10 October 2009; Alta Floresta to Ribeirao Preto --
As had become our modus operandi on this and previous flying adventures, we arose early (the flying is best in the cool of the morning (denser air = more power from the motor; cooler land = less turbulence from cumulus clouds). And the Piramide Palace Hotel always has the bountiful breakfast buffet set out by 5:30 each morning.
This morning another hotel guest noticed a pair of parrots (or macaws?) in a nearby tree. Grumpy tried to get the best telephoto shot he could from our second floor vantage point. I think the birds were a mated pair.
At the airport, yet another unusual (to Grumpy) bird had become "attracted" to Grumpy! On previous days, Grumpy had deigned to be so bold as to walk up to the nest "hidden" (in plain sight and obviously located by the protective "hen" who walked right over to it when I approached, rather than try to lead me away like a Killdeer will do).
In the meantime the two (presumed) males flew at me and then turned just a moment before they collided with my head! Twice one of them struck my back when I was turned the other way.
I was told that these birds are called "Quero quero" birds. I noticed that they had long legs (like a wading bird). Their very aggressive attitude towards Grumpy persisted up to the day I left, although they would totally disregard other, regular employees who walked past!
With those happy events in the early morning and all of the happy memories of the preceding days, this morning now became the saddest moment of this entire "Last Great Flying Adventure". As Grumpy was saying his goodbye to his now-good friend, Tony excitedly said, "You'll have to come back soon and we'll go fishing in the river and show you some sights like a waterfall that not very many people see!" Grumpy acknowledged the invitation, but couldn't show his face down which tears of mourning were flowing. I had come to think of Tony as a very much younger brother or a son -- more than just a very good and trusted friend. Grumpy was deeply saddened by knowing that he would never again see this young technical genius of the jungle; this was, indeed, the "Last Great Goodbye".
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Bob and I had determined that the straightline distance from the Alta Floresta airstrip to the airport at Ribeirao Preto was 838 nautical miles. On a previous flight, this last leg had taken over 7 hours. We estimated, with semi-unfavorable winds it could take 7 and a half. So, providing for an extra hour of fuel to allow us to divert to an alternate landing place, we decided on 8 and a half hours of fuel. This meant that we needed to add some more fuel to our reserve tank; on this leg we would completely empty the reserve tank early in the flight, after emptying one wing tank during climb and beginning of cruise. By this procedure we would know exactly how much fuel (and flying time) we had left in the remaining wing tank (over 3 hours), and could plan on a diversion at that time if our estimated time to our destination was more than about two hours. This is the type of carful planning and strategy that Bob and I used throughout the years on these long flight legs.
When we reached our cruising altitude after a little over an hour of steady climb, we flew over the tips of the cumulus clouds that were building (and might become one of many thunderstorms by mid- to late-afternoon) for a smooth and uneventful flight into our landing at the Ribeirao Preto airport. We were aided the entire way by a light to brisk tailwind, making this, the longest leg of our journey (838 nm), in a record time of 6 hours 55 minutes! Adelaide met us at the airport and we enjoyed a fine meal at a local Churrascaria where all kinds of meat is served at your table from "swords" held by the carver who cuts your choice of the cuts he has to offer.
This morning another hotel guest noticed a pair of parrots (or macaws?) in a nearby tree. Grumpy tried to get the best telephoto shot he could from our second floor vantage point. I think the birds were a mated pair.
At the airport, yet another unusual (to Grumpy) bird had become "attracted" to Grumpy! On previous days, Grumpy had deigned to be so bold as to walk up to the nest "hidden" (in plain sight and obviously located by the protective "hen" who walked right over to it when I approached, rather than try to lead me away like a Killdeer will do).In the meantime the two (presumed) males flew at me and then turned just a moment before they collided with my head! Twice one of them struck my back when I was turned the other way.
I was told that these birds are called "Quero quero" birds. I noticed that they had long legs (like a wading bird). Their very aggressive attitude towards Grumpy persisted up to the day I left, although they would totally disregard other, regular employees who walked past!
With those happy events in the early morning and all of the happy memories of the preceding days, this morning now became the saddest moment of this entire "Last Great Flying Adventure". As Grumpy was saying his goodbye to his now-good friend, Tony excitedly said, "You'll have to come back soon and we'll go fishing in the river and show you some sights like a waterfall that not very many people see!" Grumpy acknowledged the invitation, but couldn't show his face down which tears of mourning were flowing. I had come to think of Tony as a very much younger brother or a son -- more than just a very good and trusted friend. Grumpy was deeply saddened by knowing that he would never again see this young technical genius of the jungle; this was, indeed, the "Last Great Goodbye".------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bob and I had determined that the straightline distance from the Alta Floresta airstrip to the airport at Ribeirao Preto was 838 nautical miles. On a previous flight, this last leg had taken over 7 hours. We estimated, with semi-unfavorable winds it could take 7 and a half. So, providing for an extra hour of fuel to allow us to divert to an alternate landing place, we decided on 8 and a half hours of fuel. This meant that we needed to add some more fuel to our reserve tank; on this leg we would completely empty the reserve tank early in the flight, after emptying one wing tank during climb and beginning of cruise. By this procedure we would know exactly how much fuel (and flying time) we had left in the remaining wing tank (over 3 hours), and could plan on a diversion at that time if our estimated time to our destination was more than about two hours. This is the type of carful planning and strategy that Bob and I used throughout the years on these long flight legs.
When we reached our cruising altitude after a little over an hour of steady climb, we flew over the tips of the cumulus clouds that were building (and might become one of many thunderstorms by mid- to late-afternoon) for a smooth and uneventful flight into our landing at the Ribeirao Preto airport. We were aided the entire way by a light to brisk tailwind, making this, the longest leg of our journey (838 nm), in a record time of 6 hours 55 minutes! Adelaide met us at the airport and we enjoyed a fine meal at a local Churrascaria where all kinds of meat is served at your table from "swords" held by the carver who cuts your choice of the cuts he has to offer.
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