Comanche Convention

There was excellent weather (unusual for Vancouver this time of year) and we took the aircraft up for no particular reason.  Everyone was up flying and on our departure from Langley tower warned us of "numerous" contacts in the practice area.  First time in three years there has been too many to count, I guess.

Flew an orbit around downtown Vancouver, which was a busy place but excellent air traffic control practice, and the decided on impulse to alight in Chilliwack for world famous pie.  The airport coffee shop here is well known as a destination for pilots.

Met a fellow Comanche 250 owner and admired his beautiful aircraft.  Wing root fairings, reversed brakes, clean new interior, and a new center-stack panel make for a very nice aircraft.

Chilliwack was very busy.  It was like a bee-hive.  I had my usual problems slowing down enough to co-exist with 172's but dropping the gear and a notch of flaps solves that.  On departure I was particularly careful watching for people on final and sure enough, there was someone who turned final without broadcasting on the mandatory frequency.  More likely they got stepped on - there was a lot of chatter going on with three aircraft in the circuit.

Climbed straight out to 1,000 feet on 07, and then turned left and kept climbing back over the airport at 2,000 feet.  Flew on purpose through Abbotsford's control area as I would rather negotiate with air traffic control and have someone watching me on radar than thread my way through the various student pilots hovering over the Fraser river.