Stuck in Texas!!!

kids welcoming us in Brownsville airport

One of the worst days of the entire trip including the Trans-Atlantic crossing for me!

I just sent the boys off to eat dinner whilst I will try and rack the last remains of my dead brain and body together to type a few lines before I will definitely collapse.

just before take off from Brownsville

It’s Friday the 13^th and we are in the absolute middle of nowhere in Texas – stuck – due to wind!!!

Hard to believe that we managed to brave the cold freezing weather and storms of Canada and the east coast of New York, flew over massive oceans, crossed high mountain ridges of 10,000ft, mastered towering CBs, landed in tight airstrips and unknown territory but now we are finally defeated by strong winds gusting up to 35kt and with severe cross winds on the runways!

the airstrip of Brownsville on take off

It’s actually a pretty similar story to what happened on last year’s Trans-Atlantic where we also managed to get through all the challenging places from Iceland to Greenland to northern Canada only to finally get stuck in rain and low could in Montreal!

But let’s start from the beginning…

We wanted to give ourselves finally a bit more of a leisurely start but it still meant an 8 o’clock breakfast at the Texas Inn, then a hunt for batteries and finally the drive back to the aeroplane.

The winds are howling. Worse even than yesterday. Flippie checks the aeroplane and the worrying defect but declares it safe to fly. In the meantime a school group with dozens of young six year olds turns up.

enthusiastic local school kids infront of Betty the Beech

Southmost Aviation, the local FBO, has invited them to climb into some aeroplanes and learn about aviation. What a lovely idea! So why not see our old lady? I bring the kids around to Betty and we have some fun together.

a new pilot in the future?

All those could be future pilots!

Finally time for take off heading for San Angelo. The first two hours are pretty uneventful and smooth flying at 7,500ft – not no strong tail wind as expected. But then things suddenly get bad – and worse…

howling winds from the wrong direction!!!

As Flippie calls ATC in San Angelo he is told that they also have very strong winds and that the one useful runway that would be good on this wind direction is closed.

I am sitting in the back sadly having no chance to listen to what’s going on and have to make my own guesses. I noticed we were dipping down to ca 4000ft and that we only had 10mins to run. ‘Great’ I thought and I can cope with 10mins of turbulence if it then means the end of the flight.

The strip at Menard with a 20kt cross wind

What I didn’t know was, that the team upfront was by then told not to land at San Angelo but to turn around and try another strip.

What followed was the worst 45mins of the entire trip since we left Bristol. Bumping up and down, sideways, here and there… I hate aeroplanes when they do that!!! I am actually not at all even keen to be in them but the trip has been so fascinating and incredible that I somehow cope with everything.

fencing in Texas

But this was way beyond my liking. In the meantime Flippie and Phil battled with another problem as they approached the suggested airstrip: the wind was as strong as in the other place and also with a severe crosswind of around 20kt!!

welcome to the country of cowboys and ranchers!

A very sharp turn into finals turns my guts upside down but brings us finally to land on a most isolated airstrip in the middle of nowhere. We are in Menard Texas. I open the door and run down the length of the runway to relieve my stress.

Ed and Phil chatting about our trip

Car mechanic Ed very kindly greets us. There is nothing here. No Avgas, no facilities, just a car repair shop. The women’s toilet greets me with spider! 

Certainly the most extraordinary airfield I have ever seen!

Flippie quite rightly decides to give it a wait. Winds might just drop and maybe we can fly back to San Angelo later today and at least get the refueling done. The bumpiness actually was due to rising ground from nearly sea level at Brownsville to 4000ft here in central Texas. So whilst the cloud base in theory remained the same we were squeezed lower down and got stronger winds.

Jacudy and Jakayly

Whilst we debate what best to do, a lovely couple - Jacudy and Jakayly Sealy - turn up and we get chatting. They are local Ranchers and he is also a pilot and they spotted our aeroplane sitting there. It was great to meet you guys!    

           

Ed then kindly drives us 7minutes into the town of Menard where we find refuge from the baking heat of 35degrees and the howling winds in the ‘Lazy Ladle’ Café. Good internet and a coffee always help. After an hour Ed brings us back to the strip.

But the winds are still far too fierce to go anywhere and we decide to call it a day.  Here luck strikes in the form of lovely Vicky and her 85 year old mum LaVerne.  Vicky is also a pilot flying a Bonanza (also a type of Beech!) and she has just come down from Oklahoma visiting her mum when she spotted our aeroplane!

LaVerne and Betty - only 20 years of age difference!

Both of them are so sweet and kindly drive us to the recommended Hilltop Motel. Vicky even offers to pick us up at 6.30 in the morning to take us back to the plane. What great Texan hospitality!

from left: Phil, LaVerne, Vicky and Flippie

Missing my running and swimming so much and still feeling terrible, I decide to run down and explore the town.

Those 45mins of turbulence knackered me more than a 3 days trek up Kilimanjaro could.

But what a day: from young kids aged 5 in the aeroplane to an 85 year old!

This trip is certainly to a great extend made by all you great people that we bump into and meet along the way! Thank you all soo much!

And just a reminder: if you want to get in touch with us please find Flippie here on his website: http://www.springbokclassicair.co.za

And Phil and myself on: www.gonewiththewind.uk.com