Almost twenty years ago…

“Flying to the Nation’s one and only  public Spaceport”

It was my third attempt to fly to Mojave Airport and I almost din’t make it this time too. Mojave Airport lies right smack next to Edwards Airforce Base, in the desert region, notorious for gusting winds, nearby restricted areas and fast moving military traffic. Reading NTSB accident reports, most of them due to strong cross winds, can’t be good for one’s morale when attempting to fly there. That and of course, the danger of running into a T-38 from nearby Edwards AFB or inadvertantly flying into the restricted areas. Mojave itself, is a civilian testing site for new and  revolutionary aircraft.

After two previous cancellations due to bad weather, finally the day of our third attempt dawned nice and clear. Kevin and I planned to fly there early to avoid strong afternoon winds. I think, both of us were a little nervous. Moderate to severe turbulence was being forecast over the mountains, which is always a big no-no for me. After all,  I could always fly there another time. As I was going to fly the outbound leg to MHV, a go, no-go decision was mine to make. We re-planned the route to avoid the San Marcus area where severe turbulence was reported and after another thorough weather briefing, we filed an IFR flight plan.

It was GO for launch!

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