April 2009 flight southward down the MS River
from Greenville, MS to Fort Adams, MS






Figure 1 Aircraft (Cessna 172 5009H) Situated over Lake Bolivar at 10,500’ looking south to Lake Ferguson, north of Greenville, MS just west of Arkansas city, Ark.
Lat. 33 deg. 36 min. Long. 91 deg. 05 min 30 sec. the MS river stretches and winds southward towards Vicksburg and Natchez from here.




Figure 2 same as above




Figure 3 Some what closer to Greenville than in the above phots. Picture taken from 9500' 33 deg 27 min. The river has the ox-bow Lake Lee(shown here just to the left
of the aircraft’s propeller) and Lake Washington on its east side as you go southward towards Mayersville, MS.





Figure 4 Vicksburg District, Corps of Engineer survey maps of 200 years of the river’s courses
In these areas (reaches of the river). City of Greenville is at right mid center of the
Map Lake Lee and Lake Washington are to the south from there.
Blue color represents Lt. Ross’s 1765 survey
Red US Army Corps of Engineers 1820-1830 survey
Green 1881 1895 survey
Yellow 1930-1933 survey
This photocopy is high resolution and can be enlarged in your browser if you click on it.





Figure 5 Flying over Mayersville, NS looking south along the River Road (Hwy 1) approaching Vicksburg, 33 deg. and 19 min. at 9500'. There are many islands or
River channel bars along most streches of the river. And, ox bow lakes such as Lake Chotard and Eagle Lake shown here are on both sides of the river. They represent
former channels of the river that have been cut-off as the river changes its course.





Figure 6 9500' over Mayersville, MS lat 32 deg. 51 min., long. 91 deg. 06 min.











Figure 7 Corps survey maps of this area. the city of Vicksburg is at the map's lower right corner. The years the surveys were made are color coded as in the figure
Eagle Lake, Chotard Lake, Mayersville, the Great River Road Hwy 1 (which are referenced in other photos in this blog are above Vicksburg on the MS side.





Figure 7 North of Vicksburg,MS (on the Louisiana side of the river) 9500' altitude lat. 32 deg. 26 min long. 91 deg. 03 min.



Figure 9 North of Vicksburg, MS, approaching the Vicksburg/Talluhah airport from the Louisiania side of the river.





Figure 10 MS river bridge at Vicksburg, MS 3500'




Figure 11 Port of Vicksburg (north of the city) from 6500' . Part of the Yazoo river diversion channel which empties into the MS river provides access to the Port



Figure 12 City of Vicksburg from 7000' looking East from north of the city on the Louisiania side of the river




Figure 13 8500' Letourneau, MS (the company there employs a large number of workers and constructs large open ocean oil rigs )



Figure 14 looking south toward Port Gibson from west of Letourneau, MS at 9500'. As you head southward from here there is Davis island (former river island
plantation of Jefferson Davis)and the ox-bow lakes, Lake St. Joseph, Yucatan Lake, Lake Bruin and Lake St. John on the Louisiana side of the river.




Figure 15 historic MS river channels from Vicksburg south to Natchez.
The southern part of the city of Vicksburg are in the upper right corner, area to the north of Natchez in the lower right.
One problem I have with the District using Lt. Ross’s 1790 (in blue) survey
data is that Andrew Ellicott’s trip and survey of 1798 showed the longitude reference data
used on maps before that time was up to 60 nm wrong. At that time land surveyor’s were
using star time to compute longitude positions. But, the accuracy of the measuring instruments
were not very precise. Ellicott adapted the Jesuit astronomer Ferrar’s method of making records of the positions of the
moons of Jupiter on the evenings in which star time observations were made. Then.back from the trip these positions could be
used to determine more precisely the longitudinal location on earth. He and Ferrar knew from there study of Isaac Newton’s
theories of celestial mechanics that the value of the periods
of the multiple orbits of Jupiter’s satellites were incommensurable and allowed this.
(This idea of how to tell star time using Jupiter’s satellites actually goes back to Gallileo. More, historical comments
about this can be found in his journal and historical information posted at
http://www.yhwhschofchrist.org main page.)





Figure 16 9500' lat. 31 deg. 26 min., long. 91 deg. 24 min. west of Natchez, MS



Figure 17 flying south toward Lake St. John looking east toward city of Natchez, MS (about 20 miles to the south of here)
and the bridge that crosses the river there. lat. 31 deg. 35 min. , long. 91 deg. 30 min.


Figure 19 City of Natchez, Ms and the bridge that crosses the MS river there. The towns in LA directly below the aircraft are Vidalia and Ferriday.



Figure 20 9500' over Lake Mary, MS lat 31 deg. 16 min., long. 91 deg. 30 ' , 9500' looking south toward Woodville, MS and Fort Adams (Angola Federal
Prison is located there where the river bends at the Southwest tip of Mississippi)




Figure 21 Historic channels of the MS River from Natchez south to just above
Ft. Adams. St. Mary’s ox bow lake and the Homochitto river are in the lower
Right corner. Map may be enlarged in our browser by clicking on it.



Figure 22 9000’ Crossing Hwy 61, which proceeds southward from Natchez, MS to Baton Rouga, LA and flying up the Homochitto River in order to return
to Hawkins field Jackson, MS.





Figure 23 heading northeast toward Brookhaven, MS following the Homochitto River at 8000'

October 2008 Colorado Springs Trip, Part I

October 23,24 2008 Flight up the Red River valley from Jackson, MS to Monroe LA to Witchita Falls, Texas,
Tucumcara NM, Colorado Springs CO
And return October 25,26 down the Arkansas River from Colorado Springs, CO along a route through Dodge City
Kansas, Fort Smith AR, Little Rock, Greenville, MS



Figure 1 Started out flying about an hour and a half in whiteout IFR conditions from Jackson, Hawkins
Field westward to Monroe, LA. This picture is taken at 10/23 3000’ about 1:30pm after breaking out
on the other side of the front. 32 deg.30 min. latitude 92 deg. 20 min. longitude. There were still some
rainshowers after this (see figure 2) to fly through but you could see for at least 10 miles through them.






Figure 2 33 deg. 30 min. latitude, 92 deg. 30 min. longitude.









Figure 3 Picture taken at 4500’ looking down into the Red River just west of Wichita Falls, TX. 34 deg.
30 min. latitude 100 deg. longitude






Figure 4 View of the Red River valley from 6500’ along route from Wichita Falls, TX to Tucumcari NM
34 deg. 40 min. latitude, 101 deg. 50 min. longitude 10/24/2008
Photo 7




Figure 5 6500’ same route as last
photo 8




Figure 6 Coming up the river valley to the top of the plateau southeast of Amarillo that leds to
Tucumcari. photo 9








Figure 7 8500’ altitude 35 deg. 20 min. latitude, 103 deg. 40 min. longitude approaching Tucumcari, NM photo 10




Figure 8 photo from 10,500’ altitude along route from Tucumcari, NM to a higher land plateau at
Las Vegas CO photo 11




Figure 9 10,500’ altitude further along same route as previous
photo 12






Figure 10 10,500’ nearing Las Vegas CO, Sangre de Cristo Mountains in the background. photo 13





Figure 11 Town of Las Vegas CO from 11,500’ altitude.
Photo 15






Figure 12 photo from 11,500’ , 36 deg, 20 min. latitude 105 deg. 15 min. longitude along route from
Las Vegas CO to Cimmaron CO. Twin peaks of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range and the Philmont
Eagle scout ranch in the background.
The twin peaks are Eagle Nest Peak at 13,161’ and another at 12,441’ 10/24/2008.
Photo 18





Figure 13 Further north along the route from Cimarron to Colorado Springs (the twins peaks from
The previous photo are on the left. Photo is again taken from 11,500’
Photo 19

October 2008 Colorado Springs Trip, Part II

October 23,24 2008 Flight up the Red River valley from Jackson, MS to Monroe LA to Witchita Falls, Texas,
Tucumcara NM, Colorado Springs CO
And return October 25,26 down the Arkansas River from Colorado Springs, CO along a route through Dodge City
Kansas, Fort Smith AR, Little Rock, Greenville, MS




Figure 14 Photo from 13,500’ 104 deg. 30 min. longitude 37 deg. 10’ min. latitude. The mountains in
The center of the photo are called the Spanish Peaks.
10/24/2008 photo 21




Figure 15 Descending from 13,500’ coming into Pueblo, CO and Colorado Springs CO. Airspace to
The west of the route is the La Veta High military operations areas used by the Air Force Academy to
Train cadets. 10/24/2008 Photo 24






Figure 16 photo taken 10/25/2008 from 9500’ near Holly KS (38 deg. Latitude 102 deg. Longitude) flying a
return route from Colorado Springs CO to Fort Smith AR. I followed the Arkansas River to
Dodge City KS and then down To Tulsa OK and Fort Smith AR. Photo 27




Figure 17 Garden City Kansas along the Arkansas River 10/25/2008 from 9500’ photo 28






Figure 18 Coming in to land and refuel at Dodge City, KS, photo taken 10/25/2008 from 5500’ Photo 30




Figure 19 Tulsa OK from 5500’ 10/25/2008 photo 31




Figure 20 Fort Smith ARK from 3500’ 10/16/2008 photo 32





Figure 21 Arkansas River from 10,500’. Photo 10/26/2008 taken along route of flight from Fort Smith AR
To Little Rock, ARK. Photo 34





Figure 22 LIGHT ON THE PATH 1
Photo taken 10/26/2008 at 10,500’ latitude 35 deg. 10 min. longitude 93 deg. 20 min. from Cessna 182 8189G
while flying South Easterly from Little Rock AR toward Greenville, MS photo 35




Figure 24 LIGHT ON THE PATH 2
Photo taken at 10/26/2008 9,500’ from Cessna 182 8189G latitude 34 deg. 50 min. longitude 92 deg.
while flying South Easterly from Little Rock AR toward Greenville, MS photo 36







Figure 25 LIGHT ON THE PATH 3
Photo taken 10/26/2008 at 9,500’ from Cessna 182 8189G latitude 33 deg. 50 min. longitude 91 deg 20 min..
while flying South Easterly from Little Rock AR toward Greenville, MS photo 37

April/May 2008
The river crested Saturday at about 53’ two weeks earlier then when this flight was made .
Below are some before and after flood photos. The before photos were taken in October of 2006 and the
After during the last week of April of 2008




Figure 1
Before the flood photo:
Looking north from 5000’ 90 deg.00’ long. 32 deg. 44’ lat. (about 10 miles north of Mayersville) 11:04 am 10/8/2006



Figure 2 looking south from the same position at same time










Figure 3
Just after the crest of the flood photo
river at flood stage of 50.3’ picture taken looking south from 32 deg. 44’ at 3500’ 4/29/2008 at 1:54 pm




Figure 4 looking west toward the lakes north of Chotard lake, from about same lat. and long as previous figure 1:49 pm 4/29/2008














Figure 5 looking north toward Lake Providence from the same location at figures 5,6 4/29/2008











Figure 6 Eagle lake from the west side of the river at 4000’ 4/29/2008 (river at flood stage of 50.3’











Figure 7 looking north from 5000’ 91 deg. Long. 32 deg. 28’ lat. (about 5 miles south of Lake Providence) at 11:14 am 10/8/2006








Figure 8 roughly the same spot, 4000’ 4/29/2008 river at flood stage




Figure 9 looking south from same altitude and position, same date (10/8/2006) and time, toward Vicksburg





Figure 10 Same view afternoon of 4/29/2008




Figure 11 Two views of 1) Flooded area south of Vicksburg looking towards the airport and Letourneau 2) closer look at the areas around Letourneau. Both shots taken 4/29/2008 river stage 50.3’




Figure 12 picture taken at 2:27 pm 4/29/2008 flying over the city of Vicksburg looking at the areas flooded north of town from an altitude of 10,000’




Figure 13 View, 2:32 pm, from further up north of Vicksburg at 8800’ looking towards the flooded fields north of Redwood up to the Sartartia area. 4/29/2008






Figure 14 View of the flooded areas west of the Yazoo around Satarta from a lower altitude of 3500’






Figure 16 View of the flooded areas east of Valley Park around the Big Sunflower from 3500’. This picture was taken 10 miles west of the previous one.









Figure 17
Cockpit instrument rack as viewed from the pilot’s seat in an instrument flight rules equiped (IFR) Cessna 182, N8189G.
Navigational instruments:
On left of center there is clockwise from upper left : the altimeter, the two very-high frequency omni directional receivers (VOR) course deviation needles. These are tuned from the frequencies set in radios stacked in the second level on the middle (above the required transponder which identifies the aircraft to flight controllers. Finally finishing the trip around the circle there is the vertical speed indicator. On the right of center there is…moving down from the top from left to right .. the left fuel tank fuel indicator, ammeter, right fuel tank fuel indicator. Then on the row below that, again moving left to right …cylinder head temperature, oil temperature, and oil pressure . Below that the circular gages indicate engine manifold pressure and engine revolutions per minute (RPM) gage respectively . Note the Garmin Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) 300 receiver directly below the radio switch panel. Its moving map display allows for much better display of map and other routing information for a single pilot than previously.
The main flight instruments are not shown in this picture.
To the left of the altimeter there is the attitude indicator that the pilot uses to control aircraft pitch. Below the attitude indicator there is a turn and bank indicator used to control bank. Below the transponder there is the throttle, propeller pitch, and mixture controls that are used to control power. Below these controls are the elevator and rudder trim wheels that are used to make fine adjustment to the aircraft’s pitch and turning angles.