Video Link: Apopka
Apopka comes from Seminole word Ahapopka for "Potato eating place". Apopka is often referred to as the "Indoor Foliage Capital of the World" due to the extensive Greenhouse nurseries there. Orlando Apopka Airport is a privately owned, uncontrolled, public-use airport located four nautical miles (7 km) northwest of the central business district of Apopka, in Orange County, Florida, United States. It was previously known as Orlando Country Airport and McDonald Airport prior to that. ~Wikipedia
 |
| On the 45° for RWY15 (RHP) |
The nose tire was a little low so I put some air in it. A lot of pulls to get the burp. It never comes easy on cold days. I should remember to do it after the flight. I covered about 1/4 of the oil cooler with tape to help the engine run warmer. All the electronics checked out but I was close to my "bingo fuel" number for takeoff. 100LL was listed as $3.25/gal if I needed any. It would take just over an hour to get there and back.
 |
| Turning final for RWY15 X04 |
The trip up was nice. Very little traffic and as I listened to the radio the busiest CTAF seemed to be Winter Haven to the east. The track took me right by Zephyrhills and I kept a good scan going for jumpers. The jump plane did announce "Jumpers in the air" as I transited the airspace but I didn't see any 'chutes. The air was smooth with about 10kts on the nose at 2600'.
Apopka airport is located just north of the large lake. Winds were generally out of the north but traffic was using 15. Winds weren't really a factor so I went with the prevailing traffic. Runway 15 uses a right hand pattern so the entry from the south is pretty easy. At ten miles out there were two in the pattern and another called ten miles north. As I entered I saw the Cessna above me about mid-field and he took interval on me. My pattern was bit bit tight but resulted in a smooth touch down for my only T&G there. I departed for home.
There was a slight chop at the 2500' haze layer so I climbed above it to 4500'. Sally loves the cool air. We climbed at ~85kts which yielded ~1000ft/min. The oil temperature never got above 165° so I'll have to put more tape on the oil cooler. It should be running closer to 200°F.
When I switched to the VDF CTAF my hangar neighbor Brian, was announcing his takeoff in his Stearman. Kind of like watching a mini-airshow while on the downwind leg.
This was a good flight to another Florida airport that I had never been to.
 |
| Turning final RWY05 KVDF. |
Thx for the ride!
ReplyDelete