July 4th, 1971 - Skellytown American Flyers Annual 4th of July Trip. Cessna Skyhawk. Passengers - Doug Boyd, Doug Lacy, and Kim Wallace. Hot Springs, SD to North Platte, NE leg of return portion of trip to Pampa, TX
The trip came off as planned, and we were returning home on the route as planned. About 20 miles north of of Lake McConaughy, Doug asked me if I would mind stopping by the lake. I said that I thought we could. 10 miles or so north of the lake, we called the flight service station at Sidney, NE and got the surface winds and surface temperature. The service said the surface temperature to be 72 degrees. As I knew with the loads we had been carrying, we had been having longer take off runs. I didn't want to land in a place I couldn't get out of safely. Before landing, we computed what our take off run would be at the lake by using both the Cessna owners manual and a Denalt computer. We had figured we had roughly 600 to 800 feet of runway to spare and to me that was plenty of room. I knew it would be somewhat less than that with the cruise prop we had on the plane, but we should be safe enough though.
Before we landed at the lake, we flew low over the runway and checked the conditions before landing. Then we set up the approach to land. I knew from the way the plane felt coming in that it might be a little difficult to take off, but we landed.
Lake McConaughy was a nice place to come into, but I couldn't seem to enjoy it like the others. I stayed concerned about how we were going to leave back out. Doug, as usual, being his generous self, offered to buy our dinner. Naturally, we all went up to the cafe to eat. With the possible situation like it was I didn't feel much like eating, so I told Doug for the them to go ahead and eat and all I would have was an ice tea.
I sat at the table only long enough to have a sip of tea while the others went ahead and ate and then after my sip of tea I left the cafe and went down to the east end of the runway. It was less than 50 feet from the waters edge. I went down there for two reasons. To see how I was going to take off and just where I could find a rest room. After it was all said and done, it was easier to see how I was going to take off. I must have walked a quarter of a mile to the out door out houses only to find after I got there that you had to have your own key. Fortunately, mother nature provided adequate private facilities.
I guess when I'm in a bind I'm rather cautious. The winds were almost 90 degrees to the runway, and I wanted the direction that was the most advantagious. I periodically tossed bits of grass in the air counting the times the wind blew the grass to the east or the west. I finally decided that the take off would be to the east and with that part off my mind, I made the long walk up to the cafe.
On arriving at the cafe, my friends were just barely getting through eating, and I was in no hurry to rush them. I finished my tea, but it didn't do much for me and while I was walking up to the cafe a thought came to my mind. "Call the Ogalla, NE flight service and have the operator fly over the hill to the lake, pick up one of my passengers, and we could take off easily. Then I would fly to Ogalla, pick up my passenger, refuel, and be on our way to North Platte to meet the rest of our party in the Cherokee."Then I thought the other way. "As sure as I called the operator over he would probably say to me, 'you take my plane and fly it back and I'll show you how to fly your Cessna out of here still loaded with four people.'" So, I talked myself out of that idea!
Doug paid the bill, and we strolled down the hill to the Cessna to check it over closely. We started it up and taxied down to the runway and down the runway to the west end. To very west end! I had the tail off the end of the runway over the brush. We went through a power check.
A long time ago, and I don't know how true it to be, but a friend of mine told me if you want all the available power, to turn off the master switch so all the power is to the engine instead of the distribution of some of the power to the electrical components. So, I turned the master switch off. It did seem a little more powerful than before, but maybe I only thought that as we shoved the throttle forward and began to roll down the runway. A 2400 foot runway. We rolled and rolled AND rolled. When we passed the cafe at little past the half way mark, we didn't even move the airspeed indicator over the 40mph mark. Should I cut the power? We were moving fairly fast. We might slide in the grass to the end of the runway and go into the water anyway.
I feel sure my passengers were getting a little worried. Sitting on the right side, I had my hand on the flap switch with the other hand on the controls. Doug hollered, "Now?" I said, "No!" His had was on the master switch, and as soon as I had said no, I yelled, "Yes!" With my hand depressing the flap switch, I glanced at the airspeed. The plane was getting light with the speed going from 45 to 50. There can't be 200 feet of runway left. Indicated speed and calibrated speed were possibly running two or three miles per hour faster than we're reading. The flaps are taking effect. The speed now a little over 50. Doug has his head down, and my life passes in front of me, as we whiz right between the boat masts and the trees. The stall warning is ringing! I lower the nose. Just a mile or two more and I'll keep the wheels out of the water. We cross the inlet, and there is hill and more trees. Not enough speed to turn... FLY BABY FLY! We are coming to the trees. We are getting climb speed in a normal down draft area, and I hold the nose down for as long and as low as I can. 75 and she is climbing easy, but I'll stay on the edge of my seat until I put it down in Ogalla. While we refuel, I regroup my senses. In Ogalla, I get a couple of hamburgers to go and we begin our journey on south to Pampa, TX. I figured we used 2395 feet of a 2400 foot long runway.