Today was an exercise in on-the-fly planning.
I set out from Stow, MA to Rangeley, ME. I did one detour on my way, over to Lake Winnipesaukee. I figured I was so close it'd be a shame not to at least fly over it.
As I got closer to Rangeley airport the automated weather informed me that their runway extension project started today and the one and only runway was now closed. This was posted in a notice that I should have seen during my pre-flight briefing, but somehow I missed it. 🤭
I had plenty of fuel, and always had the option of landing on the nearby lake if I had to, so - PLAN B.
I plotted a course to the nearest airport - Sugarloaf Regional. This had a really cool approach along a valley to a small but well-maintained airport.
I met Alex, a local A&P mechanic with a hangar right next to the fuel pumps. He was incredibly helpful, pointed me towards a store up the road for a sandwich and suggested I'd be better off heading up to Greenville, since it's a bigger town with more options for hotels etc. So much for PLAN B - on to PLAN C.
I refueled and headed out. On the way I flew over Flagstaff Lake and followed the Kennebec River up to Moosehead Lake. I was itching to get on the water at this point, so I found a nice spot and splashed down. The weather is cooler up here and it was the perfect temperature on the water.
I took off from the water and headed to Greenville airport. There, I met John who organizes the annual seaplane fly-in at Greenville. He'd seen me landing and came over to have a look at the A5.
I borrowed a crew car from the airport and got sorted out with a room at the Greenville Inn, an historic old mansion that's now a Bed and Breakfast.
It's amazing how friendly and helpful everyone is in the aviation community. Multiple times today I had complete strangers offering me the use of their car or making suggestions to help me out. I can't imagine how today would've turned out if it wasn't for all the amazing people I met along the way.
Tomorrow I'm off to Glens Falls, NY. I'll be there for a couple days to meet up with another A5 owner And a few other friends as well.
😀👍🏼