Flying to gigs

Dick Wood · From: Springtown Texas, USA

I believe I've read that a lot of you guys are pilots and I was curious if any of you have ever flown to a gig and back that night.

My band plays one job that is about 102 miles from my house and with traffic, lights etc. takes me about 2.5 hours to drive and only 40 minutes to fly.There is a strip about 3 miles from the club so it's pretty convenient for the guys to stop by and pick me up.

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Cops aren't paid much so I steel at night.

Kevin Mincke · From: Farmington, MN (Twin Cities-South Metro) USA

"Cops aren't paid much so I steel at night"

Well, at least you get to steel at night.....I'm still stuck working those terrible mids (sgt 4-2am) or 1600-0200 as they say. That's soon to change however!!
BTW- I have gone thru ground school twice (and passed) but never had the $$ to continue on. I think I would opt for the 40 min flight to the gig

Gene Jones · From: Oklahoma City, OK USA, (deceased)

I did exactly what you said until returning one night the aprentice pilot upon approaching the landing strip realized that he had overshot and starting yelling for the co-pilot to "take it"!

We landed safely, but it ended my ambition to take flying lessons!

www.genejones.com

Danny Naccarato · From: Burleson, Texas

Hey Dick, forgot you flew. Yeah, I'd done that a handful of times several years ago.

Used to play a gig in Graham, TX and on a few occasions flew up there. Same with San Antonio.

Funny story, not long after I got my IFR rating, I flew up to play the gig in Graham, then the next day I was to head out to Fullerton, CA, leaving early from Graham. I had a V-Tail Bonanza at the time. I decided to file IFR and headed out, with one stop in Deming, NM for refueling.

Instead of drinking beer at the gig the night before, I drank tea. Way too much as it turns out. About an hour into the flight the next morning I had to whiz big time. No auto-pilot, and the "container" was in the very back, luggage area. Bigtime mistake. I was alone, and everytime I tried to lean back there, the plane would go into a climb abruptly. Being IFR, I couldn't deviate more than 300 ft either way. Finally, put it in a dive, leaned back, got the container and back to the controls just before maxing out the top side of my assigned altitude. This was all in VFR.

That was the next to worse part. I still had to figure out how to whiz in that thing and continue flying. Typically it was two 4 hour legs and I didn't want to land early as there was real IFR in Southern Cal. and I didn't want to deal with that in the dark.

[This message was edited by Danny Naccarato on 27 May 2005 at 10:39 AM.]

Dick Wood · From: Springtown Texas, USA

Kevin, Hmmmmmmm, working and playing in a band,that's all my life has been about for almost 30 years now.I hate to think of all the times I have come home at around 3:00am and had to get up and go to work at 7:00am but it has gotten better as the years go by.About three years ago I took a position as a bailiff and now I only work a flat 8 hr shift and am off all weekends and holidays.

Danny,to be honest I don't remember you telling me you were a pilot.Speaking of Graham TX, I played a small club there years ago that had one light bulb hanging by a wire over the stage and all the guys in the band (except me) got arrested that night for DWI.

Gene,my recent flight didn't go without incident.I haven't been out at night in a long time so I was a little rusty to say the least. After playing the gig,I took off around 3:00am from Rockwall Tx which is on the east side of Dallas.I made contact with approach asking for clearance westbound through the D/FW class B airspace and was asked to squawk 4352 and ident.Couple of minutes go by and and they say they aren't getting my code and to continue northbound.Finally after 10 or so minutes they come back and say they're getting the code. I turn westbound and get just west of D/FW and they release me to continue VFR.As I look into the pitch darkness west of Fort Worth it hits me that I have no clue what compass heading I should be flying to go back to Decatur TX and that cold sinking feeling sets in. I asked for flight following and NEVER got a response from ATC.Other aircraft began calling him and didn't get a response either.I saw a beacon a little north of me and when I landed I realized I was 28 miles north of where I was supposed to be.My little 40 minute flight home turned into around an hour and 15 minute excursion due to being a little rusty.

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Cops aren't paid much so I steel at night.

Roger Edgington · From: San Antonio, Texas USA

Dick,

I've got a 1946 T-Craft. It's more for flying fun. The band would have to haul my stuff if I flew to a job. My Zum and stereo steel amp would just about put me over my load. Oh yeah, and I'd have a little trouble landing at night without lights or radio. I'm working on getting an RV-6 started and Then I could probably fly to a gig now and then.

Bobbe Seymour · From: Hendersonville TN USA, R.I.P.

Flying to gigs? Is there any other way?
If I didn't fly, I couldn't do all the steel shows I do. Driving automobiles is way to dangerous in this day and time.
My Archer is hard IFR, the Bonanza is a back-up, and if the W/X is bad, there are always plenty of steel players on the show so that I'm not missed that badly anyway.
Fly to gigs? Yes and everywhere else.

Ray Montee · From: Portland, Oregon (deceased)

Used to do that in my flight instructor's Cessna 170-A; Beaverton, OR, to Lebanon, OR and return. It was a Saturday noon-time until 3 PM outdoor show for a large new supermarket opening. I had less than 100 hours total time and what a heady experience that was flying a four place plane from one short flight strip to another. Those were the days!!!

Bob Hickish · From: Port Ludlow, Washington, USA, R.I.P.

I'd like to weigh in on this !

We always made fun of flying
by saying , " if you don't care what
time you get there , fly ! if you need
to be there on time ! go some other way .

I can't count the times something went
wrong to detain a flight , or retard its
progress midway .

Bob

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