premises. And to think I was worried about the “Hell’s Angels”!
We spent a while at the airport FBO letting our food digest and then headed back to Columbia. Mom said to make sure we called her as soon as we got back “on the ground” in Columbia. Pam promised to call her as soon as “we hit the ground.” I was thinking to myself that horse apples hit the ground, not planes. I told Pam that “hit the ground” is not the best choice of words, to call mom “as soon as we land.”
Departing AIK – On downwind for runway 25, looking East
Leaving AIK, the ceiling was 1800 feet with five miles visibility, but cleared right up about half way back to Columbia. The trip back was pretty bumpy and we were tasting lunch again. Lucky we had a good tailwind. It seems like no time at all before we were over Pelion Airport. Columbia Approach directed us straight to CUB, reminding me to contact them on 124.15, from that direction – not 133.40. Oops! But the ATC fellow was very nice about it.
I always go through a mental post-flight review to critique myself – what things need more attention and what went really well. This flight went very smoothly with the only negative thing being that I contacted Approach on the opposite approach channel. At least this time, when they told me to “squawk VFR and have a nice day,” I remembered to change the COM channel to 122.8 before trying to get an airport advisory from Columbia Downtown Unicom.