A Serene End to February

Cirrus Checkout Complete

A bit over nine years since my first flight in a Cirrus SR22, after a few zigzags and bumps in the road, I finally accomplished a personal goal:  as of today I'm now a Cirrus Training Center flight instructor, able to fly and teach in the SR22.

A Tour of Enstrom Helicopter Corporation

My student Robb and I toured the Enstrom Helicopter Corporation's factory and repair station in Menominee, Michigan today.  We turned a flight lesson into a mission to pick up my boss who dropped his helicopter off there for its annual.  We saw helicopters in various stages of construction and repair.  It was nice to see an aviation company that is going strong, manufacturing a product that's in demand in the U.S. as well as all over the world.

The Menominee River

Menominee's Airport with a fresh coat of snow and someone's tracks

The Engine Build-Up area of the factory

A helicopter's tailcone

Working on a rotor blade, which is made in-house

Painted and almost ready to go

In the paint shop

King Air Trip

A pretty sweet view from an FBO's window.  I flew right seat on a King Air 200 trip that popped up today.

Quick Thaw

The weather swung from bitterly cold to unseasonably warm (45 degrees) in a span of just a few days, and most of the snow suddenly disappeared.  It looked like some other planet out there today.

Welcome Back Pack!

Some of my coworkers and I took a quick break to watch the Green Bay Packers return from yesterday's Super Bowl victory.  We watched the motorcade drive down the airport taxiway in front of our building a little after 2 p.m.  Thousands of fans lined the motorcade route between the airport and the stadium to welcome the team home.  The TV in our lobby showed live news coverage from a helicopter circling overhead.  It was a pretty big deal -- kids even had the afternoon off school.  Tomorrow there will be an event at Lambeau Field to celebrate the big win.

From the Green Bay Press-Gazette:

Estimated 35,000 Green Bay Packers fans welcome home Super Bowl champions
by Doug Schneider

..."[Packers fan Hannah Pieper Elliott] was one of the many fans who waited for hours Monday in 19-degree temperatures to catch a glimpse of the Green Bay Transit buses carrying the Packers back to the stadium from Austin Straubel International Airport in Ashwaubenon. An estimated 35,000 fans lined the street, and parts of Lombardi Avenue and Ridge Road, to welcome their team back from Texas after a 31-25 win Sunday over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV."...

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