One Saturday morning in the early 1990s my six-year-old son and I headed out for a little IFR adventure. Ceilings were 700-900 feet, and the winds were mild. In Topeka, Kansas, we have the benefit of two controlled airports. Billard has a very active instruction and general aviation program, and Forbes is a former Air Force base with two runways; the longer is 12,800 feet. You have to try to miss it. There are numerous instrument approaches at the two airports that afford excellent opportunities to practice approaches on such a day.
My son and I unhangered our Seneca, performed a reasonably thorough preflight and then set about getting started for our adventure. I have always prided myself with being prepared for unforeseen situations, and carried all the requisite charts, a handheld radio and a survival kit in my flight bag. We were filed with Kansas City Center for a “round robin” from Billard to Forbes with multiple instrument approaches. After we were cleared for our plans, I performed the run up and checklist. My son was in a great mood and I was happy to have him with me on such a nice cloudy morning. We conversed as I went through the checklist, and then we were ready for departure.
