The Sentimental Journey

As we exited the Piper Museum we overhead a young teenager on her cell phone, "I flew! I really Flew! Just now. It was great! No, I really flew in an airplane!"

I would say it was a pretty successful flight.

The event really lasted four days, but I couldn't get away from work. We planned to depart Butter Valley first thing Saturday morning, spend much of the day in Lockhaven and return home in the mid-afternoon. The weather forecast was good so we headed out to the airport for preflight.

Suddenly the urge for Cotton Candy.

Sally was in good shape. I spent some time cleaning her this week so at least the wheel pants and leading edges were bug free. I also got a small step ladder so that I can reach the VOR antenna and the top of the vertical stabilizer with my Waxall spray cleaner. Heavy winds and thunderstorms moved through with the cold front last night and dust and straw covered everything, so Kathy grabbed the plexiglass spray to polish the canopy while I checked the engine and listened for the burp. (50 pulls). Out of the barn, we completed the last checks and climbed in. She made all of the ground radio calls on our way to takeoff. We slowly climbed out to the west and I decided that 6500' should be a smooth ride. It was like glass and we both enjoyed the beautiful Pennsylvania views.

Control Tower really help to control the ground ops.

Flight Following was busy but helpful. Harrisburg was particularly busy and it took a number of trys (stepping on each other) to check in. I have found it helpful to tell ATC that we are a Light Sport Airplane when identifying our type. Spelling out C_R_U_Z just seems to delay the process a bit, and I still get called a Cherokee to other traffic. As we were leaving his area, Harrisburg Approach wished us a good day at the Fly-in, we liked that.

Little puffies were starting to grow at our level so at about 20 miles out I started a gradual descent. .  When approaching from the south the airport his hidden by a high mountain just before the river. What a beautiful sight to see the airport once over that final ridge. We had been listening on the common frequency and arrived at a gap in the traffic. Paul, a familiar voice, welcomed us to the event and said he would be at the museum. So many little yellow planes were parked down there! Established on final a Warrior decided he could wait no longer and jumped onto the runway to depart. I had separation, but slowed a little anyway, vigilant of what might happen and ready to abort if I heard a hiccup. No problems, I rolled to the end and turned off onto the grass. The makeshift tower instructed us to taxi to row 3 and a linesman directed us in. This was a well run event.

We parked and unbuckled, but before we could get the canopy opened had some onlookers checking us out. So Kathy and I got out and started answering questions, mostly about the airplane but also about Light Sport in general. Members from the flying club were there, having camped out for the event. One wise guy wanted to ask me about the canopy pull down handle, and as I started to explain my reluctance about the useability he smiled and introduced himself. Richard! The truly great thing about blogs is finally meeting people you have corresponded with through the electronic media. I really look forward to flying with you Richard!

So, we did the Fly-in 'thing'. Ate some burgers, wandered through some booths, marveled at the airplanes, etc. The J3s were by far the star of the show. To see so many taking off and landing on a pretty grass strip is just an awesome experience.  We took the tractor ride down to the museum and enjoyed learning more about Piper's history. But I missed Paul! My one regret of the day.


All too soon it was time to depart. A few more questions answered before we strapped in (and a nice compliment from a young lady that Sally was the prettiest girl at the ball) and we were ready to go.

Lockhaven

So, over the mountains and up to 5500' for the trip home. The bases of the clouds looked to be at about 7000' so I tried to find the smoothest air available underneath.  The good news was we had about a 10 Kt tailwind but that still meant about a 45 minute trip. This was a great outing.

I remember passing by Lockhaven on my way to and from Penn State. I would wonder what it would be like to land there. Well, its good, especially on a day like this.

20N

I received an email from the North East Flyers Group that there would be a fly-in to benefit the Duchess County Community College Flying Club and the NROTC. BBQ and Aviation Art sounded like a good event on a pretty Saturday morning.  But the alarm went off too early and I was tempted to roll over but didn't. The weather check was good but my own inertia was problematic. I started the coffee pot, played with AOPA Flight Planner and stalled for awhile. I had to drag myself to the airport.

Then I pulled open the hangar doors and the excitement stated to grow. Sally needs another cleaning, but otherwise the preflight was good. 60 pulls for the burps (no improvement with the official ROTAX filter), and all other checks were satisfactory. I pulled her out of the barn into the sunlight. Lights, flaps, sumps and control surfaces all good. I put my gear in the back and climbed into the right seat. It felt good. I started to taxi at 9:00.

With all the ground checks complete I took the runway and was quickly airborne. What a beautiful day! While climbing to cruise altitude I contacted Allentown Departure to ask for Flight Following. They were busy! Seems that others may have overcome their inertia and were out enjoying the beautiful views. Lots of traffic calls, some I saw others I didn't. It made the flight all that more interesting. How good can it get? Hot coffee and a granola bar for breakfast at 5500'. All of the gauges were green and Sally was doing the hard work of maintaining course and altitude, just sweet.

Kingston is a nice airport right near the bridge over the Hudson River. Landing was to the south today and when I arrived there was one in the pattern in front of me and another following me in. My pattern was a little wide, but good corrections lead to a nice landing. (Good thing, as I had an audience.)

A "Follow Me" golf cart came out to lead back to the party and I secured her close to the fuel pumps. The linesman was very impressed and I gave him my nickle speech about LSA and some of Sally's features. Then I walked up the hill and sat at a picnic bench to wait for the food to start, but the grill hadn't arrived so people were in a holding pattern. (BTW, BBQ is not shredded pork or brisket, it only means that an outdoor charcoal grill is being used.) Eavesdropping I heard some compliments so went over and introduced myself. Turns out I gave my nickle speech about a half dozen times. At one point I was asked if I was a dealer, and I explained merely an owner. It was a nice day to show her off.


I stayed on the ground for about an hour, bought a Pepsi and made a donation, got 5 gallons of Avgas and prepared to depart. I had pilfered the round sun shade from my wife's car and it worked well to keep the summer heat from Sally's avionics. Everything was working well. Took off to the south directly over the bridge climbing on course to Butter Valley.


Weather was still good, and I had to double check my wind indication. The first time I had seen 'light and variable' at 4500'.  ATC reported traffic over  Blairstown that turned out to be a glider.  Simply beautiful to watch from above. I flew over my old friend at "High Point" and the park looked empty. The skies were not. Two flying low south of Queen City and to my amazement there were 6(!) waiting to take off at 7N8. I circled a bit to allow them to get airborne, then set up for a rare landing on RWY 16. (Land on the grass or go around.)

A wonderful flying adventure. I'm glad I overcame the inertia.

"The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life; and the procedure, the process is its own reward." - Amelia Earhart

Around the Patch

The engine started normally and I was going through the checklist waiting for the oil to warm up. Suddenly motion whisked by in front of the prop and I quickly reached for the switch. One of the golf course maintenance guys was in a cart going to a nearby hangar to get some mowing equipment. You never know from where a hazard might come.

The weather has been good so I have been out and about. I spent an hour over at Quakertown practicing landings, including so much needed no flap landings. Harry changed the oil (3 liters of Aeroshell) and we purged the fuel line to the fuel pressure sensor. A half hour in the pattern at Butter Valley with three full stop landings proved that the work was successful and Sally was good to go.

I made a solo run down south to KEVY and 58M. A little bumpy under the clouds but a fun trip just the same. I especially liked Cecil County, a nice little runway right next to the water. They're building a beautiful new FBO there, and a comment on the AOPA Airport Directory said that a crew car is available to go eat at the Marina in town.  I'll be back.

I spent some significant time in the hangar cleaning Sally. The outside always needs to have bugs removed, but I also paid attention to the engine compartment. (I'm still cleaning out the "residue" left by the birds last year. I'm not done yet but made significant progress.)

Today I headed north to N82. Departing Butter Valley I decided to fly over the house. I could see my wife on the back porch waving, so I rocked my wings to acknowledge.  Kind of fun. The flight took me over Allentown and the new construction "hole" for the hockey arena. I didn't ask for Flight Following but was listening to approach and tower while in the vicinity. Approach has two frequencies, one for traffic above 300', and below.  I couldn't remember which one to use and when I used my 696 to pick the frequency it cautioned me that since I was above 3k I should use the other. I really like that GPS. The air was smooth an silky above 4000'. I enjoyed following the often traveled path through the Water Gap, along RT209 to Milford and Port Jervis. The visibility wasn't great but I could see well enough to recognize the old landmarks. Just a touch at Sullivan County then headed back home.

Clouds building in the local area so I decided to try and climb above them. I was clear at 8500'. Winds were exactly off my right wing and I wondered if going down a little would give a tailwind. It didn't really help much, but then again I wasn't really in any kind of a hurry. I made my position call and made a nice landing at 7N8, a good way to finish a trip.

Pictures from Home

Entering Butter Valley Golfport

On the Flight Line

Playing with my camera, I found the panoramic mode.

General Aviation Weekend

The freedom to fly. Finally some good weekend weather. Thursday I went out after work, just to fly in the pattern. Mild winds, right down the runway and most of the energy from the day had dissipated. I couldn't make any excuses. I hadn't practiced from the left seat in awhile and it showed. The pattern work was solid, safe with no forced wave offs, but they weren't pretty either. I was visited by a red and white Champ who stayed in the pastern for one pass, then went down to N47. Later an Sr20 came in, made a pass and pulled off to let me land. They had some difficulty closing their door and were still on the ground the next time I came around so I pulled up, popped the canopy and asked if I could help. They were looking for a pair of pliers and got some from the Pro Shop.  Once buttoned up they departed so I again had the airport to myself. Still need to work on the landings.

Saturday there were Presidential TFRS to the west at Camp David, so I decided to go east. KBLM is close to the ocean and I hadn't seen the Atlantic in awhile. A nice low and slow kind of flight, over Trenton, NYC clearly visible in the distance. As I got closer CTAF announced jumpers in the air. Three others in the pattern, I decided to do a low approach and get out of the way. I traveled south down the coast just a bit before turning west toward home. I saw Lakehurst , Great Adventure, Willow Grove (or whats left of it) and by Wings (KLOM) prior to their Fly-B-Que.I had hoped to get there but priorities called me elsewhere.

I planned to have Sunday brunch at Wildwood or maybe Georgetown. Kathy was working the church Bingo game all day so it would be a good day to fly. Unfortunately the good weather was about to leave and points south were MVFR at best. The TFR was lifted so I decided to head west. I had not flown out to KUNV yet and that destination was still high on my list. Planning said it should take about an hour, and I wanted to test it so that I was familiar with the trip when taking a passenger. An easy flight, I stayed off the radio and just listened for traffic. The air was silky until I approached Mt. Nittany then the bumps started as easterly winds drove up the air over the last line of ridges. I took the standard tour, overflew the airport and started home. Still bouncing, I thought maybe 1000' higher would be smoother, but the weather was changing and air was now filled with potholes.

I had a decision to make. The magenta message in the top left says I have 75.9 miles to go, and my ground speed is 082 Kts. (I should reach my destination in less than an hour.) My fuel flow is 5.1 gals/hour,  and my total fuel on board is 5+6=11 gals. So I should be able to land with 6 gallons, or about 1 hour of fuel remaining. (More than VFR minimums, but below my normal limits.) I usually like to land with 5 per side, which is very conservative. So, this might be a good time to push the envelope. Clear weather, close alternates if I needed them, I decided to go for it. The orange needle on the HSI is dialed into a VOR station halfway along my route. When that swings by my wingtip I'll reassess my options.

How accurate are the fuel gauges? How reliable my weather forecast? What if my destination airport has a problem and I do have to divert? How many times/minute did I do the fuel consumption formula in my head? How many times did I push the NRST button on my 696 to asses my distance to an airport? The winds had picked up and it was gusty at Butter Valley and I landed with 3 gallons in each tank. I was not comfortable, but now I know she can do it.

Home

We're back.

Another Runway Dinner

What we stated with

Windy. Unusually breezy weather with gust well above my comfort level have kept me on the ground. So we spent some time working on the hangar. Satisfying, but not flying.

I thought if I could get up early I might be able to get some pattern work in so arranged to have Friday off. I was at the hangar by 7:30 taking the covers off and starting the preflight. When I did the cockpit check I found the master switch on. Ouch. I don't know if I left it on after configuring my PFD or bumped it on attaching the gust lock, but the result was the same. I had enough power to see the displays, lower the flaps and turn on lights, but didn't know if I would be able to start the engine. I pulled her, finished the preflight and got comfortable. Two props and a click.

Cleaned up after 3 bags full

The airport owner was working and stopped by to chat. Business is down. Few visiting airplanes and the golf business is way down. Once I told him my problem he offered a charger and an extension cord. (He has lots of chargers...for the golf carts.)

Ever put one of these together?

So I put her back in the hangar, unbuttoned the cowling and disconnected the battery. After attaching the cables I went over to the restaurant for breakfast. Next I took a little hike to check the runway, then made my way back to the hangars to see if Harry was in. He wasn't but his friend George was and we chatted for awhile, solving the problems of the world until Harry arrived. I made a 'soft appointment' for next week to get the oil changed. So, after about 3 hours I took the charger off and buttoned her up.

The ramp at 1N7

The forecast for Saturday was 'sunny and mild', but brisk winds arriving in the afternoon. Kathy decided to go with me for a $100 Breakfast, and after consulting FLY2LUNCH we decided on Blairstown (1N7).

Once the covers were off, Kathy took some time to clean the canopy and tidy up the cockpit. She hadn't flown in awhile, not at all from N47, and probably not since the last time we tried Blairstown after the October snow last year. So the set up was a bit strange for her. After I pulled Sally out of the hangar, time was spent getting the headset to work right, adjusting the volume, seat belts and all of the items she might need during the flight. We decided I should create a check list for her. After we were all settled in I told her that I hadn't tested the battery since the recharge and the engine might not start. "She'll start" was all she said.

Sailplane operations

Sally started normally. Butter Valley had some traffic on this pretty Saturday morning so we got a front row seat watching a few come in for landings as we did our run up. I tried to explain all of the items on the checklist, but after awhile she said I talk too much.

We took off and headed over to the church to take some pictures, then flew over our housing development to take some more. Steep turns and light choppy air wasn't good for someone prone to air sickness. So I climbed to 3500', contacted Allentown Approach  and flew direct 1N7.  A little hazy, a little bumpy and a rough ride for Kathy. She was glad to get her feet on the ground.

We had a light meal, watched the gliders do their thing, enjoyed the traffic and felt comfortable under the trees just watching the show. I noticed the wind was starting to pick up.

We departed about noon. I tried 4500' but before we got close to ABE we were getting bounced a bit. I requested and received 1000' lower but was still in a bit of a chop. (Later I found the Queen City had reported gusts to 16 kts.) I balanced a max cruise versus a smooth ride and did the best I could to make gentle turns. Kathy was uncomfortable but did well. A straight in to RWY 34 (nice landing) and then back to the barn. It was great to get out in the plane together.