Bend, OR from the right seat of a C-172

Ok, so I can't log PIC time since it's not my airplane (and I'm not PIC for this flight anyway)...but that's ok because 3:00 flying sure beats 8:00+ driving from Northern CA to central OR. Besides, the view at 10,500 MSL is much better.

Another benefit of today's flight is that it served as a warm-up for next week when four of us cram into the Arrow and head for Oshkosh for AirVenture 2006. 30+ hours of flying, six days camping next to the plane, basking in all things aviation related, and time to meet up with a bunch of friends I've met there over the last three years...I can hardly wait.

One word of caution about Oshkosh/AirVenture. Once you go, plan on pretty much doing it for the rest of your life. It's a gathering like none other in the aviation arena. Part air show, part aviation convention, and thousands of aircraft.

Hmmm, only my second post and I managed to get on the same Oshkosh theme...