Lake Wales X07

 Sally is healthy. I was ready for a xcountry flight. Somewhere I've never been, a runway I've never seen. A search on SkyVector led me to Lake Wales. It would be about an hour flight.

The city of Lake Wales was established near the lake in 1911–12, planned by the Lake Wales Land Company.[7] The spelling Wales was used for the city, although the lake is still generally spelled Lake Wailes. Allen Carleton Nydegger, a Civil Engineer, was contracted by the Lake Wales Land Company to plot out the community of Lake Wales. He and his crew camped on the shores of Crystal Lake and spent months plotting out the new community. In 1925 the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad built a new line from Haines City joining lines to Everglades City. A depot was opened on this line at Lake Wales. The City of Lake Wales was officially incorporated in April 1917.[8]. Wikipedia

Beautiful winter weather. Forecast was for CAVU although METARS showed some early morning fog/mist at some of the low lying airports. No interesting NOTAMS but the airport is a Skydiving center and hosts Ultralight events. 

Normal preflight and runup. This is always a good thing following some maintenance. So nice to arrive at the hangar and not find any leaks or flats. And the CHT stayed in the green for all ground operations. Nice.

Just a few students in the pattern. I guess this is the new normal for a weekday. No wait at the hold short line. 5050RPM on the takeoff roll, CHT climbed and stabilized at 238°F during the climb out. Good stuff.  Thanks CERTUS. We leveled at 2700' to stay clear of KLAL airspace and then I pushed the button to let Sally fly. Winds were about 20kts right on the nose, but it was smooth air. Headwinds aren't a problem when you're not in a hurry. I started my descent passing KBOW. 

Winds favored RW06. There were reported skydiver operations but the jump plane was just taking off as I entered on the 45. Lots of large birds in the area. I made a very nice full stop landing and got off on the first taxiway. As I taxied back one of the large birds flew over head with a rodent in its mouth. The jump plane announced skydivers in the air. I completed my checks, made my call and took off. The beautiful Bok tower was immediately in front about 2 miles away.

Bok Tower Gardens (also known as Bok Mountain Lake Sanctuary and Singing Tower) is a contemplative garden, and bird sanctuary located north of Lake Wales, Florida, United States. It consists of a 250-acre (100 ha) garden, the 205-foot (62 m) tall Singing Tower with its carillon bells, Pine Ridge Trail, Pinewood Estate, and a visitor center. The tower is built upon Iron Mountain, one of the highest points of peninsular Florida, estimated to be 295 feet (90 m) above sea level. Wikipedia

On the departure leg (not upwind leg) I saw the skydivers, about a half dozen of them.. I made my call and turned to the west to avoid them, then circled back to fly by the tower. That's definitely on our Bucket List for Florida. Time to go home.

We flew past a quiet KGIF and F57 (Jack Browns) looked like they were using one of their Cubs to go fishing. 18Kts on the tail got us home quickly. Sally performed very well for the entire flight

It's nice to have an adventure now and then.

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The day CERTUS came to town

After a "project meeting" at the local Waffle House we drove over to the hangar and got organized. Tools were laid out on the table. Parts were unpacked and inspected. The cowling was removed and a close look at the engine was performed.

1. 
   Oil Cooler: Even with cooler weather Sally had been reporting CHT One High on several occasions. I purchased a new cooler and we removed and replaced the old one. This (of course) included an oil change.
2. Air Filter: Some might consider this a minor change but what a difference it can make. We changed the standard to a High Flow Air K&N performance filter.
   
3. Spark Plugs: About 100 hours on the old plugs. The burn looked good on all of them but it was time. Added new boots as well. Good compression checks.
4. 
   Ducati Rectifier: While there are better choices for E-LSAs, the Ducati is the only one I can use. I'm convinced that heat is the primary cause of failure and Florida is hot. Coupled with the CHT problem, I was getting Voltage Low alerts. Removed and replaced the old rectifier.
5. Fuel Sump Valve: I noticed some fuel stain on the pilot side fuel sump. On close inspection I could see a "dribble". I repeatedly tried to reset the valve but failed. We removed and replaced it.
   
6. Maintenance Check Flight: I knew it was better even before we got to the run up area. The CHT was rising but stabilized at about 200°F. When the oil temperature reached 122°F I powered up to 4000RPM and immediately the oil temperature dropped back down. A short wait at the hold short line was not a problem. The final test was passed during a Vy climb with no CHT alerts. 

Not a bad day's work. She's fixed.