Low Approach

Another beautiful Saturday to fly. This time
I didn't feel quite so alone. As I taxied from the hangar an executive was on final to land and as I approached the run up area a trike was landing on RWY05. (Caution Wake Turbulence!) 

We departed the pattern and headed south keeping east of I75 to stay clear of the Tampa Class B. It was a little choppy at 1000' but  Sally and I enjoyed the view. I dialed in 48x and made our initial call. The weather advisory called winds out of the east at 10G16. We were the only ones in the pattern.

Instead of passenger jets and miles of tarmac, Airport Manatee has a turf runway and an assortment of taildragger aircraft.

It's home to an eclectic mix of antique, modern and experimental aircraft, where flight instruction, fuel sales, airplane repairs and restoration, and hangar rentals are available.

Airport manager Tom Reeder calls its a grassroots, blue-collar airport. Information here

It was a fun flight.

An Autumn Flight

 A cold front moved through last night. Crisp cool air and low humidity is perfect for flying and Sally and I were long over due for some exercise. I got a late start. I haven't been sleeping well lately and after the alarm went off I lingered in bed for awhile. That gave the sun a chance to rise and allowed me to get a good weather check. It would be breezy later in the day but we definitely had "Go" conditions.

I skipped my normal breakfast and chose to stop at the local Wawa on my way to the airport. Gas was $2.05/gal, the Colombian coffee is pretty good as is the sausage/egg & cheese bagel. Very little traffic on the roads for a Saturday morning, but the normal amount of bikes, joggers and walkers were out. Biden and Trump signs were displayed along the route. I wonder how some of the neighbors get along with each other.

Now its been awhile since I visited KVDF and it occurred to me that I didn't remember the security code for the gate. I know I had a math formula to memorize it but couldn't quite remember how it went. When I pulled up to the keypad I let muscle memory do it's thing and presto, the gate opened! As I pulled up to my hangar my neighbors across the way were working on a C182. I waved but they were too busy to notice. Good social distancing I suppose. I opened my hangar and found spider webs across the doors. It had been awhile.

"Hello Sally." I good walk around revealed no issues. It's a great feeling to see good tires and no leaks. It did take a lot of pulls to get the burp. I pulled her out of the hangar, did the last few checks and buckled in. She started easily. AWOS said we should use RWY05. I was surprised by the quiet radio as we taxied over. No chatter? When I turned the corner on the taxiway the ramp looked empty. I got that "Twilight Zone" kind of feeling like I was the last guy on Earth. 

Runup was smooth. 3950rpm/3960rpm for a mag drop from 4000rpm. CHT was 220 and climbing on a cool day. That still needs attention. As I completed my checks a Cessna called on a 5 mile straight-in (finally another voice) and I replied I would get out in front of him. Sally gave me 5050rpm for takeoff and climb rate was over 1200fpm at Vy. We love the cooler air.

After 3 T&Gs we departed to the north for some avionics checks. Level at 1500' I engaged the autopilot in HDG/ALT mode. Next I put X35 in the GPS and pushed the NAV button. It was hazy with no clear horizon so I decided to use 1600'. A few minutes later we passed n Archer, opposite direction at about 1500', no factor. 

All systems checked, I put in PCM and let Sally take me there. Winds were gusting and it got a little bumpy. The wind vector showed 26 out of the northeast. Such beautiful Florida fall colors! Lush greens and...more lush greens. It's Florida! 

KPCM was reporting 8 out of the east so I set up for a T&G for RWY10. A SkyCatcher reported taxiing there as well. It was a normal approach with a slight left to right xwind and I was happy with the landing. Time to go home.