Saturday ride down to Keene NH.

There was an amateur acrobatic competition to be held Saturday in Keene New Hampshire that Clint had been invited to participate in so . . . .

At 7:30 am we met at KPWM and filed an IFR flight plan using the I-Pad

By 8 am we had our clearance and were rolling on RWY 18

Crossing RWY 11-29 we won't be in the clear much longer

After crossing I-95 we are at about 400 feet and going in the soup

A minute or so later we break out on top of a hard deck between layers at 1000 feet

 

a few holes in the clouds as we make our way over the Scarborough marsh

Misty morning sunlight over Pine point and the rail road track

The deck below us starts to close in again.

And soon we are over a solid overcast again

Looking west the solid deck beneath us.

We check the updated weather conditions for Keene and note the ceilings are 200 ft, and bellow allowable minimums for the approach. Oh well, it might clear out by the time we get there, otherwise we can divert to Manchester.

Sun is shining on top as Clint works the I-Pad for details on the approach in to Keene.

A few holes open up along the way beneath us occasionally.

We set up for the approach to RWY 02 in to Keene.

The deck closes in below us again with Mount Monadnock poking out of the clouds in the distance

 The approach plate on the Garmin

 And here is the video of the ILS approach and landing

 

We touch down just before 9 am and make our way to the gas pump. The place is dead.

We hang out for a few hours and shoot the breeze with other would-be participants. By noon time the organizers finally decide to scrub the event as not enough acrobatic planes can make it in and the ceilings are not high enough to meet the 3500 foot requirement for an aerobatic box.

Only two Citabria Decathlons made it in

So after a quick bite of 2 $ a slice pizza served by a couple of entrepreneurial grubby pawed 12 year old rug rats, we file another IFR flight plan on the I-Pad and are off.

We pick up our IFR clearance en route with Boston, center and soon are on top of the clouds again.

Over Rochester Skyhaven we initiate a practice ILS approach in to Sanford.

Descending through 2200 ft we make for the initial approach fix to RWY 7

We shoot the missed approach at Sanford and make our way back to Portland for a couple more practice approaches.

This time with the main display dimmed out to simulate a partial panel, so we fly only by the old steam gauges, Though the overhead view on the radio is quite helpful.

The approach to 29 is stabilized

Over South Portland looking at the Portland peninsula and the Casco bay islands on the far right.

Down the harbor approach we see one of the cruise ships is back in town.

After a second practice approach we land and get to sit behind a Southwest airliner being unhooked from the tug breathing kerosene fumes for a couple of minutes. All in all not a bad day, despite the canceled aerobatic event.