The Bag Run

Above the Weather, Early Morning.


My cup of Earl Grey tea is slightly on the strong side as I sit and sip in Melfort's quite clubhouse. My King Air 200 manual is open in front of me, but my eye's are constantly wandering to the windows. Outside an early spring snow fall has obscured the visibility down to less than a mile, casting the early morning world (well my world anyways) into a pleasantly gloomy state. The flakes are big and getting blown into a fast dance, it's a little memorizing.

The NDB approach brought me within sight of the field just thirty minutes ago, after a short and enjoyable flight from Saskatoon. My fears of heavy icing due to the 0º temps and a forecast for a mix of rain and snow were gratefully unnecessary. The flight was completely ice free.

The landing was made amid soft two inch drifts that weren't even felt through the Cessna 402's gear and peddles. The cargo was soon unloaded and the flight plan closed. Now I start to run through my daily routine of sitting in Melfort, which is not my normal run but lately I have been filling in quite a bit.

The routine consists of a cup of tea and a nap or some reading while hanging out at the little clubhouse/terminal at the airfield. Then it's down to the bakery where I get the most fabulous cinnamon bun and a cup of coffee and do some more reading. After my fingers are sticky and I'm starting to buzz from the caffeine, I head to the apartment for some more sleep, reading and maybe some television. Usually there is a short walk somewhere in the day and possibly some window shopping. Around 5 PM I head back out to the airport to again load up about 500lbs of bags. Soon the power comes up, followed shortly by the landing gear. Then I'm riding air back home.