What a surprise to find Cécilia and me on the second page of the SuperCub Calendar 2007. Thank you Steve and Dana, you wonderfull inspirators and managers of www.supercub.org. You in the first place made our trip possible, and then, through you, the other great SuperCub people we met in the USofA. Like we said, we'll be back!

And then, with the help of the Lancaster Museum in Alberta, Canada, I received this picture of the crew of the Lancaster, just arrived at Oshkosh, with former Lancaster captain Joe English, and me. At the time Joe did the food droppings over the Netherlands, he was a mere 22 years old, and I barely four.

When we planned our trip before leaving, the track looked like this! But America is much bigger then we could foreseen, and crossing Lake Michigan is like crossing the North Sea. So - thanks to many an advice, and thanks to the limitations of our time and budget, we ended up with this track: Starting in Kansas City, going South via McAlester and Paris TX to Fort Worth (NW Regional), Graham TX, and then to the East, to Hammond, home base of Cajun Joe, near battered New Orleans. Up then the Mississippi via Dyersburg (TN) and Kewanee (IL) to our goal, New Holstein, to enjoy the www.supercub.org fly in and Oskhkosh! After a week back South, via Clinton (ILL) and Keokuk (IO) to Kansas City. One can read it all and see the pictures, below. This was our great journey thru the midwest of the USA. We'll be back!

This is in full glory, SuperCub N197T ,while fuelling her at Clay County, near Kansas City. It is a taildragger plane, built in 1953, with a 135 hp engine and toebrakes. Originally built for the US Military. To fly a taildragger one needs to be rated as such, making at least 10 hours training with a specialized instructor. Take offs,landing, and taxiing is completely different from doing so in a tricycle plane like a Cessna 172.

And so one gets in the Cub, like one gets on a horse ...

This the greater part of the Supercubs instrumentpanel: upper row from left to right, the airspeedindicator in statute miles, the clock, the magnetic compass, the alitude indicator (in feet);lower row: cylinder head temperature, rpm indicator (how many rounds per minute), slip indicator, the 'hobbs', small but indicates the time the engine runs, and so the time we had to pay, and the oiltemperature and oilpressure indicator. Below are the Garmin 250 XL GPS/radio (yes very handy) and the transponder.

Most of the time we flew with open door and window. On the ground is was then 40 C, and at 3500 feet some 28 degrees. Much more comfortable. But we had to be very careful when we refolded our charts. They tended to tear up all together or blow out of the open window. In slow flight (f.i. just before landing, the window tended to come down and distract the pilot. So we put this little strap on it, to prevend that!

This SuperCub is set up with 28 inch tyres. The former owner, Steve Johnson told us, that he had even bigger tyres on it, so he could land almost everywhere, even on a sandbank ina river. But these sizes were good enough for us! But the bungee-rubbers with an extra steelcable were still there. They prevent hitting the prop the ground when a landing is extremely hard.

On the wings there are Vortex Generators, little pieces of metal that help the air to cling to the wings. Result: a very slow speed is possible, and so landing and taking off on short distances. This Cub could really be a bushcup, if fitted with real bushtyres!

And so one gets out of the Cub ..

Cécilia and Reint, last night in the home of www.supercub.org in Kansas City (MO)

After a warm farewell to Steve and Dana, we return the rental car at KCI, get rid of our luggage, and wait for our plane. Via Cincinatti to Amsterdam. And we could enjoy a bit more of the magnificent light of Americans Mid-West.

Sunrise over the Atlantic. Not much of sleep for both of us. A horrid movie, but fresh tomatoes from Kansas help us thru the night.

A warm welcome bij our friends Marian and Nicole at Schiphol, Amsterdam Airport. Theu have come to pick us up, and Marian takes us back to our house in Oosterland, Zeeland. Cecilia and I sleep part of the trip.

After a while Johan turned up to feed the chickens and water the plants. Now we could thank him for all the good care he took for our household, while we were travelling in the States. And put the real Texas hat, bought in the Fort Worth Will Rogers Center, on his head. Mission completed!

Steve Johnson invited me to join him to fly to Mark Ciger. I had met Mark at New Holstein. He recently bought a Piper PA12 SuperCruiser, but still needed a taildragger rating. So Steve was going to give him this training on Marks own airstrip. And while there I could do some weblogging in the hangar. So Steve let me fly in his C180. 135 Miles pH, quite differend from a SuperCub!

I gladly let him do the landing on Marks new field!

I never did much on the computer, other flying friends, Marks wife and granddaughter Emma, plus the neighbour stopped by. Often the question was asked how we Dutch or Europeans looked at the people in the USofA. And I said again how marvelous the American people had been to Cecilia and me during our visit. SO I sure hope that this weblog helps to clear up some of the prejudices that live in Holland when it comes to the people in the States. On this picture you see Steve and Mark enjoy a drink after his first hour of flying in the PA12

After Mark had done another hour with Steve, they came in for a debrief. We said goodbye and I was the passenger, and Steve took the left seat back to Kansas City. We fly also over the Fort Leavenworth Federal Prison. I felt privileged that I was a free person, enjoying e free flight over this great countr.

We flew as low as we did three weeks ago in Steves J3, in the same country. Then a farewell low pass over Noah's Ark, the small airfield south of Kansas City Intl. We couldn't see anybody, not even the airportowner. But yes we saw Steves J3 Cub sitting under roof of the open hanger. Not sold yet ...

Then the landing at Wheeler Downtown.

AFter the landing I settled my bill with ATD-flightschool, and went home to have lunch with Cecilia, Steve and Dana. Great meal with salmon. Then Cecilia and I started to pack our things. Tomorrow we'll fly back to Amsterdam. After we'll arrive I will give some more facts about our trip, the SuperCub and the people who made all this possible. One thing is sure: I definitely like to come back and do some flying in this great country. We've only seen part of the Mid-West. So maybe we'll head East, or maybe West, I'll be back! Reint