Day 6 – Flat earth

After our usual morning routine (see day 5) we took a cab to the airport, preflighted the gyros and stowed our stuff. Then we pushed them to the fuel pump and gassed up. We delayed donning our flight suits as much as possible since the temperatures were in the 80s already but there comes the moment when you just have to do it. They feel comfortable in the air, but sitting on the ground gets your perspiration flowing fast.

We met nice people here, were treated really helpfully and friendly. Another airport that deserves an “honorable mention” is Jamestown, NY. Pretty much the same thing applies there too.

We set course for Mentone, IL, the home of the Popular Rotorcraft Association and host to an annual gyrocopter fly-in which brings hundreds of those flying machines and their pilots together once a year. Once we reached our cruising altitude of 1500 feet MSL (about 800 feet AGL) we set back and took in the landscape.

It was flat. And I mean this in the truest sense of the word. I come from a flat part of Austria on the edge of the Hungarian plains and never would have thought that there would be anything flatter than the Hungarian plains. But there is and we flew right over it. I guess it´s the vastness of this flatness that impressed me most, with streets running in an orderly North-South and East-West direction. Agricultural fields everywhere with farm buildings interspersed and the occasional little town. We realized that now we had entered a different part of America and finally left the East Coast and its associated hinterland behind.

Since there was no airspace to speak of (legally, that is), we flew in any kind of formation we darn well pleased. Here is Robert next to me:

Once in a while we would fly over bigger towns with interesting settlement areas. Here is one more affluent area where the houses look like beans in a pod.

Looking out the other side of the gyro, not a mile away, is its cheaper counterpart with trailers:

Most homes either have a pool or a private pond in shapes to fit their property. But the shape of this particular pond certainly got inspired by something else:

And so it happened that time flew by and we reached Mentone after a bit over 2 hours of flying time. I already had an impression of Mentone which I got from all the pictures posted on the Rotaryforum during the annual convention there. We lined up for final on runway 18 with a stiff crosswind. Taxiing to the “ramp” we could already see Jennifer peeking out the office window. Once we were parked, she came out to say hello.

It was nice to be able to put a face to the voice because I had spoken to Jennifer prior to our trip to become a PRA member. She sounded very nice and helpful on the phone and the visual impression just complements this. Jennifer spends half the week alone at Mentone keeping PRA organized and running. This is her sitting in her office:

There was no fuel available so we eventually flew the short hop to Fulton County (KRCR) where we refueled and took off for Rantoul (KTIP). We passed an area where they grow windmills!

Ocre, brownish tones dominate the landscape and the eye immediately latches onto anything green that presents itself. I´m not sure what those green lines are (probably irrigation ditches) but they reminded me of brush strokes on a painting.

Rantoul is an interesting airport. It has two huge intersecting runways of which 9-27 was closed. On 18-36 we could have landed cross wise. Big hangers border the airfield and already from the air you can make out an assemblage of old military aircraft clustered in one area. Once we landed I couldn´t for the life of me find the right turn off to taxi to the FBO. Most taxiways were closed off and the ones that weren´t didn´t seem to lead anywhere useful. So we parked in front of a huge metal air force hanger that seemed closed. On foot I walked to a cluster of office buildings and asked a lady to show me the FBO. I went there, but it was already closed. A phone number was, however, posted for after hour help. Unfortunately it didn´t include an area code. They must mostly get local traffic here. So I went to another office building nearby and learned that the area code was 217. Finally my call went through to someone who told me how to get to the GA ramp. Four phone calls later I even managed to organize ourselves a cab ride to a Days Inn in town.

We walked to a nearby Walmart, where I bought a shoe lace and sun block. My nose is already burned but I want to safe the rest of my face as best I can.

Unfortunately we didn´t take any photos of Rantoul airport but will do so tomorrow when we take off for St. Louis. Greg Gremminger has surprised me with his organizational skills and lined up a lot of help and support for the time we´re there. Here´s a big thank you to him and those gyro enthusiasts we are looking forward to meet there.

Robert & Chris.

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