By the time I pass this location as I return to home base from our company’s various trips, I've just completed my final approach checks:
Gear Down - 3 Green
Inertial Separator - Deployed
Flaps set - 30
Yaw Damp - Off
Condition Lever – Flight Idle
Torque - 7.5 PSI
Speed - DSB Centered and Stabilized
On Glidepath
On Centerline
Configured and stabilized - final checks complete
Nothing left to do but land
I can recite this mantra in my sleep at this point and it only takes about 15 seconds to complete the checklist, but it serves the important function of verifying that the aircraft is properly configured for a safe landing. "Gear Down - 3 Green" is the lead item and arguably the most important on this checklist: 3 green lights on the landing gear selector indicates that each of the three landing gear legs is fully down and locked, and means that I'm not likely to ruin the rest of my day with the unpleasant and undesireable sound of metal grinding on asphalt upon arrival at the airport! The last item on the list is my tongue-in-cheek reminder to myself that the most important work is still ahead - once done with these final checks, I'm focused on aircraft control relative to the runway and the landing process for the rest of the approach.
The cache location brings you to a spot that's almost directly under the final approach path for Runway 28 at Wood County Airport. The traffic pattern at Wood County Airport will be most busy during reasonably good weather, and when Bowling Green State University is in session – their Aviation Studies program trains future airline and corporate pilots and accounts for most of the airport’s traffic. While hunting the cache, if the winds are out of the west as usual, you may well be treated to a view of an aircraft or two passing just a couple hundred feet overhead. In fact, one of those returning aviators may be me. So feel free to give a wave – you may get a wing waggle in return!
If you turn onto Gallier Rd from Dunbridge Rd, you’ll see a sign stating “Road Closed When Wet”, but if you enter Gallier Rd from Carter Rd no such sign is present. Despite the inconsistent signage, I highly recommend erring on the side of caution and coming back on a different day if the road is wet – the western half of Gallier is strongly rutted and retains large puddles for a few days after any rainfall.
You’ll be hunting a pretty easy park and grab - a plastic “mini” ammo can, about 8" x 4” x 6”, with enough room for small trade items and/or most travel bugs/coins, plus a log. The original small Lock n Lock style container lost a battle with a commercial mower in early/mid July 2018. A big "Thank You" to geocacher seeking theprize for generously performing a field replacement when he discovered the destroyed cache - his replacement was a 8” x 2” camouflaged cylindrical container and was good enough to become the permanent container for a few years. Unfortunately, that container also went missing sometime in September 2021 and was replaced with a small ammo can. That container also went missing in September 2022. Hopefully the current container last longer than one year!
The cache was initially stocked with some aviation related trade items: kid’s pilot wings pin; stick and rudder keychain, a few Jet Fuel and 100LL Avgas stickers, an old "Loran-C Not Approved for IFR" aircraft placard, and one of my signature plastic airplanes - plus I’ve also released my “Remove Before Flight” Travel Bug.
Good Hunting! Congrats to Chaenorrhinum for the better late than never FTF - and thanks for sending "Remove Before Flight" on its way! Team Adventure NB gets STF honors!