As I pen this, it has been less than two months since my last airline flight as a captain for UPS airlines. It still doesn’t seem possible, and I have no idea where the last 32 years went. I so wish I could snap my fingers and be back in the cockpit of the UPS Boeing 767.
The job even played a part that led to me owning a Twin Commander. I had wanted a Shrike since I was a teenager watching Bob Hoover. So, a few months ago, my wife, Ginger, encouraged me to set a goal that would take place immediately after retirement in order to ease the pain of losing the job I was still passionate about. We decided to purchase an Aero Commander 500B/Shrike, and fly a long three- to four-week trip around the country. Gary Gadberry of AirCenter, Inc had given Ginger and me a demo flight and we were hooked! The plan began taking shape when we asked our friends and business partners, Tim and Alicia Kaufman, to join us on the trip. We hadn’t bought the airplane yet, but I had a backup plan. We still owned a Cessna 310R, and could use that if needed. I called Gary and told him of my desires for a 500B, and he advised me about one in Stockton, California, that might be what I wanted. He was right.
I immediately placed a contract on the airplane and arranged to go look at it. A week later, Gary and I went out to bring the airplane home. This gave me a good “shakedown cruise” across the country—a good idea, since I would be flying back out west some three weeks later.
It was everything I wanted, with the exception of a Shrike nose, as it has the “Norton” nose. But the new Hartzell props (with no AD notes) and low-time engines were definitely a draw. Plus, air conditioning—a request from my wife—and oxygen filled the bill. I loved this airplane, but needed to stay very conservative as it was completely new to me. Gary checked me out on the flight home and said I was good to go.
On our first leg of my retirement vacation, we had a line of adverse weather crossing our route, but it turned out to be nothing more than a free plane wash. Our destination was Gaston’s White River Resort in Arkansas. This famed resort, situated on the river, has its own airstrip and cabins. But over the last 24 hours, they had experienced moderate rain, precluding any landing on their grass. The alternate airport was six miles away, so we landed there and had the resort pick us up.
A guided half-day fishing tour was followed up with a fantastic dinner. We highly recommend this place, particularly if you can fly your own plane there.
The next morning found us flying a long day to the Grand Canyon. I had planned for two fuel stops. Only one was required, but knowing how there can be many miles in between airports with fuel, we elected to be conservative. Although Foreflight gives the current fuel costs, and a difference of a few miles can easily save $2.00 per gallon, there is a catch. The “cheap fuel” airports often do not provide any services. Especially Twin Commander services. So, if we had a maintenance issue, we would be stuck. These airports may even be abandoned, as was our first stop on the leg. There was no one in the office, and the fuel pump wasn’t working. I called the number on the door, and the airport manager answered. He sounded like a nice guy and wanted to help, but the city commissioner—standing next to him—had yet to fix the pump problem.
Fortunately, I never land without enough fuel in my tanks to go somewhere else, should this happen, so we jumped back in and headed west. Hooker, Texas, advertised cheap fuel, but there was no answer on the radio. I wasn’t going to try that again because we wouldn’t have had enough fuel to fly to a third place if that failed. Besides, our wives weren’t excited about landing at a town named “Hooker.” A call to the airport at Dalhart, Texas, guaranteed the fuel we needed. Although the surface winds were a 28-knot crosswind, the Twin Commander handled the winds well, and 20 minutes later we were taking off again for the Grand Canyon. This would be our longest leg of the trip so far, as we fought headwinds and light to moderate turbulence the entire way. Having to climb higher to avoid the higher terrain and mountains meant less oxygen.
Grand Canyon airport finally appeared ahead out of the surrounding forests, with the south rim of the canyon framing our right side. I have viewed this area for many years, from 38,000 to 40,000 feet, but 2,000 feet above the rim was new and breathtaking.
The next morning, we took our helicopter tour in the canyon. Being a helicopter pilot myself, I kept thinking of options if we were to have an engine failure. There were some not in the canyon, and very few until almost over the airport when we returned. It’s all about risk management, and Cody, our pilot did a fine job.
When it was time to leave, we took off on Runway 21. The takeoff performance was less than spectacular, as our high airport elevation, constantly rising temperature, and high operating weight all combined forces to rob us of as much lift and power as possible. Although I had consulted the performance charts to be certain it was safe, as I raised the nose gently it was obvious this takeoff was going to use a lot of runway. And it did. I rolled along on the main wheels for a while, then was finally airborne. I hesitated in retracting the landing gear, in case we settled back to the surface, but I needed to get rid of the drag.
I keyed the mic switch and asked the tower for clearance to circle just west of the airport, climbing to gain altitude. We needed to be at least 11,500 feet above sea level to cross the canyon. The airport sits at 6,606 feet. It took almost 18 minutes to climb 5,000 feet due to the high temperatures.
Overflying the canyon is allowed only in certain corridors and at higher altitudes. With enough altitude to cross the canyon, we headed north, into the most beautiful views yet. As the north rim passed below, I descended back down to a more comfortable altitude as we continued to gaze upon God’s magnificent creation. Approaching Bryce Canyon, there were collective gasps being heard over the headsets and we couldn’t believe the beauty. A plethora of colors. The cliffs. The canyons. All brought emotional responses more suited for fine art. But that’s what this is—gorgeous art. Unbelievable. And we were watching it from almost eye level. Each time we looked away, then looked back at the view, it was different in some way.
We continued east to Lake Powell and remarked we must come back here to rent a houseboat. Then we turned south toward Sedona and Red Rock Canyon. I had never landed at any of these airports, and I wasn’t interested in repeating the apprehension I experienced on takeoff at Grand Canyon. I so wanted to take in the view but I would be busy with gusty surface winds and an airport not unlike an aircraft carrier, as it’s built on a mesa with drop-offs on all sides. Don’t land short (you’ll hit the cliff) and don’t land long (you’ll run off the other end). Ultimately the landing was uneventful, and after a lunch at the famous airport restaurant we were soon on our way to the AirBnB we had reserved, a quaint little cabin in the canyon.
Two days later, Tim and Alicia decided to rent a car and drive with the luggage to Las Vegas, as the temperature was getting high in Sedona and I wanted to reduce the weight. Ginger and I flew. It was another gorgeous flight, as our route took us over the western end of the Grand Canyon.
After four days in Vegas working on our business, it was then time for our next leg. Much of the trip was ad-libbed, so it changed frequently. We had planned on a stop in Napa Valley, California, to spend time with friends, before continuing to Astoria, Oregon. That was the plan, but we never made it to Astoria. After a landing on Saturday morning at Redmond, Oregon, to pick up some oxygen fittings, the left engine died when selecting the left mag. We grabbed a hotel and waited till Monday.
Early Monday morning I ferried the airplane to Bend, Oregon, where the capable hands at Leading Edge Aviation found the issue. Some eight days later, we were on our way, this time back to southern California. Then we headed back east for our return home. Crossing the mountains at 15,000 feet gave me a new perspective. I had flown this route hundreds of times, but always at 35,000 feet. This was a sight new to me.
Flying across the country in the 500B Twin Commander was what I needed to make the transition into retirement, and it has been one of the highlights of my aviation experiences. We’re planning our next trip up the northern route for early fall. But first… Oshkosh!
Rick Ferrin is a former airline pilot and Cessna 310 owner who now explores the country in his Twin Commander from his home base in Georgia.
