Made it to Ohio!

The first day was a success. :-) I wanted to get to Findlay, Ohio and that's where I'm sitting as I write this. However, it wasn't as smooth as all that. I had a late start today and the forecast for clear skies didn't materialize. Instead, it was cloudy all the way across NY and down into PA. Consequently, I was flying at 3,000', dealing with turbulence the whole way. If you think about skiing moguls, it takes longer to ski up the mogul and then down the other side than it would to just ski a straight line through them. Flying the bumps is the same thing: it takes longer to get somewhere if you're spending a lot of your time flying up and down.

I left Glens Falls and went to Olean, NY. That was 220 NM (Nautical Miles), or about 250 regular (statute) miles. Olean is a very pretty little airport perched up high on a plateau amongst a lot of hills. The older man there who got me fueled up turned out to be a very nice guy. He's a pilot and a flight instructor and used to deliver the mail by plane. :-) He gave me some good tips on how to deal with long trips.

I then headed out for a one-hour flight to Franklin, PA, where another nice guy filled up the tanks again. By that time, it was almost 6:30 pm. My next leg was going to take me to Findlay, Ohio by a route that would take me south of Akron, to avoid all of the complex airspace around Akron and Cleveland. But, standing on the ground in Franklin, I realized that I wouldn't make it before dark and I prefer to fly in daylight. So, I decided to go direct. I departed Franklin, contacted air traffic control in Youngstown, OH and asked for "flight following" direct to Findlay. I knew this route would take me directly through Youngstown's TRSA airspace and also through Cleveland's "bravo" airspace but it seemed the only thing to do. Air traffic control was extremely helpful all the way to Findlay. It was fun having crossing jets pointed out to me by Cleveland approach. :-)

70L flew like a champ today. I have lots of pictures and some videos but will need to wait until I have a bit more time before I post them.

Tomorrow, I'll be up early and head toward Chicago. The weather in Chicago may take a one-day turn for the worse tomorrow so it's possible that I'll end up stuck in Indiana or even stuck in Chicago. If all goes well, I'll get to Chicago, pick up friends and head south to Missouri.

Today was a total of 477 NM (550 statue miles). It took seven hours, from start to stop, including two 30 minutes stops. I was very glad to see that there was an Applebee's open in front of my hotel tonight. :-)