May Mountain Adventure
| << Leg 10 - Grand Junction, CO to Leadville, CO | Trip Home | Leg 12 - Colorado Springs, CO to Oklahoma City, OK >> |
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Leg Stats
- Time Enroute: 0.9 hrs
- Distance (direct): 80nm
- Distance (actual): 101nm
- Fuel Used: 9 gal
Lining up for takeoff just before 8am at Leadville, the Density Altitude was already at 10,900 ft. The winds were calm, so I departed south towards the lower terrain. I had been quite concerned with the takeoff performance despite the 'book numbers' being reasonable, which is one factor in our desire to visit in the early morning.
In the end, the book was pretty much right, and I was easily off by halfway down the runway, and managed a quite respectable 600 fpm climbout. Leveled off at 12,000ft and we flew down the valley and then headed east to get a better view of Pikes Peak on the way into Colorado Springs, descending into the area via the valley over Manitou Springs.
The descent from Manitou down to Colorado Springs airport was something to behold, needing to lose close to 5000 feet in a very short distance. After landing, we got a ride from the FBO to the rental car center and got a rental car. Fortunately we were way ahead of schedule, so we had time to stop and grab some Taco Bell and have a quick lunch. We even managed to check into our hotel at 11am.
We had planned to stay until Friday since the weather on Thursday was very unfavorable, with a Cold Front passing through. We explored the area a bit, doing a stop at Garden of the Gods, and checking out a couple more breweries. We tried to visit Pikes Peak by car, but we were too late in the day to make the drive.
By Friday, it looked like the weather would allow us to "chase" behind the front and return to Florida on the weekend, probably stopping in OKC or Tulsa, and Arkansas.
Trip Leg Navigation
<< Leg 10 - Grand Junction, CO to Leadville, CO
