{"id":8233,"date":"2013-08-16T17:48:33","date_gmt":"2013-08-16T22:48:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fitzvideo.com\/sky_surfing\/?p=8233"},"modified":"2013-08-16T18:07:25","modified_gmt":"2013-08-16T23:07:25","slug":"a-flight-to-burlington-kansas-by-brian-fitzgerald","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fitzvideo.com\/skysurfing2\/2013\/08\/16\/a-flight-to-burlington-kansas-by-brian-fitzgerald\/","title":{"rendered":"A Flight to Burlington, Kansas by Brian FitzGerald"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In Saturday’s<\/strong> Pre-Dawn light, The Sky Surfer’s MXL<\/strong>\u00a0reflected at the bottom of the hangar ramp at\u00a0Selby Aerodrome<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n

Drought No More<\/h4>\n

After 3 years of drought, Kansas<\/strong> has been treated to an enormous rainfall<\/strong>. This Summer<\/strong> of 2013<\/strong> has brought more rain<\/strong>\u00a0in a shorter time<\/strong> than I can remember in the 33 years<\/strong> I have lived here. For the week prior to the Burlington Flight<\/strong> it had rained every night. Around Tuesday<\/strong>, though, I predicted to My Wife<\/strong> that Saturday<\/strong> would be a good day for flying<\/em> – it was<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Flight Plan<\/h4>\n

As is my GOP<\/strong><\/a> (General Operating Principle)<\/em>, I waited until Friday<\/strong> to pick my destination. The weather report<\/strong>\u00a0that day predicted a Northeast wind of 9 mph<\/strong> for Saturday<\/strong> Morning. I checked my Destination Map<\/strong> for an interesting Northeasterly Destination<\/strong>. Because the morning<\/strong>\u00a0headwind<\/strong> would be relatively low<\/strong> I decided to “stretch”<\/em> a little with a flight of over 100 miles<\/strong> – Coffey County Airport<\/strong><\/a> \/ Burlington, Kansas<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

A Sign?<\/h4>\n

I had fueled up<\/strong> and pre-flighted<\/strong> the airplane Friday evening<\/strong>. Saturday<\/strong> before dawn, I rolled the Quicksilver<\/strong> out, hopping over the drainage area shown above. Besides being an excellent Businessman<\/strong>, Bill Selby<\/strong>\u00a0displayed good knowledge and execution when building his hangars and airstrip. He planned<\/strong> the airfield well<\/strong>. He had it “crown”<\/em> graded so it never has standing water<\/strong> on it. Water<\/strong> from rain or snow drains<\/strong> off the field immediately to the East<\/strong> and West<\/strong>. Then in front<\/strong> of the hangar, he designed the ramp<\/strong> to accomodate the drainage<\/strong>. The only challenge<\/strong> is to roll<\/strong> the plane across<\/strong> this drainage<\/strong> area without getting your feet wet<\/strong>. It’s not hard to do.<\/p>\n

After getting the plane across the moat<\/strong>, checking<\/strong> the field for obstacles or deer<\/strong>, I noticed at the South<\/strong> end of the runway a low<\/strong>\u00a0grouping<\/strong> of “white things”<\/em> about 150 yards away. Being of curious bent,<\/strong> I jogged over to investigate<\/strong> before takeoff.<\/p>\n

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A Toadstool Ring<\/strong> – aka -Fairy Circle, Elf Circle, Elf Ring or Pixie Ring or Sorcerers’ Ring<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

Ronds de Sorciers\u00a0(“sorcerers’ rings”)<\/h4>\n

It wasn’t a perfectly closed circle but definitely was what I know as “a Toadstool Ring”<\/em>. I had never seen<\/strong> one before except in pictures<\/strong>. They figure large in European mythology<\/strong><\/a> but I put no stock in that sort of thing. On the other hand…<\/em> As we shall see later in the story<\/strong>, there does seem to have been a connection<\/strong> that day…<\/p>\n

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99 – 100% Humidity<\/p><\/div>\n

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Above is the equation for determining the “humidity”<\/em> of the atmosphere<\/strong>. One forecast<\/strong> said 99%<\/strong> and the other said the\u00a0Humidity at Dawn would be 100%<\/strong>.\u00a0Reading the Definition of Relative Humidity<\/strong><\/a> makes my head hurt <\/strong>but if you want to learn more about it you can follow the link.<\/p>\n

From a human<\/strong> standpoint humidity is quite obvious<\/strong>. People\u00a0feel<\/strong> high humidity very readily. For an airplane<\/strong>, it has various ramifications<\/strong>, mostly of reduced aerodynamic performance<\/strong> and the potential for “carburator ice”<\/em><\/a>. I won’t go into the details but, suffice to say, Carb Ice<\/strong> can make your engine stop<\/strong>. I have never been affected<\/strong> by it flying my Ultralight<\/strong> but I know guys who have and were required<\/strong> to perform an unscheduled landing<\/strong>. If I was going to ever experience carb ice, that morning<\/strong> would be the day. I determined to be on the alert<\/strong> for it.<\/p>\n

After takeoff<\/strong> the amount of water suspended in the air<\/strong> was obvious<\/strong> to see but hard<\/strong> to<\/strong> photograph <\/strong>because of the rising sun interacting <\/strong>with this highly reflective air mass<\/strong>. I tried six times<\/strong> to get a good rendition<\/strong> of it. The only shot<\/strong> that was successful<\/strong> was the one you see below<\/strong>. It captures well<\/strong> what I saw<\/strong> that morning.<\/p>\n

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100% Humidity<\/p><\/div>\n

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The Arkansas River<\/strong><\/a> just West of Derby, Kansas<\/strong>. Usually you can walk on most of that riverbed. Lately it is up to the banks.<\/p><\/div>\n

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I passed Cook Airfield<\/strong><\/a> to the South<\/strong> and took this shot out the back window.<\/p><\/div>\n

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A short while farther Augusta, Kansas<\/strong><\/a> showed up under my left wing<\/strong>. Here the countryside<\/strong> begins to thin out.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Just as I cross Highway 77<\/strong> I saw a former client of mine – PK Industrial<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n

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This is where they do off-site industrial painting and fireproofing<\/strong>. One of the many presentations<\/strong> I produced for them is HERE<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Finally, about 3 miles East<\/strong> of Augusta<\/strong>, I broke out into open prairie<\/strong> and farm land<\/strong>. To stay out of the headwind I dropped down to 6′ AGL and shot this “GlennView”<\/a>.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

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Over grazing land, another\u00a0“GlennView”<\/em><\/a> from 5′ AGL<\/strong> looking Northeast<\/strong>.<\/p><\/div>\n

Super Saturated<\/h4>\n

The photo below, besides providing a glimpse<\/strong> of the majestic view surrounding<\/strong> me, also will serve as an illustration<\/strong> of the “100% Humidity”<\/em> sub theme of this story. While “flat”<\/em> in one sense, this area<\/strong> of the great plains<\/strong> is actually a continuous carpet<\/strong> of rolling hills<\/strong> draining their rainfall into thousands<\/strong> of small creeks<\/strong>. In the center<\/strong> of this photo is one<\/strong> of these creeks<\/strong>. What you don’t see<\/strong> and what I had never witnessed before out in this landscape was the standing water<\/strong> everywhere<\/span> beneath me. From the tops<\/strong> of the hills<\/strong>\u00a0to where they emptied<\/strong> into the creeks<\/strong>, all<\/span> the ground<\/strong> was under standing water<\/span> I estimate to have been about an inch thick<\/strong>. It looked like an Irish Bog<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

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“Off by its lonesome”, I saw this old stone building<\/strong>.<\/p><\/div>\n

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The contouring<\/strong> of these rolling hills fascinates<\/strong> me.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Here, flat pieces of stone adorn the break point<\/strong> of this gently sloping hill.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Recon<\/h4>\n

I had flown for about two and a half hours<\/strong> and decided to land and stretch<\/strong> the legs. Normally<\/strong> I would land<\/strong> on a cut hay field<\/strong> or on a “4 wheeler”<\/em> trail but as I reported earlier all the land<\/strong> was like a big sponge<\/strong> that morning. I didn’t want to de-plane<\/strong> and slog around<\/strong> in that stuff. Additionally<\/strong> it would make takeoff<\/strong> much more difficult<\/strong>. I saw a nice flat country road<\/strong>. There was no pickup<\/strong> traffic who’s travel I would be blocking<\/strong>\u00a0so I put the MXL<\/strong><\/a> down.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0After fooling around taking pictures<\/strong> and looking at the map<\/strong> I decided it was time to continue. During this time I had not taken my earplugs<\/strong> out so I did not hear<\/strong> the approach of the pickup<\/strong> that pulled up behind my plane.<\/p>\n

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Mark Haas<\/strong> and The Sky Surfer<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

A Flint Hills Rancher<\/h4>\n

I was getting everything in order<\/strong> to start the motor and leave. From the position<\/strong> I was at in front<\/strong> of the plane I suddenly saw the tires<\/strong> and front<\/strong> of a pickup<\/strong> and somebody’s feet<\/strong> getting out of the cab<\/strong>.\u00a0I pulled the earplugs<\/strong> out as I worked my way under the wing to introduce<\/strong> myself.\u00a0It was\u00a0Mark Haas<\/strong>. Mark<\/strong> had seen a bright, yellow object<\/strong> from a ways off and came over to investigate<\/strong>. Upon seeing it was an air machine<\/strong> he assumed I was having engine trouble<\/strong> and was prepared to help<\/strong>. I thanked him<\/strong> for his concern but explained<\/strong> my mission<\/strong> and that I was just making a stop<\/strong> on the way to Burlington<\/strong>. For about 15 minutes<\/strong> we talked<\/strong> about a number of things while standing<\/strong> out in the calm<\/strong> morning air. He pointed to some of his cattle<\/strong> on a hill about a mile Southeast<\/strong> of our position<\/strong> and said they own land to the Southwest<\/strong> also. I told him I had just passed over that area<\/strong> and how fine it looked from the air. He said it was but that there was an encroaching species<\/strong> of plant threatening to greatly diminish<\/strong> the quality of gazing<\/strong> there and throughout Kansas called Sericea Lespedeza<\/strong><\/a>. Not native<\/strong> to the area, it was pushing out the native grass<\/strong> the cattle thrive on.<\/p>\n

We also talked about his unique concrete silo<\/strong>. An author<\/strong> had been by recently to take pictures<\/strong> of it for a book<\/strong> she is looking to publish<\/strong>. I told him I would shoot<\/strong> some aerials<\/strong> of it.<\/p>\n

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Closer<\/p><\/div>\n

Like most folks<\/strong> out on the range, Mark<\/strong> works Saturday<\/strong> and had to get back to it. I also needed to be on my way so we parted<\/strong> after I gathered his telephone number<\/strong> and email address<\/strong>. Just before I started the motor<\/strong> I noticed another truck pull up. I could hear Mark<\/strong> tell them I was getting ready to take off<\/strong> and they should watch. I waved and then got the motor turning<\/strong>. Then before strapping in, I shot the photo<\/strong> below.<\/p>\n

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After takeoff, I circled the trucks and headed over to Lamont<\/strong> to get some photos<\/strong> of the concrete<\/strong>\u00a0silo<\/strong> and town<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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Lamont, Kansas<\/strong><\/a> from 100′ AGL looking North<\/p><\/div>\n

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The little girls<\/strong> on bikes were waving<\/strong> at me. I returned the wave and resumed<\/strong> my heading for Burlington, Kansas<\/strong>.<\/p><\/div>\n

Short Leg<\/h4>\n

By the time I landed and met Mark Haas<\/strong>, I had flown about 2.5 hours<\/strong>. I had another 16 miles to Burlington –\u00a0<\/strong>20 miles<\/strong> to the Coffey County Airport<\/strong><\/a> which is North<\/strong> of town. The entire morning I flew into a gentle headwind<\/strong> that was allowing between 30 and 35 mph ground speed<\/strong> at my 38 mph<\/strong> “best fuel consumption airspeed”<\/em>. As I approached Burlington<\/strong>, though, I climbed to 1,000′ AGL<\/strong> and my ground speed dropped to about 28 mph<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Next are aerial<\/strong> images of Burlington, Kansas<\/strong><\/a> and environs surrounding.<\/p>\n

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The John Redmond Reservoir<\/strong><\/a> – Northwest of Burlington<\/p><\/div>\n

There’s Silos And Then There’s SILOS<\/h4>\n

Even though I was looking forward to seeing The Wolf Creek Nuclear Electric Generating Plant<\/strong><\/a>, it caught me by surprise. As I approached the Burlington<\/strong> area from the Southwest<\/strong> I flew at about 75′ AGL<\/strong> until about 2 miles out. From that low level out here in “The Flatlands”<\/em>, generally the highest point of a town will be the grain elevators<\/strong> it might have. That is what you notice first<\/strong>. For quite a way<\/strong> before actually seeing buildings<\/strong>, I picked up Burlington’s<\/strong> “grain elevator”\u00a0(at least that’s what I thought)<\/em>. I could see a series of buildings with a “silo” and assumed it was a grain elevator in town. As I began my ascent<\/strong> about 2 miles Southwest<\/strong> of town it became obvious this was wrong. I was seeing the Wolf Creek installation<\/strong> rising above the prairie 4.5 miles past<\/strong><\/span> Burlington<\/strong>. Wolf Creek<\/strong> is a much larger<\/strong> installation than I had imagined<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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The Moment It Became Obvious<\/p><\/div>\n

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Burlington, Kansas<\/strong> from 1,000′ AGL looking Northeast<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

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Telephoto: Downtown Burlington<\/strong> with Wolf Creek<\/strong> in the distance from 1,000′ AGL looking Northeast<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

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Neosho Street<\/strong> where I will be showing a number of pictures later in the report – from 1,100′ AGL looking North Northeast<\/strong>.<\/p><\/div>\n

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The John Redmond Dam<\/strong>. After flying around the South<\/strong> end of town I headed North<\/strong> to the airport. Later in the story as I leave the airport I will fly over the dam and show it from above<\/strong>.<\/p><\/div>\n

No Loitering<\/h4>\n

Because of confused state<\/strong> of our Federal Government<\/strong> with regard to Terrorism<\/strong>, prior to flying to Burlington<\/strong> I made inquiries as to the “authorities’ feelings”<\/strong> regarding aerial photography of Wolf Creek<\/strong>. I use the word feelings<\/em> purposely because since the muslim attack on The World Trade Centers<\/strong> in 2001, I have seen little evidence\u00a0emanating\u00a0from\u00a0Washington<\/strong> indicating a logical, consistent,\u00a0sensible, cohesive, effective policy to deal with this threat. I half expected to find it illegal<\/strong> to take pictures<\/strong> of this gargantuan facility but that was not to be the case. All I was told was that “the authorities”<\/em> did not like airplanes “loitering”<\/em> around the site.<\/p>\n

I figured that was just fine<\/strong> because I had no intention of getting close<\/strong> to it. Even so, I wondered if my cruise speed of 38 mph<\/strong> (ground speed even slower into the headwind)<\/em> might be perceived as “loitering”. So be it.<\/strong> I pressed on.<\/p>\n

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Wolf Creek<\/strong> on the other side of its cooling water lake from 1,500′ AGL looking Northeast<\/strong>.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Telephoto – Same Position<\/p><\/div>\n

\u00a0New Strawn<\/h4>\n

When researching<\/strong> this flight I discovered<\/strong> there was a Strawn<\/strong> before there was a New Strawn<\/strong><\/a>. Simply put, “Old Strawn”<\/em> is out in the middle of The John Redmond Reservoir<\/strong>. They moved everything.<\/p>\n

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New Strawn from 1,500′ AGL Looking Northwest<\/p><\/div>\n

Near Cloud Base<\/h4>\n

Usually I fly far beneath<\/strong> the clouds but this Saturday<\/strong> their base was 200′ over my head. VFR<\/strong><\/a> (Visual Flight Rules)<\/strong> dictate flying clear of clouds and that’s what I did. Just Northeast<\/strong> of New Strawn<\/strong> is Coffey County Airport<\/strong><\/a>. I entered the pattern and landed.<\/p>\n

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Coffee County Airport from 1,500′ AGL looking North<\/p><\/div>\n

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In the pattern – downwind leg<\/p><\/div>\n

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The Compass Rose<\/strong> is a nice touch!<\/p><\/div>\n

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Just after exiting the active runway looking West<\/strong> from 30″ AGL.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Man, with a little more prep work this could be their promo photo<\/strong>. How about that Cessna Sky King<\/strong> plane? Nice!<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

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After tying the Quicksilver<\/strong> down I entered the airport office.<\/p><\/div>\n

Always Helpful<\/h4>\n

I can say with 100% Surety<\/strong>, every<\/strong> small airport<\/strong> I have visited in my Surfing Safaris<\/strong> has been staffed by friendly, helpful people<\/strong>. Coffey County Airport<\/strong> was no exception. When I explained to Justin Langley<\/strong> what I was doing he immediately pulled out and gave me a well-written Coffee County Magazine<\/strong> filled with maps<\/strong> and good photography<\/strong>. As I explained the various things<\/strong> I look for, he grabbed a highlighter<\/strong> and showed me on the maps<\/strong> where possibilities might be found<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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“American Made” Justin Langley<\/strong><\/em> formerly of Mississippi<\/strong>. The white Olds station wagon<\/strong> he loaned me is outside the window.<\/p><\/div>\n

Gotta Be Reasonable<\/h4>\n

In other stories I have told how much I like walking into town from the airport<\/strong>. But sometimes<\/strong> even I have to be reasonable<\/strong>. I was thankful<\/strong> for the loan of the Olds<\/strong>. It is 7.5 miles down Highway 75<\/strong> from the Airport<\/strong> to Burlington<\/strong>. The highway<\/strong> put me right in the center of town<\/strong>. I parked in one of those angled parking spaces<\/strong> and set out on foot.<\/p>\n

Upon crossing the Neosho River<\/strong>, I was greeted into the East Side<\/strong> of town by this creatively designed, steel\u00a0Welcome Sign<\/strong>. Among other things, from it I learned this is The World Catfish Capital<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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2nd<\/strong> and Neosho<\/strong> Streets looking West<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

Set The Tone<\/h4>\n

The first photo<\/strong> I will show you is meant to set the tone<\/strong> of many of the interesting<\/strong>\u00a0buildings<\/strong> and architecture<\/strong> to be seen in Burlington<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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It impresses me no end how a mason<\/strong> can take all these disparate pieces of brick and stone and fashion a wall such as this. This is ART<\/strong>.<\/p><\/div>\n

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The entire wall from the inset above. This building is on Neosho Street<\/strong>.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u00a0Character<\/h4>\n

I finally realized one of the big draws<\/strong> for me with these small towns – Character<\/strong>! Most buildings of today are completely “functional”<\/em>. Any artistic value<\/strong> they may “require”<\/em> is generally installed<\/strong> as an “art object”<\/em> sitting out front. I think it is far more aesthetically pleasing<\/strong> to “write the art into the design”<\/em> than to force the issue<\/strong> by planting a statue, sculpture or water work out front of the many bland steel<\/strong>, concrete<\/strong> and glass boxes<\/strong> our civilization<\/strong> has taken to building. The builders<\/strong> who designed<\/strong> and built<\/strong> these edifices<\/strong> would never dream of foisting<\/strong> them on the public without incorporating<\/strong> some sense of style<\/strong> into their facades<\/strong>. They would call buildings without faces<\/strong> warehouses<\/span>\u00a0– which is what they are…<\/p>\n

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The North<\/strong> Side of Neosho<\/strong> near 4th Street<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

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This fine structure of stone and brick<\/strong> at the corner of Neosho<\/strong> and 3rd<\/strong> used to be Peoples National Bank<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Now it is the Burlington City Hall<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

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After shooting this I noticed a Dragonfly<\/strong> in the upper left of the frame. A Dragonfly???<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

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I shot this elegant facade to include the classic lamp post<\/strong>. One of the many which decorate the town, all with the herald “Welcome to Burlington”<\/em>.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u00a0A Better Way<\/h4>\n

Andrew Carnegie<\/strong> amassed a staggeringly large fortune by developing America<\/strong>, near the end of the 1800’s, into the world’s largest steel producer<\/strong>. Rather than sit on this wealth<\/strong> he embarked on a huge program of philanthropy<\/strong>. Free Public Libraries<\/strong> were a major goal of his and he had them built<\/strong> in towns across the nation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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I shot this so you could see the old Carnegie Library<\/strong> and also the stone wall<\/strong> of the building next to it.<\/p><\/div>\n

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This is now River City Art Gallery<\/strong>.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Many of the small towns have impressive Brick and Stone Mason Buildings<\/strong> like this one.<\/p><\/div>\n

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A nice Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe<\/strong> Caboose<\/strong> and Railway Station<\/strong> Display on the Northwest<\/strong> Corner of Neosho<\/strong> and Hwy 75<\/strong>.<\/p><\/div>\n

Mural Artistry<\/h4>\n

While walking about Neosho Street<\/strong> I happened to see the Mail Man<\/strong>. I hurried over to talk to him. Few people in any town know as much about the neighborhood as the Mail Man<\/strong>. While he didn’t want his picture taken because he was on the job, he was very helpful<\/strong> and gave me a good number of things to seek out<\/strong>. One tip he gave me was to look all over town for the murals of Local Artist Jim Stukey<\/strong>. I know I didn’t find them all but I was able to photograph<\/strong> a number and will display them next<\/strong>. I think they are an delightful embellishment<\/strong> to the considerable charm<\/strong> of Burlington<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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Indoors, Too<\/h4>\n

Although Burlington<\/strong> has a number of chain, fast food restaurants<\/strong>, I always seek out the local spots<\/strong> for breakfast<\/strong> or lunch. Stepping through the front door of “Across The Borders”<\/em>, I perceived what I believe to be the stamp of Jim Stukey<\/strong> once again.<\/p>\n

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“Across The Borders”<\/em> Entry<\/p><\/div>\n

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A really nice piece<\/strong>, chock full of history<\/strong>, this is the best I could do to photograph<\/strong> it as it is in a narrow hallway<\/strong>.<\/p><\/div>\n

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I was seated just before rush hour<\/strong>. “Across The Border”<\/em> has a very interesting ambience and the food<\/strong> was delicious<\/strong>.<\/p><\/div>\n

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When you go to Burlington<\/strong>, make sure to stop at “The Border”<\/strong>. I neglected to take a photo of the entrance<\/strong> but it is easy to find on Neosho Street<\/strong> just across the street\u00a0East<\/strong> of the BNSF Caboose<\/strong>.<\/p><\/div>\n

Gadget The Wizard<\/h4>\n

After eating lunch I set out to explore the East Side<\/strong> of town off the “main drag”<\/em> of Neosho<\/strong>. After noticing the mural<\/strong> on the side of The Coffee County Republican<\/strong><\/a> I have already shown you, I continued East<\/strong> on Hudson Street<\/strong> toward the water utility<\/strong> building. That’s when I was greeted by Mojo<\/strong>. He wasn’t<\/strong> so much threatening<\/strong> me as he was beckoning<\/strong>\u00a0to his Master<\/strong> of my\u00a0approach<\/strong>. Master<\/strong> responded verbally by affirming<\/strong> to the dog he had received the message<\/strong> and then told Mojo<\/strong> to return<\/strong> to his side where he was working<\/strong>. I continued to approach<\/strong> and introduced myself.<\/p>\n

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Mojo the Dog<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

An Integrated Vision<\/h4>\n
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Gadget the Wizard<\/strong> intently crafting The Weir Dragon<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

Gadget the Wizard<\/h4>\n

I followed Mojo the Dog<\/strong> to the side of the gentleman<\/strong> seen above who was working\u00a0intently<\/strong> on the dragon<\/strong> you see until I finally interrupted<\/strong> to introduce myself<\/strong>. Almost as if coming out of a dream<\/em>, he looked<\/strong> over at me, smiled<\/strong> and replied<\/strong> that he was Gadget<\/strong>… Gadget the Wizard<\/strong>. He made a gesture as if to shake my hand<\/strong> while at the same time indicating<\/strong> we should forego that formality<\/strong> his hands being covered with glue<\/strong>. Intrigued by this name, as is my bent, I began an inquiry into his endeavors.<\/p>\n

I learned that Gadget<\/strong> is involved in many activities<\/strong> and that his place is called Weir Grotto<\/strong>. Having been an Industrial Process Engineer<\/strong>, Farmer<\/strong>, Industrial Troubleshooter<\/strong> and now an Artist of Integrated Components<\/strong>, Gadget<\/strong> and I discussed a wide range<\/strong> of topics over the next half hour<\/strong> as he showed<\/strong> me around. First, I had to learn what a “weir<\/a>” is. Basically, one use is as an obstruction<\/strong> constructed to alter<\/strong> the flow of a river<\/strong>. But, in Gadget’s Weir Grotto<\/strong>, the Weir Dragon<\/strong> “pre-determines the flow of time<\/strong> by its playfulness”<\/em>. This The Dragon<\/strong> does in conjunction with a variety of characters<\/strong> arranged throughout The Grotto<\/strong>. Many of the materials<\/strong> used in this presentation<\/strong> were found in the Neosho River<\/strong> a block away from Weir Grotto<\/strong>. In addition, Gadget<\/strong> employs a computer<\/strong> to show video projections<\/strong> on a back screen<\/strong> and to trigger lights<\/strong> and motorized objects<\/strong> positioned across the yard. He uses the newest version<\/strong> (two versions newer than I use)<\/em> of Adobe Creative Cloud Software<\/strong> to produce 3D graphics<\/strong> for his videos<\/strong>. He also has an interesting website<\/strong><\/a> in its formational stage.<\/p>\n

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I prevailed upon\u00a0Gadget the Wizard<\/strong> to pause<\/strong> from his work for a moment<\/strong> to pose with Mojo<\/strong> and\u00a0Weir Grotto<\/strong>.<\/p><\/div>\n

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A functioning Stone<\/strong> and Gem Cutter<\/strong>.<\/p><\/div>\n

Elements Of Weir Grotto<\/h4>\n

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I asked Gadget<\/strong> if he wouldn’t mind picking up Mojo<\/strong> for a picture of the two in an arbor<\/strong> of The Grotto<\/strong>. The Wizard<\/strong> was happy to oblige<\/strong>.<\/p><\/div>\n

The Sky Surfer & The Wizard<\/h4>\n

After a very interesting time<\/strong> discussing matters of Space<\/strong> and Time<\/strong>, Computers<\/strong>, The Internet<\/strong> and Gadget’s<\/strong> “Vision in Progress”<\/em>, I had to beg off. I really would have liked to stay longer<\/strong> but it was already after 2 pm<\/strong> and I still had to return<\/strong> to the airport<\/strong>, fuel up<\/strong> and fly home<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

I can relate to Gadget the Wizard<\/strong> and I like him a lot. He has a Vision<\/strong> and is doing what he can<\/strong> to make it “real”<\/em> and understandable<\/strong> to others. This is not<\/strong> a task easily approached<\/strong> or accomplished<\/strong> but when you have “A Vision”<\/em>, you have no choice<\/strong> but to try.<\/p>\n

We had already<\/strong> said our goodbye<\/strong> but as I walked away I saw one more shot<\/strong> and asked Gadget<\/strong> to break away from his work on The Weir Dragon<\/strong> again for this last photo<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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Weir Grotto<\/strong> and Gadget the Wizard<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

One Of The Oldest<\/h4>\n

I hadn’t walked 10 yards<\/strong> when I called out to Gadget<\/strong> once again. Earlier<\/strong> when my approach was announced<\/strong> by Mojo,<\/strong> I walked by<\/strong> this house without<\/strong> even noticing<\/strong> it. As it is right next<\/strong> to Weir Grotto<\/strong>, I figured The Wizard<\/strong> would know something about it<\/strong>. He did.<\/p>\n

Under renovation<\/strong>, it is one of the earliest homes built in Burlington<\/strong>. Because of a murder<\/strong> committed in it years ago combined with a bizarre<\/strong> turning of the wheels of justice<\/strong>, some consider it haunted<\/strong>. Here is what I was told…<\/em><\/p>\n

One night after a party<\/strong>, former residents<\/strong> of this house<\/strong> were quite inebriated<\/strong> and had a testy argument<\/strong> on their way home. As they pulled up in the driveway<\/strong> the wife stormed<\/strong> out<\/strong> of the car, went into the house<\/strong> and slammed<\/strong> the door. The husband<\/strong> stayed in the car and either decided to sleep<\/strong> in it or passed out<\/strong> from excessive alcohol<\/strong> intake. The next morning<\/strong> when he entered the house he found his wife dead<\/strong>. He was charged<\/strong> with murder<\/strong>. In the trial he claimed a burglar<\/strong> had entered the house and killed<\/strong> his wife<\/strong>. The jury<\/strong> did not accept<\/strong> this story and condemned<\/strong> him as guilty<\/strong>. Later, though, in Nebraska<\/strong> a man was arrested on burglary<\/strong> charges and admitted to the Burlington murder<\/strong>. Tools<\/strong> found on his person were identified<\/strong> as stolen from the Burlington House<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

People<\/strong> who believe in ghosts<\/strong> say that the couple was not really that mad<\/strong> at each other and the wife’s ghost<\/strong> is still upset<\/strong> that her husband<\/strong> was accused<\/strong> of her murder<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Why haunting<\/strong> the house for decades<\/strong> would remedy<\/strong> a miscarriage<\/strong> of justice that was subsequently rectified<\/strong> is beyond me. To get the answer<\/strong> to that conundrum<\/strong> you will have to consult<\/strong> people who waste time on such supernatural<\/strong> claptrap. Whoops! I guess I just did that…<\/em><\/p>\n

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Excelsior Mill<\/h4>\n

On the way back<\/strong> to the airport I stopped at a very special building<\/strong> called the Excelsior Mill<\/strong>. At one time it was a water driven mill<\/strong> and then for quite a spell was empty<\/strong>. Now it is being refurbished<\/strong>. Plans are to make it a Bed ‘n Breakfast<\/strong> hotel. I didn’t<\/strong> want to interrupt<\/strong> the guy working on it so I took these pictures from about 100 yards West<\/strong>. I also found some excellent pictures<\/strong> on the web of this mill taken by Pennsylvanian<\/strong>\u00a0Jim Miller<\/strong><\/a> a couple of decades ago<\/strong>. You can find them\u00a0HERE<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Excelsior Mill<\/p><\/div>\n

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What a fine stone building.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Passing through the neighborhood near The Mill<\/strong> I spied this attractive Victorian Home<\/strong>.<\/p><\/div>\n

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City Dam<\/h4>\n

My last stop<\/strong> on the way to the airport was the city dam<\/strong> found at the end of Cross Street<\/strong>. I looked on The Web<\/strong> at other<\/strong> pictures<\/strong> taken at this spot<\/strong> and the water<\/strong> is far<\/span><\/strong> lower<\/strong> than you see below<\/strong>. By the way<\/em>, one of the pictures’ caption<\/strong> discribes it as a “weir”<\/em> rather than a dam<\/strong>. From what Gadget<\/strong> told me<\/strong>, I also consider this a weir<\/strong> rather than a dam<\/strong>. I suspect this is one of the places<\/strong> that contributes to Burlington’s Catfish Championship status<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0Back At KUKL<\/a><\/h4>\n
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Before fueling up<\/strong> I took this picture to show the MXL<\/strong>, the terminal<\/strong> building and the courtesy car<\/strong>.<\/p><\/div>\n

Surprise Gift<\/h4>\n

After fueling<\/strong> up the plane,\u00a0Justin Langley<\/strong> surprised me with a Coffee County Airport<\/strong> hat. I love this thing!<\/em> It fits\u00a0great<\/strong>. I have a collection<\/strong> of about 30 baseball caps<\/strong>\u00a0and am not\u00a0exaggerating\u00a0to say this is the finest<\/strong> of the bunch. This hat is embroidered<\/span><\/em><\/strong>\u00a0front and back – not stamped<\/em>\u00a0– and the head band is plush<\/strong>. Like the town of Burlington<\/strong>, this airport has class<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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Heading Back To Base<\/h4>\n

After takeoff, the general lighting<\/strong> of the area<\/strong> was much better<\/strong> than when I had arrived in the morning<\/strong> so I took a few more pictures<\/strong> of Wolf Creek<\/strong> and New Strawn<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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5 miles Northwest of Wolf Creek Generating Facility<\/strong> from 1,500′ AGL<\/p><\/div>\n

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New Strawn<\/strong> from 1,200′ AGL looking Southwest<\/strong>\u00a0– Highway 75<\/strong> at bottom<\/p><\/div>\n

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The John Redmond Reservoir<\/strong> from 1,200′ AGL looking Southwest<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

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Another indication of the exceptional rain<\/strong> we have had this Summer<\/strong>.<\/p><\/div>\n

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The John Redmond Dam<\/p><\/div>\n

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The Flint Hills and Beyond!<\/strong> A Glennview<\/strong><\/a> photo taken just after passing over the John Redmond<\/strong> dam.<\/p><\/div>\n

Testing Altitudes<\/h4>\n

Even though I was getting a good tailwind bump<\/strong> (9 mph)<\/em> at 1,200′ AGL<\/strong>, I prefer<\/strong> the view down lower<\/strong>. I descended<\/strong> in order to see if I would maintain<\/strong> that tailwind support<\/strong> at 200′ AGL. It was still<\/strong> there.<\/p>\n

Directly<\/strong> in my path was a picturesque dairy farm<\/strong>. Before detouring<\/strong> around it to the South,\u00a0<\/strong>I shot a few telephotos<\/strong> of it. The one<\/strong> below was the best<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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Soon the landscape opened up and plateaus appeared.<\/p><\/div>\n

Contour Crazy<\/h4>\n

On the trip to<\/span> Burlington<\/strong> I showed a couple of examples<\/strong> of the contouring<\/strong> I like so much out here<\/strong>. Now on the way home<\/strong>, I saw many more<\/strong> interesting contour scenes<\/strong>, probably because I was flying another hundred feet higher<\/strong>. Here is a series<\/strong> of contour pix<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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Mustang Alley<\/h4>\n

After the interesting contour territory,<\/strong> I saw in the distance<\/strong> the familiar sight of wild horses<\/strong> in motion. I have never seen\u00a0Mustangs<\/strong> saunter. They are always at a medium trot<\/strong>\u00a0like they have to be somewhere and never seem to notice<\/strong> me at all.<\/p>\n

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A Solitary Idyll<\/h4>\n

Only the telltale<\/strong> signs of rural\u00a0electrification<\/strong>\u00a0betrayed the presence of a lone<\/strong> habitation<\/strong> nestled in this center<\/strong> of seclusion<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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In case you missed it in the first shot…<\/p><\/div>\n

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Meandering<\/strong> at less than 4500 RPM<\/strong>, this gentle rise would require<\/strong> an increase in power<\/strong>.<\/p><\/div>\n

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The breaking cloud cover now permitting the sun to illuminate this newly mown hay field.<\/p><\/div>\n

4 Wheelin’ On A Nice Day<\/h4>\n

Just left of my path, I saw some folks out running their 4 Wheelers<\/strong> on a track<\/strong> they had laid out. Since they were waving to me, I staged a minor air show<\/strong>. I flew past their position<\/strong> and then entered a left<\/strong>\u00a0banking dive<\/strong> to their South<\/strong>, momentarily leveling off<\/strong> just above the grass<\/strong>. Then I powered up<\/strong>, climbing at a sharp angle<\/strong> back up to about 150′ AGL<\/strong>. It was basically<\/strong> a big circle<\/strong> but everybody liked it<\/strong> and waved enthusiastically<\/strong> as I left the area.<\/p>\n

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4 Wheeler Enthusiasts and Track<\/p><\/div>\n

The Holly Frontier Refinery<\/a><\/h4>\n

A few years ago I shot video<\/strong> in this refinery<\/strong>. It was very interesting<\/strong>. One thing that surprised<\/strong> me was how loud<\/strong> it is around the process units<\/strong>. Ear protection required.<\/em><\/p>\n

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The Refinery at El Dorado, Kansas<\/a><\/strong> about 5 miles away from 300′ AGL looking Northwest<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

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On the East<\/strong> side of Augusta, Kansas<\/strong><\/a> I spotted this long coal train<\/strong>. Isn’t that the name of a famous sax player<\/strong>?<\/p><\/div>\n

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Augusta, Kansas<\/strong> where Hwy 54<\/strong> cuts through – seen from 600′ AGL looking West<\/strong>.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Downtown<\/strong> Augusta<\/strong> with its brick surfaced streets<\/strong>. I shot a music video <\/strong>“Augusta Musta”<\/em> here during their annual car show<\/strong>. It is in my movie “Decade of Thunder<\/a>“.<\/p><\/div>\n

High Water Mark<\/h4>\n

In the early morning mist<\/strong> of my outward<\/strong> bound leg, I included a shot of the Arkansas River <\/strong>that was frankly sub par<\/strong>. On my return to Selby Field<\/strong>, the light was more favorable<\/strong> so I took a few more. I have not seen the river<\/strong> this high<\/strong> in many, many moons. I am impressed<\/strong> with our water engineers’<\/strong> ability to keep it from overflowing<\/strong> the banks because it is right on the edge<\/span>.<\/p>\n

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The Arkansas River<\/strong> at the Southwest corner of Derby, Kansas<\/strong> from 400′ AGL looking Southwest<\/strong>.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Same Location – Looking North<\/p><\/div>\n

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6 Hours<\/strong> of Airtime<\/strong> Later – On Final Approach<\/strong> To Selby Aerodrome<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

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Grand Murals, A Nuclear Power Plant, Wild Mustangs, Great Mexican Food, a Wizard, A Dragon, A Ghost Tale, A New Hat…<\/h4>\n

An Ultralight<\/strong>\u00a0Fun Flight<\/strong>\u00a0always guarantees adventure<\/strong> and new discoveries. Burlington, Kansas<\/strong> was yet another high point<\/strong> in The Sky Surfer’s Endless Summer<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Let’s see<\/strong> what the next flight<\/strong> brings!<\/p>\n

Blue Skies & Tailwinds!\u2122<\/strong><\/p>\n

Brian FitzGerald – The Sky Surfer<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Drought No More After 3 years of drought, Kansas has been treated to an enormous rainfall. This Summer of 2013 has brought more rain\u00a0in a shorter time than I can remember in the 33 years I have lived here. For the week prior to the Burlington Flight it had rained every night. Around Tuesday, though, […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,8,6,11],"tags":[23,26,46,49,47,41,33,48,39,45,22,34],"class_list":["post-8233","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fun-flights","category-musings-not-related-to-aviation","category-show-an-airfield","category-ultralight","tag-aviation","tag-brian-fitzgerald","tag-burlington","tag-flying","tag-gadget-the-wizard","tag-kansas","tag-mustangs","tag-quicksilver-mxl","tag-the-flint-hills","tag-the-sky-surfer","tag-ultralight-2","tag-wild-horses","category-3-id","category-8-id","category-6-id","category-11-id","post-seq-1","post-parity-odd","meta-position-corners","fix"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fitzvideo.com\/skysurfing2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8233","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fitzvideo.com\/skysurfing2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fitzvideo.com\/skysurfing2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fitzvideo.com\/skysurfing2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fitzvideo.com\/skysurfing2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8233"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/www.fitzvideo.com\/skysurfing2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8233\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8408,"href":"https:\/\/www.fitzvideo.com\/skysurfing2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8233\/revisions\/8408"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fitzvideo.com\/skysurfing2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8233"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fitzvideo.com\/skysurfing2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8233"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fitzvideo.com\/skysurfing2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8233"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

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