Saturday, May 31, 2008

N6503S Sporting Her New Logo


The morning the men left Macon Rich surprised Bill with decals for both sides of "Last Chance". It's official now! Many thanks to the sweet ladies at Show Me Signs in Macon, Missouri for their quick service!

Bill, Bruce Marsh & "Last Chance" at Lloydminster


Warbird fan Bruce March greeted Bill the next morning before takeoff and wanted his picture and autograph before the men departed. Bill is now officially a celebrity!

Jillian & the "Red Laurentian"


A 1978 model and a 1975 model and both "lookin good"!

The "Honey Wagon" & Wade Chabot


Wade dumping the "honey wagon" in the Falher sewage lagoon.

Approach to runway 26 at Slave Lake


Bill flying and Rich filming on approach to runway 26 at Lesser Slave lake. The lake can be seen just off the opposite end. I hope Bill can get this thing stopped in time!

The giant mosquito "Honey Bee"


It's been reported that there is not one single mosquito in Canada, they are all married and have raised very large families!

Message from the grandkids

Hi Grandpa,

We hope you are having a great trip! Remember, don't feed the bears and stay away from Canada's mosquitoes!

Love
Paige, Ian & Joel

Jillian & Amber and the Red Laurentian

The men awoke to a car alarm going off in the hotel parking lot at 6 am and couldn't get back to sleep so it was into the shower and breakfast. Rich walked down the street to get a picture of the giant Bee statue that he thought was a mosquito. The hotel owner's wife showed up and took them to the airport. She scared them with her driving and they were glad to get out of the car especially since she didn't speak english. They departed Donnellson for Fort St. John at 9:35 am and the ceilings were low for a while but cleared up pretty quickly. On approach to St. John they lost radio contact with the tower so landed anyway. Rich finally got the frequency problems cleared up and apologized to the tower to which they could have cared less.
At Ft. Saint John the fellas went to North Cariboo Air where a local pilot Bob Fedderly warmly greeted them. Bob introduced Rich to Randy Gee who owns North Cariboo Air and the two guys commenced to fill him in on the local scoop on how to fly the next two legs of the trip. Bob owns Fedderly Transportation LTD. and services the oil field, etc. They showed Rich all the landing strips and which route was best, etc. Thanks Bob and Randy for the great Canadian pilot tips!
May you always have a tailwind!
Off Fort Saint John for Fort Nelson the guy were only 20 miles out when they spied two black bear about a 1/4 apart. They are really starting to feel like this is wilderness. After 2.4 hours the men reached Ft. Nelson and were greeted on the ramp by Jillian the linelady who promptly filled up the plane and showed the guys where to tie down for the night. It turns out Jillian's uncle owns Skynorth Av Fuels and has he really got a great neice working for him. Jillian gave the guys a car for the night, a 1975 Pontiac "Laurentian" (this is an actual real model of Pontiac which neither of the guys had ever heard of). Big sweeping body lines and bright solid red, they boys jumped in and she wouldn't start, dead battery! Jillian hollers "Amber!" and Amber appears and begins to help clean the cables and fill the battery water and hook up the charger. Now this gal is talented. Not quite 21, she drives a 1969 GMC to work, which she maintains herself, has a bulldozer of her own which her grandma gave her. She also has 6 horses, one of which is a Percheron stallion which she breeds to her Quarter horse mares to develope pack horses. Rich asked her who taught her all the mechanical things and she poudly replied, "My Grandma!" Wow! these British Columbians are something!
With bags loaded into the red "Laurentian" the guys headed off to downtown Ft. Nelson to get a motel. Jillian had already called all the motels and located the most reasonable one available. How's that for line service! What a sweet gal!! and pretty too! Thanks Jillian and Amber!! With a belly full of Chinese food the men have settled in for the night at the Blue Bell Motel.

Friday, May 30, 2008

The Bee Captial of the World and a Ride in a "Honey Wagon"

After another good nights sleep in Lloydminster Saskatchewan the men awoke to strong winds out of the northwest, no tailwinds today for sure. After walking two blocks to a cafe for breakfast they called a cab and met cabbie Richard "Poppie" Anderson who took them to the airport. Poppie works for Lloyd Taxi and gave the guys a jolly ride. Thanks Poppie!!
Lineman Bruce Marsh met the fellas as they were loading the "Last Chance" and upon learning Bill was a WWII vet and bomber crewmember asked for pictures with the men and their autographs. They are officially celebrities now! Bruce and long-time manager Dennis fuel the guys and got them a qt of oil and it was off runway 26 and into 20 knot headwinds. Thanks Dennis and Bruce!!
The gps continues to show intermittent xm signal but they figured it's working okay just the signal is dropping out occassionally. It showed a line of weather ahead but just light showers. The showers turned into low ceilings as well so the guys ran the scud at 500' for 60 or so miles before running out the northwest side into good vfr conditions. They had a short bout of carb ice as the temps dropped to 40 degrees and with plenty of moisture they had to turn on the carb heat for about 30miles until into the clear. The Garmin xm weather showed a front ahead and as they crossed the front the winds slacked and the groundspeeds pick up. The first stop was at Slave Lake Alberta. Jeff the lineman and brand new pilot at "West Can" fueled the plane and gave the guys keys to an airport truck to go to Subway for a sandwich. It was decided to press on to Donnelly Alberta. The departure off runway 26 at Slave lake is spectacular, right out over the lake. With clearing skys and slackening winds the men made it into Donnelly and landed at 4:15. Donnelly is a small town and the airport is unattended but they spied a man pumping out the septic tank with a huge "honey wagon" so Rich jumped out and hailed him about a ride to town. Wade Chabot is part owner of Danoe Vacuum & Potable Water Services and was more than happy to take Rich to the local B&B to get rooms while Bill tied down the plane. Turns out the B&B was now defunct and Wade needed to dump his load of "honey" before the sewage plant closed so he and Rich took care of that and then Wade drove to the hotel in Falher where Rich procurred a room for two. At first the Korean owner and his wife did not believe that there was an airport in Donnelly since they live there but Wade soon persuaded them that they were legit. Next it was back to the field to pick up Bill who had "Last Chance" all bedded down for the night. Then back to the Motel to drop off their gear. Rich & Bill invited Wade and his wife Carmen to dinner and as they were driving into downtown Falher they passed a huge wire statue of what Rich thought was a mosquito. "They grow mosquitos big here in Canada" said Rich laughingly, upon which Wade turned around and said seriously that it was a honey bee and Falher is the "Bee Capital Of The World" to which everyone busted a gut. Imagine, landing at Donnelly next to Falher the Bee capital of the world and getting chauffered around the area in a sewer truck affectionately known as "honey wagons". It could only happen to the "last Chancers"! A really special thanks to Wade and Carmen Chabot for their above and beyond the call of duty effort! May you always be up wind of that "honey" Wade!!
What fun it must be flying over all that beautiful country!  Sounds like you're having a great time, and as usual, that's due in no small part to the wonderful people you're meeting along the way.  Please be sure to take photos when you can.  The two of you obviously make a great team, so keep up the good work, make the most of every minute, and know the Pearce crew in California is checking in every day to see how you're doing.

Love & Cheer,

WJP
It sounds like you are making great progress and are meeting lots of great people. Too bad about the rifle but I'm glad you will get it back on the return trip. Have you discovered anything you forgot to pack? We sure are thinking of you and enjoying reading the blog.
Miss you,
Beth

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Closed Runways and No Bear Hunting in Alaska

The "Last Chance" was ready and waiting when the guys arrived back at the Kenmare N. Dakota airstrip this morning.The sky was damp with low ceilins. Sandy from the Sand Way Ve motel took the men to breakfast and then to the airport. While checking weather with FSS they told Rich the airport had been closed the day before yesterday. They saw no yellow x's when they landed only mowers. Checking outside, a construction crew informed the fellas that they had indeed landed at a closed airfield. The mower man had moved the yellow x's so he could cut the grass. The foreman said, "you got 20 minutes to get out of town". After hugs from Sandy, a hurried refueling and a shortfield takeoff the guys repositioned the plane to Mohall N.Dakota (20 miles away) where they were greeted by a charming young lady named Tracey who works for Bowers AG of Mohall. With a call to customs and a VFR flight plan filed the men took off for Regina Canada and crossed the border at 10am.
Landing at Regina at 11:15 the "Last Chance" pulled up to the customs office right on schedule. Canadian Border Services Officer "Joanne" met the plane and began the process of checking the guys in country. All business but very friendly, Joanne shared the bad news that the Winchester 44 mag carbine was not allowed as the barrel was too short for Canadian regulations! We had to make arrangements to stow the gun in Regina until we return to pick it up on the way back. Was Bill ever dissappointed !! but the Alaska bears are rejoicing! The bright side is they picked up 6 lbs off the weight and balance and they get to see Joanne again on return. (Nice lady!) Thanks Joanne. Pat from Shell Aero center refueled the "Last Chance" and Rozie the CSR (customer service representative) at Aero Center refueled Bill with coffee and Rich with a huge chocolate Chip cookie. Rozie (pronounced "Rosie") has the prettiest red hair you ever saw! Thanks Pat and Rozie!
The men departed Regina at 1 pm and headed to Lloydminster Canada. Enroute thunderstorms were encountered but a hasty turn to the southwest got the plane around the cells and then beautiful clear skys. The gps xm weather was intermittent all the way to Lloydminster and Rich discovered upon landing that one of the cables on back was loose. Hoping that fixes the problem. At Lloydminster on of the local commercial pilots, Jim and his beautiful companion Emily, gave the guys a ride into town and the Ivanhoe Motel. Thanks Jim & Emily! More flight planning tonight and then supper and the blogspot. Fuel costs today were $5.31 per gal at Kenmare, at Regina it was $1.85 per litre. 48 litres (about 10 gals U.S.) was $88.80. If the caculations are correct that means $8.80 per gallon! Ouch!
Way to go "Last Chancers"! I'm so glad that we'll be able to see how you two are doing while you are traveling. Keep us posted as much as possible and we want you to know you are in our prayers. We love you and can't wait to see what your next stop will bring. Bon Voyage!! Lisa
Congrats on a successful start to your adventure. How are the gas prices? How is the Garmin working out? Wish we could join you at the controls! Have a great time flying through Canada.
Chicago ground crew

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

First Leg Complete

The men completed the final preparations for departure and climbed out from Macon, Missouri at 9:15 May 28th. Landed at Storm Lake Iowa after 2.4 hours for fuel. The friendly folks at Bart's Flying Service refueled them (Bart Himself!)and then it was off for Aberdeen N.Dakota at 11:15. Landing at Aberdeen after 2.5 hours the guys found the friendly people at Quest Aviation ready to refuel the plane and give them a courtesy car to hop over to Culvers for lunch. Then it was off to Minot N. Dakota for the final leg. Enroute it was decided to press on to Kenmare N.Dakota just 30 miles from the Canadian border. After arrival at Kenmare a nice lady working on the computer at the airport took the guys to the San Way Ve Motel. Thanks Michelle! At San Way Ve the owner (Sandy) gave the fellas a great room at a great price $46. Thanks Sandy! So far the folks in the Dakotas have been more than accomodating. Tomorrows plan is to get started at a slower pace and not try to get too far. Remembering that this trip to Alaska is a journey not a destination! Thanks to all the family and friends who helped get this adventure off the ground and to the border. More news later!

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Final Preparations to Depart

The permanent registration for the plane arrived today and were the guys happy! They could not leave until it was in the plane as you can't enter Canada with a temporary registration. Rich & Bill changed the oil in the "Last Chance" today and stowed all their gear in the plane. The weight and balance came out close but manageable so all is a go. Bill showed up with a brand new Winchester 44 mag. carbine so if any of those Alaska bears show up the boy are ready! The plan is to depart in the morning, Weds, May 28th at 9 am. They hope to make Minot, North Dakota on this first leg and then Canada and customs on thursday. If the weather cooperates they hope to be deep into Canada on Friday.

Saturday, May 24, 2008

Dad & Bill,
I'm so excited that you are able to take this trip. A little envious too. :0) I pray that you both have a fantastic time and that it will be everything you imagine. I will be praying for you that all goes well and that little "Last Chance" performs wonderfully. I look forward to seeing how things are going.

Enjoy your time!
Cheryl

Saturday, May 17, 2008

With frustrations mounting over the inoperable charging system we called Higginsville Avionics Lab in Higginsville, Missouri and they suggested we bring the plane back to them to check their installation of the Garmin 496. We flew down Friday morning and Tech Stanton quickly discovered a fuse holder hidden under the dash that controlled the exciter voltage to the regulator. The fuse holder was damaged and making intermittent contact. Apparently this fuse was installed when the alternator kit was put on years ago. Why it was hidden under the dash we will never know! Stanton installed a circut breaker on the front panel and we are now back in business. Thanks to the great techs at Higginsville Avionics Lab all systems are go!!

Friday, May 16, 2008

As can be expected with any trip we are dealing with the unexpected. We put the "Last Chance" in the Higginsville Avionics Lab shop last week to have a new Garmin 496 installed and on the trip back to Macon the charging system quit. Rich is busy trouble shooting the problem and hopes the old girl will be back in the air by the weekend. We forgot to mention that Rich is also an A&P and IA and is doing the maintenance on the plane for the trip. The next big project is to gather all supplies together and start weighing things to make sure the wieght and balance will be correct.
Bill is doing the flight planning under Rich's supervision and has just about got each leg completely figured out. Basically we will go from Macon, Mo. to Minot, North Dakota and then into Canada for customs. Then to Whitehorse and follow the AlCan highway to Fairbanks, Alaska with many stops inbetween.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Here is a little of their personal history .

Roscoe (Bill) L. Pearce was born in Downing, Missouri in 1920 and grew up on a farm east of town. He attended school in a one room school house called "Energy" but the kids called it "possum holler". He went to high school in Downing and college at Northeast Missouri State teachers college in Kirksville, Missouri. He then earned his Masters from the University of Missouri at Columbia. After college he worked for 36 yrs at Dow Chemical as a chemical engineer and troubleshooter. He met and married Louise Dye from Bevier and they have three children William, Claudia and Belinda. Louise passed away in 2003. During WWII Bill entered the army air corps and became a bombardier in B-17's. He made 17 bombing missions over Germany.

Richard Castle was born in East Liverpoole, Ohio in 1948 and grew up in a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri. He graduated from Ritenour Senior High and got his Bachelors degree from Central Christian College of the Bible in Moberly, Missouri. He is an ordanined minister in the Christian church and a flight instructor and commercial pilot flying for a non-profit mental health corporation. He is married to Julie and have 4 kids, Lisa, Cheryl, Katie & Matthew and 7 grandchildren. He is a decorated Vietnam vet with service dates from 1968-1969 in Vietnam. His father was a WWII fighter ace, flying P-38's in the south pacific. He shot down five Japanese bombers to be called an ace. He abandoned his family (wife and 5 kids) in 1954 and disappeared. He resurfaced 40 years later and Richard met him briefly for one hour and he was gone again. He is 87 years old but still alive as far as is known. His father is Nial Castle and believed to be an Airforce Colonel when retired.
It is ironic that an 87 year old WWII vet (Bill) would be taught to fly by a Vietnam vet (Richard), the son of a WWII fighter ace, who never knew his father. Bill and Rich's father fought in the same war and both doing so in aircraft. One was a bombardier and the other a fighter ace. One was in the sky over Germany and the other over the islands of the south pacific.
Roscoe L. Pearce ("Bill") is 87 years old and Rich is teaching him to fly in his old Cessna 150 airplane that He sold him. This blog will be their journal for a flying trip from Macon, Missouri to Alaska in that airplane. They are leaving on May 29, 2008 and will spend approximately 3 weeks flying to Alaska and back. This trip was Rich's dream. When he sold the airplane to Bill he mentioned that he had always wanted to fly it to Alaska. Bill liked the idea too so they decided to make it one of Bill's long cross country trips for his private license. (and we do mean Loooong!) This will be a once in a lifetime trip for both men since Bill is 87 and Rich is 60.

Bill has had 6 flight instructors and his last flight instructor gave up on teaching him. The flight school chief instructor implied that he was too old and told him he would never get his license. This naturally was a tremendous let down for Bill until he met Rich. Rich was inspired to teach him and the two came up with creative ways to over come the difficulties of learning at an advanced age. Out of their successes and failures came the the "Last Chance" logo for the airplane. Bill came up with that name one morning after a difficult and trying flight lesson and it struck a chord in both men . Bill and Rich flew aggressively all last summer and then they took the plane to Houston Texas for the winter so Bill could continue his lessons there with a local flight instructor. Rich was worried that Bill might lose his hard won skills by a long winter lay off as Bill winters in Texas and summers in Missouri. Bill has logged 83 hours and soloed the airplane in March with Juan Bran his Texas flight instructor . That was a momentous day for Bill. He now has more than 15 solo landings and his confidence is growing daily. He has made 3 long cross country trips with Rich to Oklahoma and Texas. Many thanks to Juan Bran and his patience and encouragement in getting Bill to solo. It's true! You can teach an old dog new tricks, it just takes looooooonger!

Monday, May 12, 2008

Come back soon

We are in the process of organizing our trip. Come back soon for some history on the both of us and how our trip is going.