Pilot Life: Cross-Country to Madras

With such unprecedented weather we've been having in October, I decided to take greater advantage of it by taking a day trip for myself! Of course, I would've loved to have flown with my uncle so we can keep visiting airports around the region and be each other's safety pilots and allow us to log hood time to keep practicing our Instrument scanning techniques, but he has been busy with other engagements. He has given me access to the airplane with confidence so I've got that to be thankful about. So this time, I got to check out an airport in central Oregon on my own and it's one I've been wanting to visit with good reason. My day trip takes me out to Madras Municipal Airport in Madras, Oregon and the main reason why I've been wanting to visit was because the Erickson Aircraft Collection is located there. A large number of aircraft there used to be on display at the Tillamook Air Museum out on the coast, but have since relocated. And since the opening of the Erickson museum, I've been wanting to visit since it first opened in 2014. The only problem about getting to Madras from where I currently reside is that there's really no direct way to drive there; a road trip would've easily taken me three hours one way! So I was glad that I had a pilot's license and access to an airplane today, otherwise this trip would not have been feasible!

A nice little day trip in N5174E!

After the usual pre-flight and pre-departure routines, I got airborne off Albany and made my way eastwards to central Oregon! I picked up VFR Flight Following from Seattle Center and stayed with them over the radio for the duration of the flight. After passing the southern face of Mount Jefferson, I began a gradual descent into the area and picked up Madras weather via AWOS; Madras Airport eventually came into view. After cancelling Flight Following with the Center controller handling my flight, I descended to pattern altitude and entered the left traffic pattern for Runway 34. After an uneventful landing, I cleared the runway at the central intersection taxiway and taxied over to the south ramp to find some parking, which wasn't too hard to find. I pulled the Cessna into a spot and shut the engine down. After tying down the aircraft and securing it, I headed off on foot to the air museum I've waited four years to visit; I probably could've parked somewhere closer, but I didn't mind the walk!

Besides, how often do you get to share ramp space with a Douglas DC-7 that's been converted for aerial firefighting???

Or the remains of an McDonnell Douglas MD-87 formerly with a now-defunct European airline???

N5174E sitting pretty in drier climate in Madras! Why else would Jack Erickson move his large collection of airworthy warbirds from the wet, moisture-rich Tillamook to a more suitable location???

After visiting the Erickson Aircraft Collection, I returned to the airplane and did a quick pre-flight walk-around followed by engine start-up. I taxied a short ways and did run-ups with the engine on a remote part of the ramp. I then taxied over to Runway 34 via the parallel taxiway. After holding short for some local traffic flying the pattern, I taxied onto the runway and got airborne. After making left crosswind turn and onto the downwind, I left the pattern and headed back home to the west on relatively the same route I cam in on; and of course, I picked up Flight Following once again from Seattle Center after establishing radio and radar contact with them.

All in all, this round-trip was a routine and non-eventful cross-country flight. The familiar sight of Albany and the Willamette Valley that I departed a few hours earlier came back into view, so I cancelled Flight Following. I crossed over Albany Airport and midfield above pattern altitude and entered the downwind for Runway 34. After a smooth landing, I taxied my uncle's Cessna 172 over to the self-serve fuel pumps and topped off the tanks before taxiing back to the hangar to put the airplane away.

A fun day of flying to go visit an aviation museum! Trips like this makes flying really worth it in my book!