Cruiser Aircraft Open House

A review of the ADS air traffic control (ATC) recording revealed that at 1642 the pilot called ATC for a departure clearance while holding short of runway 15. At 1643 ATC instructed the pilot to line up and wait on runway 15. At 1644 ATC cleared the airplane for takeoff. At 1646 the pilot stated to ATC "we're having vapor lock, we need to come back and land." There were no further communications from the pilot.  ~ National Transportation Safety Board Aviation Accident Preliminary Report

 It was a PiperSport. One of Sally's older sisters. Same configuration, same engine, and while the final conclusion isn't yet available, the early indicators point to a fuel malfunction. Using MOGAS instead of 100LL may have been a contributing factor. I have learned that refineries change the "blend" of gas from summer to winter to make it easier to start cold engines. In the spring, the blend changes back, but if you are still using winter blend on a hot spring day it could cause some of the liquid fuel to turn into a vapor. To solve that problem, the engineers have added a vapor return line (on new models) that relieves the vapor pressure. Sally has that line installed but it is still unclear if her older sister did. Florida doesn't use winter blended fuels, so my risk is low.  On Friday I had the FBO add 10 gallons of AVGAS just in case. (10 gals of 100LL for $52.10. 10 gals of Mogas for $28.80.)

The Open House was scheduled from 10:00 to 2:00EDT. Saturday morning Kathy and I stopped at Chic-Fil-A for a quick breakfast and then headed out to the airport. My normal route was blocked by construction as the county worked with the railroad to improve a number of deteriorating crossings. Fortunately, traffic was still light and we arrived at the hangar by 9:30. I pushed the heavy doors open and got the cockpit ready as Kathy worked on preflighting the engine including the required "burp"(20 pulls).

The weather forecast was perfect for the 100nm trip. I planned to cross the peninsula at 3500' and get there in just under an hour. NOTAMs said one of the runways at X26 was closed due to construction, and an airport (KMLB) just north had a TFR for an airshow. We took off on RWY5 into light northerly winds and smooth air. Tampa ATC was busy, very busy, but we checked in and got Flight Following. When we were handed over to Miami Center we learned what "busy" really means. It seemed that everyone in Florida wanted to take advantage of this beautiful spring weather. It was an easy flight over and we really enjoyed seeing the Atlantic Ocean as we made our turn to land. Parachutes were busy in the area so we had some extra traffic that required attention.


Izzy had some inventory out on the ramp in front of the Cruiser Aircraft hangar, so it took us a bit of searching to find a parking spot. There were many different types of planes other than LSA, and we ended up parking next to a Cirrus. (Sally looked pretty good there.)

Part of the fun of going to an event like this is to meet, in person, those folks that you have only corresponded with online. Another is meeting some "celebrities".

LAKELAND, Fla., Sun 'n Fun, April 13, 2010 — Piper Aircraft President and CEO Kevin J. Gould handed over the keys to the very first PiperSport, light-sport aircraft to three veteran pilots here today.

"The PiperSport is an amazing entry-level aircraft that will bring new customers to Piper," Gould said. "It fits perfectly into our overall mission of delivering the very best airplanes. It will lead the way for customers to step up into more sophisticated and higher performance aircraft within our line over time." 

The three co-owners -- all from Miami, Fla. -- are Charlie Carlon (ATP/CFI/CFII), 62, a 20,000+ hour, former Delta Airlines Pilot who works for Airbus North America teaching pilots how to fly the Airbus via simulation; Brian Garhammer (ATP/CFI/CFII), 52, a 16,000+ hour, former ATA pilot, who also works for Airbus North America teaching pilots how to fly the Airbus via simulation; and Dr. Mike Morduant, 62, a veterinarian and a pilot for 42 years.

We met Charlie and Mike who are still flying PiperSport #1. Pretty cool. Charlie and I may have been in the same Navy training squadron (VT27) at the same time! We also had a chance to talk with Steve, a fellow member of the SCFlier Forum and chatted briefly with Lukas, Josh, and Izzy our hosts. While we ate a great barbeque lunch we chatted with some local folks, non-pilots, that were aviation enthusiasts that just wanted to enjoy a beautiful Saturday afternoon with some airplanes. Finally, we talked with Kirk about what I might be able to do to upgrade my legacy Dynon system for ADSB-out. There are some new possibilities to consider.

The winds were picking up, it was time to go.

Video Notes: Open House

Stalls & Lazy 8's

 I stopped at the local Wawa for gas. Premium was just under $3/gal, what's up with the fluctuating gas prices. It seems every week brings a 10 - 20¢ change.

The air was a bit cool for Tampa, starting in the mid 40˚s it would be 81˚ by the afternoon. Skies were clear and winds were light. A beautiful day to fly.

My objective was to do some high work, including some power off (landing) stalls and a few Lazy 8's.

• Objective: Stall the airplane, without power, in the landing configuration, then recover with a minimum loss of altitude. 

The important part of this exercise is to recognize the symptoms of the stall. As the speed decreases, the controls get mushy. The sound changes, it gets quieter and you can hear the wind noise. No stall warning claxon, Sally usually gives a final warning with a flutter in the stick just before the nose falls straight away. She stalls at right about 34Kts. Recovery is almost instantaneous by releasing back pressure and adding power.

• Objective: With constant change in control pressure due to changing combinations of climbing and descending turns at varying speeds, experience the full performance range of the airplane while flying a lazy eight pattern. 

The importance of this maneuver is Smooth Coordination. The idea is to draw a Ꝏ in the air with the nose of the airplane. It's recommended that you slow to maneuvering speed (Va) which for Sally is 88Kts. Arrive at a maximum bank angle of 30˚ at a 90˚ reference point constantly changing pitch and bank angle to arrive at the 180˚ reference point momentarily level at the same altitude as when you started. Come back the other way to finish the 8.  Piece of cake, go try it.

Video notes: Stalls and Lazy 8s

*This video was really helpful to use as a debriefing tool for myself. We all get rusty if we neglect to practice.

*Got a nice compliment from the Commander at the end of the video.

Peter O. Knight Airport

Peter O. Knight served as mayor of Fort Myers and in the state Legislature before moving to Tampa, where he worked as county solicitor and state attorney. He donated the land on Davis Islands where Peter O. Knight Airport was built. The airport is located five minutes from downtown Tampa, museums, The Florida Aquarium, the Amalie Arena, the Tampa Convention Center and Port of Tampa cruise ship terminals. Icon uses this airport as a base for one of its Customer Centers.

It is also located under the lower shelf of the Tampa class B, close to the core of the Tampa Internation Airport and nestled just outside the class D airspace controlled by MacDill AFB. In addition, there are a number of cell/radio towers just to the east of the airport that go up to 650'. I had never visited that airport. It was about time.

Sally and I were on the taxiway before 9:00am. I had Tampa Exec to myself this morning, light winds out of the north. We took off on RWY5 and made the southerly departure from the downwind leg. One plane entering overhead had me in sight (I never saw him) and a Police Helicopter was on a straight in for RWY36 about two miles to the south. I had him in sight. I stayed at 1000' for the ten-minute flight.

Notams said that RWY4/22 was closed. I would be using 36 today with a right-hand pattern. Off the nose across the bay was an airport, but it looked big. KMCF. I love my 696. I captured the AWOS and then tuned in CTAF. Direct/Enter/Enter drew a new track off to my right. There it was, closer than I thought. I was in perfect position for a right hand 45 entry. An Icon A5 was in the pattern, just taking off. I called base and then final. I made a low approach before flying over the ships in port and departing to the east. I stayed at 1000' until east of I75, Sally warning me of obstacles along the way.

Next stop was Plant City, Home of the world famous "Strawberry Festival". This is a big deal and draws a lot of folks from all over Florida and beyond.You can't travel any of the local roads around here without seeing the pickers out in the sun doing the spring harvest. After a brief stop, Sally and I departed for home.

All systems are working well.

Video Notes. Peter O.

Strawberry Festival.