Enchanted Rock Flight Report

In August of 2001, I started my quest to learn how to fly. It's something I've always wanted to do. I grew up on the southside of San Antonio, just 1/4 mile or so from Stinson Municipal Airport. Years of watching small airplanes pass overhead as I grew up must have left a big impression. I've always had a fascination with aviation -- this goal would serve to be a culmination of this interest.

1970's model Mooney M-20J

Copyright © Justin W. Moore See more photos at OutdoorPhoto.com

Several months later, I'm a student pilot getting close to having the flight time and aeronautical knowledge required to earn the Private Pilot certificate. A friend of mine, Dave Burden, has been a great resource to me. Dave holds a Private Pilot certificate and is also Instrument Rated. On Sunday, December 30th, he contacted me and asked if I wanted to join him on a "battery charge-up" flight. Needless to say, the answer was absolutely!

When we arrived at his hangar at the Bulverde Air Park, we were met with partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the mid fifties. Dave owns a 1970's model Mooney M-20J, and when I saw him pull the aircraft from the hangar, I was convinced it had just rolled out of the showroom in Kerrville (home of the Mooney Aircraft Company). Dave's plane was gorgeous!

Mooney M-20J cockpit interior

Copyright © Justin W. Moore See more photos at OutdoorPhoto.com

As Dave performed preflight activities, I got a chance to take several photos and admire the hard work he has put into the airplane. The cockpit revealed several upgraded avionics including a stormscope and GPS.

We boarded the plane (an interesting experience for me, since all of my flight training has been in a Cessna Skyhawk which is a "high wing" airplane -- the Mooney is a "low wing" airplane so you walk on the wing to enter the aircraft!) and wrapped up preflight.

Taxiing out to the runway, Dave made some radio calls and our eyes scanned the heavens to ensure there was no inbound traffic (Bulverde Airpark is a non-towered field so there are no controllers to talk to at the airport.) Moments later, we were streaking down the runway and into the sky. Landing gear up and wing flaps retracted, we started a climb to approximately 4,500 feet.

Aerial view of Enchanted Rock SNA

Copyright © Justin W. Moore See more photos at OutdoorPhoto.com

It just happened that our flight was pointing in the general direction of Enchanted Rock. Seeing it on the horizon, we decided to fly over this incredible park and get an aerial view of its impressive formation of pink granite. During our approach, Dave allowed me to take the controls for a while which gave me the opportunity to feel differences in the way his Mooney flew compared to my hours in the Skyhawk. His controls felt more responsive, especially the rudder pedals.

It wasn't long before Enchanted Rock was dominating our view. We remained at our cruise altitude and Dave made a gentle turn to give me good angles to take pictures. The views were tremendous!

Fortunately, I'd brought along my Canon D30 digital camera and was able to get several sharp photos thanks to my telephoto lens and Canon's exclusive Image-Stabilizer technology.

On approach, Bulverde Airpark

Copyright © Justin W. Moore See more photos at OutdoorPhoto.com

We headed back for the airport and enjoyed many beautiful views of the Texas Hill Country. It wasn't long before we had entered the traffic pattern and landed at Bulverde Airpark.

I hope you will enjoy the photos. As I wrap-up my flight training (the "formal" training, since like most pilots you never really STOP training -- it's an always learning experience) I hope to have more trip reports to share. Earning the Private Pilot certificate will give me the privilege of carrying passengers, and Shannon has already expressed her interest in being a frequent passenger. We hope that together, our love of aviation and the outdoors will present many new opportunities for great content on WildTexas.com.

If you'd like to read more about my experiences, feel free to visit my NoticeToAirmen.com web site.

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