Kentucky Airport Challenge

WE DID IT!!  Today we finished the Kentucky Airport Challenge.  7 trips and 23.3 hours later we (thanks Fred) visited 35 airports spanning the length and width of Kentucky.  Once again it was another hot day of mid afternoon flying.  We sure are glad to be done!  During the flight today we were able to see West Virginia, Virginia and Tennessee.

Todays trip:  4 hours

K22:        Big Sandy Regional Airport
KPBX:    Pike County
1A6:        Middlesboro - Bell County
W38:       Williamsburg - Whitley County
KTZV:    Tompkinsville - Monroe County

Out of all the trips that we have taken, this was probably the most fun.  Flying southeast you start heading into the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.  One of the first things they teach you when you are learning to fly is to always look for places to land in case of an emergency.  Well, when you are in the mountains those are few and far between.

This was our first stop at Big Sandy Regional Airport

Do you see any place to land??

Pike County Airport.  

This was the highest elevation and furthest east airport that we stopped at.

Did I mention we were dodging rain clouds?

An absolutely beautiful view going between two mountains ranges.

This is what I spent most of my time looking at.

This is departing Middlesboro.  Do you notice the big mountain at the end of the runway?

It went all the way around the entire airport.

Here's Robert at our last airport!

Getting the last stamp.

Our final destination...Home.

When we first heard about the challenge neither of us thought we would actually be able to accomplish it.  It was a lot of flying but it was an absolutely wonderful experience.  We were able to experience so many different regions of Kentucky and see its diversity.  We were able to see many different states as well on our adventures:  Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia and Tennessee.  We saw the plains of western and the mountains of eastern Kentucky and everything inbetween.  Even learned a thing or two about flying.  

Maybe someday we will have another co-pilot :)